Assessment Type 1: Creative Works (40%)

Students present a portfolio consisting of:

• their own creative works, which may be a performance or performances, a composition or compositions, or an arrangement or arrangements
• a creator’s statement in which they reflect on their creative works.

Students may present one work or a set of works. In a performance or arrangement, the set of works may be by one or more composers.

Students apply their musical understanding, skills, and techniques to develop, refine, and present their works. The creative work or works may be in a single style or in a variety of styles.

In the creator’s statement, students provide evidence of their learning, through a reflection on the musical influences on their own creative works. This reflection may refer, for example, to use of standard and/or graphic notation, instrumentation, and use of technology, found sounds, and/or digital audio recordings.

A creative work that is a performance or set of performances should be presented to a live audience. All performances must be recorded for assessment. A performance or set of performances should be 10 to 12 minutes.

If a performance is within an ensemble, students provide additional evidence of their contribution to the ensemble through individual part‑testing in their portfolio.

A creative work may be a composition or set of compositions. It may be a notated work or in digital audio format. Notated works should be submitted with a score using standard notation (including the transposed score if transposing instruments have been used). A recording in digital audio format may be included. A composition or set of compositions should be 5 to 6 minutes.

The creator’s statement that accompanies the creative work or set of works should be to a maximum of 5 minutes if oral, 750 words if written, or the equivalent in multimodal form.

For this assessment type, students provide evidence of their learning primarily in relation to the following assessment design criteria:

• understanding music
• creating music.