Clarification details
Updated May 2015. This document has been revised, but no issues have arisen through moderation.
The purpose of clarifications
We create clarification documents to help people understand the current requirements of achievement standards. Clarifications do not introduce new criteria, change the intent of the standard, or change what we expect from assessment.
These documents unpack and explain the language and intent of the standard so people interpret and apply the standard consistently. We provide examples or guidance as illustrations only. They are not prescriptions or requirements.
For official requirements, always refer to the current version of the achievement standard as published by NZQA.
Assessment guidance
This standard requires the allocation of pre-existing source material to (at least) four independent instrumental parts. The source material will allow for an instrumentation of at least 48 bars in length.
Students are not required to create new musical lines or material, with the exception of realising a harmonic keyboard part or percussion parts if appropriate. An appropriate source for this task would be a closed piano score which contains 4-5 parts.
A lead sheet score which contains melody and chord indications only is not an appropriate source score, as it requires a harmonic realisation of all parts except the melody. This goes beyond the scope of the standard.
The skill of crafting an instrumentation will be demonstrated by a student who can allocate timbres, write within the capacity of instruments, layer textures and communicate musical ideas in a clear, accurate and detailed written score.
Success or lack of success will be greatly influenced by the selection of appropriate source material. To assist, it is suggested that students are given three or four scores to choose from.