Marks sound a blue note

Changes in this years Junior Cert music exam may have struck a sour note with students in what was a demanding exam at both higher and ordinary levels.

For the first time, marks for each individual question were printed on the papers. While this may be an improvement in the long run, teachers were not aware of the change and were unable to forewarn students.

"This might have been a little off-putting," Kathryn Fitzgerald, a teacher in Loreto Abbey, Dalkey, Co Dublin, said. "Students could end up wasting time looking at the subdivisions of marks instead of answering the questions."

At higher level, Fitzgerald found the content "testing" and said there were quite a number of unexpected elements. "The language was technical enough - students would have to be very sharp to have understood it all."

In particular, she said, most students would not be familiar with the term "mazurka" in question 2C or with the reference to a "Persian market" in question 5G.

"Music students may not be grade-A history, geography or English students, so more modern, straightforward terms should be used."

Arthur Sealey, who teaches in Walton's New School of Music in Dublin, said the format of questions 1 and 5 was unexpected and might have thrown students.

Question 4 was "a bit challenging for the average student at higher level". Overall, he said the exam was fair, "but there were a few surprises in terms of format".

Confusing terminology was also a problem at ordinary level. "Some of the language was not appropriate and too technical at this level," Fitzgerald said.