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WASSCE · 27 topics

Music

G3N tutors you through the full WASSCE Music syllabus offline — from Literature and Practice, Rudiments in Music, Communication in Music and Related Arts and more — with adaptive lessons, instant quizzes and exam-ready summaries.

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Syllabus

What you’ll cover in Music.

The complete topic outline G3N teaches, mapped to the WASSCE curriculum.

Year 1

9 topics
Literature and Practice
  • Apply the diverse musical forms, instruments and cultural contexts of traditional Ghanaian and African music to foster an understanding and appreciation of their roles in social, religious, and communal settings.
    • Describe various traditional musical instruments from Ghana and Africa and explain their roles within different musical forms and traditions.
    • Describe the social, religious and communal functions of traditional music within Ghanaian and African cultures, including how music reflects and influences cultural values and practices.
    • Perform elements of a traditional African song or dance, highlighting the characteristic styles and structures of Ghanaian and African music.
Rudiments in Music
  • Interpret music notation and use durational values (rhythm) to construct and perform major and minor scales and apply solfege to enhance sight-singing skills.
    • Identify and notate basic music symbols, including staff lines, clefs, and notes in different positions.
    • Perform rhythms using quarter, half and whole notes, incorporating these durational values into short musical exercises.
    • Construct and perform scales (major and minor) and use solfege syllables to sight-sing simple melodies accurately.
Communication in Music and Related Arts
  • Apply common Western music terms to effectively communicate musical concepts, enhancing their ability to engage in discussions and analysis in the field of music.
    • Identify and explain basic terminologies used in Western music and their significance in musical communication.
    • Apply basic terminologies in Western Music within various musical contexts to analyse selected creative works.
    • Describe and critique music compositions and performances, using the appropriate terminologies to communicate in both written and oral discussions about music.
Music Business
  • Analyse common industry challenges and identify potential business opportunities, enabling them to make informed decisions in their pursuit of music as a career.
    • Discuss key challenges in the music industry, such as issues related to copyright, streaming revenue, competition and technological disruption.
    • Describe various career paths and business opportunities within the music industry.
    • Create a basic music business plan, outlining their vision, target audience, marketing strategy, and financial projections.
Aural Culture
  • Audiate, hear, and comprehend sound prescribed for level including scale degrees, meter, rhythm, and simple melodies, played from dictation with answers written down in musical notation or described as prose to enhance their sight-reading, performance, and music appraisal.
    • Identify, notate, and describe scale degrees and rhythmic patterns from dictation.
    • Identify, notate, and describe simple melodies from dictation.
Melody Writing and Text Setting
  • Create an idiomatic melody for a solo instrument that has a clear phrase structure demonstrating elements of repetition, variation and contrast.
    • Create an idiomatic melodic motif for a choral work and develop this into an extended phrase using variation techniques.
    • Compose an idiomatic melody for a solo instrument that has a clear phrase structure demonstrating elements of repetition, variation and contrast with given parameters (e.g. meter, motive, theme, keys, timbre, etc.).
Harmony
  • Investigate, construct, and realise a four-part musical phrase (voices); arranged vertically (harmony), considering how notes move and connect to one another (chord progression), and that is both harmonically coherent and logical within the key in which the phrase is written and is melodically coherent and satisfy all voice leading rules.
    • Investigate the mechanics of the construction, and realisation of a four-part harmonic phrase.
    • Utilise four-part harmony mechanics for the construction and realisation of a 16-bar hymn.
Major Instrument
  • Perform an African and Western instrument(s) appropriate to age and choice, a variety of scales, technical exercises, and simple melodic, harmonic, or percussive pieces of multi-cultural nature prescribed for the level, from memory alone, and with others, to build a repertoire of pieces for class and public performance.
    • Research, analyse, and justify selection of pieces for performance.
    • Prepare the piece, rehearse, evaluate, refine, and present before a jury or in concert, and record the performance.
    • Appreciate own and others' performances by responding through analysing, interpreting, evaluating, and connecting through empathising and establishing interrelationships.
Ensemble Participation
  • Perform a variety of simple pieces of multi-cultural nature (melodic, harmonic, or percussive) prescribed for the level, by singing or playing an instrument with others to build a repertoire of pieces for class and public performance.
    • Research, analyse, and justify selection of the pieces.
    • Prepare the pieces by practising, rehearsing, evaluating, and refining them for presentation, and finally recording the performance.
    • Appreciate own and others' performances by responding through analysing, interpreting, and evaluating; and connecting through empathising and establishing interrelationships.

Year 2

9 topics
Literature and Practice
  • Appreciate the characteristics, styles and social relevance of Art and Popular music from Ghana and Africa.
    • Identify key characteristics and performers of Ghanaian and African Art and Popular music.
    • Compare and contrast the stylistic elements and functions of Art music and Popular music within African societies.
    • Discuss and perform the role of Art and Popular music in social, political, and economic contexts in Ghana and Africa.
Rudiments in Music
  • Apply music notation software and basic programming tools to create, notate and playback musical ideas digitally.
    • Identify and explain basic elements of staff notation (pitch, rhythm, dynamics) in digital notation software (e.g., Finale, Sibelius, MuseScore, Noteflight).
    • Notate a simple melody using music notation software and apply playback features.
    • Create and present a short musical piece using either notation software or simple programming tools, highlighting rhythm and melodic patterns.
Communication in Music and Related Arts
  • Explore and apply indigenous music terminologies to communicate musical ideas, practices and expressions effectively within their cultural contexts.
    • Identify indigenous music terms used for describing instruments, rhythms and performance roles in their communities.
    • Explain how indigenous music terminologies convey meaning and guide performance practices.
    • Explore the use of selected indigenous music terms in discussing or critiquing a traditional musical performance.
Music Business
  • Apply the product planning and development process, including the 4Ps (Product, Price, Promotion, and Place), in the music business context.
    • Analyse key factors influencing the pricing of musical products and services.
    • Explain the significance of the 4Ps (Product, Price, Promotion, and Place) in the music business.
    • Develop a promotional strategy for a music product, considering target audience and available marketing channels.
Aural Culture
  • Distinguish different musical textures, recognise traditional Ghanaian genres, and identify recurring themes in selected art music compositions.
    • Differentiate between monophonic, homophonic, and polyphonic textures in recorded and live African and Pop music.
    • Identify thematic elements in selected Western and African art music compositions.
Melody Writing and Text Setting
  • Set suitable text to melody in both Art music and Pop song styles using ICT tools.
    • Identify the differences in text setting approaches between Art music and Pop songwriting (e.g., formal vs. conversational language, structured vs. repetitive phrasing).
    • Use music software to compose short melodic line for a given text in both Art and Pop music styles.
Harmony
  • Construct and apply dominant seventh and other seventh chords in harmonic progressions and basic compositions.
    • Construct dominant seventh (V7) and other seventh chords on given root notes in major keys.
    • Apply dominant seventh (V7) and other seventh chords in creating short harmonic progressions and melodic harmonisations.
Major Instrument
  • Perform on African and Western instrument(s) appropriate to age and choice, a variety of scales, technical exercises, and simple melodic, harmonic, or percussive pieces of multi-cultural nature prescribed for the level, from memory alone, and with others, to build a repertoire of pieces for class and public performance.
    • Research, analyse, and justify selection of pieces for performance.
    • Prepare the piece, rehearse, evaluate, refine and present before a jury or in concert, and record the performance.
    • Appreciate own and others' performances by responding through analysing, interpreting, evaluating, and connecting through empathising and establishing interrelationships.
Ensemble Participation
  • Perform a variety of simple pieces of multi-cultural nature (melodic, harmonic, or percussive) prescribed for the level, by singing or playing an instrument with others to build a repertoire of pieces for class and public performance.
    • Research, analyse, and justify selection of the pieces.
    • Prepare the pieces by practising, rehearsing, evaluating, and refining them for presentation, and finally recording the performance.
    • Appreciate own and others' performances by responding through analysing, interpreting, and evaluating; and connecting through empathising and establishing interrelationships.

Year 3

9 topics
Literature and Practice
  • Appreciate the characteristics, instruments and performance practices of Western and Non-Western musical cultures.
    • Identify key features, instruments and forms associated with selected Western and Non-Western musical traditions.
    • Compare melodic, rhythmic and harmonic elements used in Western and Non-Western music cultures.
    • Describe the social and cultural functions of music in various Western and Non-Western contexts.
Rudiments in Music
  • Create a simple music project using basic music technology tools to enhance understanding of musical concepts and digital creativity.
    • Identify common music technology tools (e.g., DAWs, audio interfaces, MIDI keyboards) and their uses in project creation.
    • Explore basic digital music-making techniques such as sequencing, looping and sound layering.
    • Design a short music project using selected digital tools or software to express a musical idea.
Communication in Music and Related Arts
  • Apply basic terminologies in dance, drama and visual arts and relate them to music.
    • Identify basic terminologies in dance (e.g., rhythm, movement, choreography), drama (e.g., character, plot, gesture), and visual arts (e.g., line, form, texture).
    • Explain how selected terms from each related art form can influence or enhance musical performance.
    • Use selected related arts terminologies to describe or reflect on a music performance experience.
Music Business
  • Apply principles of event planning and management, business contracts and law, and media communication in the music industry.
    • Identify and explain the key stages in planning and managing a successful music event.
    • Analyse different types of business contracts in the music industry and their legal implications.
    • Develop a media communication strategy for promoting a music event or product.
Aural Culture
  • Identify complex textures, distinguish subtle variations in traditional Ghanaian music, and trace thematic developments in art music compositions.
    • Identify sub-genres within Ghanaian traditional music based on instrumentation, melodic structure, and rhythmic patterns through aural analysis.
    • Identify the development of a musical theme in selected art music compositions through aural analysis.
Melody Writing and Text Setting
  • Plan and compose an original melodic piece with appropriate text setting, demonstrating creativity and understanding of melodic structure.
    • Analyse the key components of a melody and the appropriate techniques.
    • Compose a melody using digital software, demonstrating at least three melodic features that reflect the mood of the piece.
Harmony
  • Construct and apply V9, V11, V13, secondary dominants, and augmented sixth chords in harmonic progression and basic compositions.
    • Create an original composition by applying appropriate chords (including V9, V11, V13, secondary dominant and augmented sixth chords) that match the style.
    • Refine the original composition to meet submission requirements.
Major Instrument
  • Perform on African and Western instrument(s) appropriate to age and choice, a variety of scales, technical exercises, and simple melodic, harmonic, or percussive pieces of multi-cultural nature prescribed for the level, from memory alone, and with others, to build a repertoire of pieces for class and public performance.
    • Research, analyse, and justify selection of pieces for performance.
    • Prepare the piece, rehearse, evaluate, refine and present before a jury or in concert, and record the performance.
    • Appreciate own and others' performances by responding through analysing, interpreting, evaluating, and connecting through empathising and establishing interrelationships.
Ensemble Participation
  • Perform a variety of simple pieces of multi-cultural nature (melodic, harmonic, or percussive) prescribed for the level, by singing or playing an instrument with others to build a repertoire of pieces for class and public performance.
    • Research, analyse, and justify selection of the pieces.
    • Prepare the pieces by practising, rehearsing, evaluating, and refining them for presentation, and finally recording the performance.
    • Appreciate own and others' performances by responding through analysing, interpreting, and evaluating; and connecting through empathising and establishing interrelationships.
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