In the advanced stage, the curriculum moves entirely into specialisation, original inquiry, and critical theory. The assessment criteria are designed to simulate the demands of university-level research papers, complex composition portfolios, and advanced aural analysis. Students are expected to function as independent scholars and artists.

The Final Shift: From Analysis to Advocacy

In Levels 5-8, students learn to analyze music with rigour. In Levels 9-12, they must use that analysis to make and defend a unique intellectual or creative claim.

• From Understanding Theory to Shaping Theory: This is where concepts like advanced set theory, deep harmonic function, and the origins of musical systems (including microtonal or non-Western systems) are not just studied, but actively compared, critiqued, and applied in novel ways.

  
  

• From Contextualising to Challenging: Assignments require students to move beyond simply placing music in its historical context (e.g., the development of the Circle of Fifths). They must now challenge received ideas, investigate primary sources, and articulate a unique, well-supported position.

  
  

• From Synthesis to Originality: The highest marks reward work that is truly original—a composition with a distinct personal voice, or a research paper that contributes a unique, well-researched perspective, demonstrating the ultimate polymathic connection.