Music: Assessment Feedback

Music Assessment Feedback

TASK: Read the following feedback for each question of your assessment. Make notes on these and keep these safe for your exam next year. This blog-post will remain available until your final exam.

1. Identify the regulator for radio in the UK. (1 mark)

- Ofcom 

2. Explain one way in which music videos use media language to differ from each other. Refer to one example of contrasting media language in two music videos you have studied to support your answer. (5 marks)

- Two marks for a valid detailed explanation of how music videos use media language to differ from each other

Videos may use linear narratives telling the story of the song or performance montages to draw attention to the song or the performers 

 Videos may use contrasting settings and associated lighting – location or studio or in performance, urban or rural, exotic or everyday, to match the style of music and the musician’s image 

 Videos may use contrasting camerawork and editing to create a tone to match the song and the musician(s), by creating documentary style naturalism or a more stylised performance, for example 

 Videos may use only the music track as soundtrack or may add diegetic elements to help create a self-contained fictional world 

 Any other valid contrasting media language 

 Different narratives 

 Different mise–en-scene 

 Different camerawork and/or editing 

 Different soundtrack.

- Two marks for Exemplification of a difference in media language use in two videos studied.

3. Explain how and why producers of radio programmes target different audiences. Refer to the Radio 1 Live Lounge to support your answer. (10 marks)

Responses must discuss how producers of radio programmes targets different audiences. 

This discussion may include: 

 Availability – either in terms of how the programme is broadcast or its online presence; for example, producers of local radio programmes can target geographically defined specialised audiences, whereas producers of national radio programmes may target mass audiences, or specialised audiences on a national scale 

 Styles and/or genres played; e.g. producers of radio programmes may seek to specialise in a genre, for example BBC Radio 1 Live Lounge uses an acoustic genre with ‘unique acoustic performances from a range of established and breakthrough artists’ to target specialised audiences defined by musical taste 

 Eras of programming, e.g. producers of radio programmes may target an older demographic, for example through playing music from the 1960s to 1990s or broadcasting classic radio plays. 

 Producers of radio programmes can also target audiences through the recruitment and directed tone of performance of presenters, e.g. a programme may have a more formal and informative presentation to address a niche target audience or a more informal and entertaining presentation to address a mass audience 

 Producers of radio programmes may target audiences through other services, e.g. national radio programmes may offer traffic reports to target drivers, local radio programmes will offer local news, weather, traffic reports and sports coverage targeting the local audience 

 Brand image – producers of radio programmes will use advertising and marketing to develop a brand image to suit their target audience; e.g. local radio programmes participating in community events, national radio programmes will engage with and cover national, significant events 

 Any other relevant aspect of targeting audiences 

Responses must explain why producers of radio programmes target different audiences. 

This discussion may include: 

 Targeting an otherwise unserved niche audience in order to compete in the market 

 Targeting a mass audience to sell to advertisers 

 Targeting a well-defined niche audience to sell to advertisers 

 As part of a Public Service Broadcasting requirement to address a specific audience on the channel the programme is broadcast on, for example Radio 1 Live Lounge 

 Any other relevant reason 

Responses must refer to Radio 1 Live Lounge to illustrate how and why audiences are targeted by producers of radio programmes. 

This discussion may include: 

 Consideration of how radio producers shape programmes to fit into a channels ethos to target audiences, for example Radio 1 is a very established brand, has national transmission and a place on the BBC’s website that has a dominant online presence, the format of the Radio 1 Live Lounge reflects this in its digital, offline and online presence and the channel gives it a national reach 

 The Radio 1 Live Lounge uses younger presenters to engage their target audience, Live Lounge uses Clara Amfo, as the presenter, this combined with its mid-morning slot helps target younger audiences 

 Radio producers position the Radio 1 Live Lounge to illustrate a commitment to live music, which will engage audiences concerned with authenticity in their musicians (addressing the needs of fans, adding to the Radio 1 brand and trying to fulfil the BBC’s PSB requirement to be distinctive) 

 Any other relevant illustration. 

4. Refer to Extract 1 in the Insert. Analyse the representation of musicians in Extract 1, which is from MOJO Magazine. (5 marks)

Responses should analyse representations of musicians in the extract from MOJO Magazine in terms of one or more of the following: the choices media producers make about how to represent social groups, stereotyping, how the representations reflect the purposes of the producers, the viewpoints, messages, values and beliefs conveyed, the significance of the representations in terms of the themes or issues they address. 

Analysis of the representations of musicians may include: The choice of media language to connote the reverence MOJO accords to musicians due to their purpose to celebrate ‘classic rock’: 

 language use such as ‘Arise! Ray Davies’ and use of the term ‘legends’ 

 the restrained use of colour on the front cover. The choice of media language to associate musicians with quest, danger and struggle, knowingly fitting stereotypes of rock musicians as grappling with grand themes: 

 the ‘authentically’ monochrome photograph of a young Ray Davies with a eyeline suggesting a look towards the heavens combined with the cover line ‘Rock’s dark knight on surviving the Kinks and saving his soul’ connoting a spiritual quest, albeit ironically 

 language use such as: ‘their year of living dangerously’, ‘KLF burn again’, ‘the torment of..’ connoting danger and struggle, albeit ironically 

 the choice of a black background connoting seriousness, darkness, or realism, adds to this representation The selection of musicians to represent on the front cover 

 the selection of white male musicians as front cover images fits stereotypes of rock musicians 

 the anti-stereotypical positive representation of older people as popular musicians, e.g. the artist from CSNY on the front cover of the extract gives direct eye contact and dominates the frame 

 the selection of an old photograph of Ray Davies in his youth to dominate the front cover may suggest a stereotypical preference – for the producers or for audiences - for youthful images of rock musicians, however, MOJO do routinely use contemporary images. Any other relevant representation analysis. 

5. Refer to Extracts 1 and 2 in the Insert. How far is media language used differently in Extracts 1 and 2 to reflect genre conventions? In your answer you must:  analyse examples of how media language is used similarly and differently in Extracts 1 and 2, which are from We Love Pop and MOJO magazines  make judgements and reach conclusions about whether there are more similarities due to genre conventions than differences in the extracts.   (15 marks)

Responses must analyse examples of similarities in the two extracts that, such as: 

 both feature a range of musicians on the front cover, either in cover lines or images 

 both use language to try to create an inclusive mode of address addressing an audience of music fans 

 both use a range of sans-serif fonts 

 both have mastheads at the top of the page and cover lines 

Responses should analyse differences in media language in the two magazine extracts such as: 

 the difference between use of neon pink in We Love Pop and the use of black in MOJO 

 the difference between the cluttered layout of We Love Pop with a range of images and little column justification and the more ordered layout in MOJO, dominated by one large central image and justified columns 

 The relative demotion of the masthead on We Love Pop compared to the banner masthead of MOJO 

 the difference between the highly stylised typography in We Love Pop (e.g. the ‘dripping ‘Love Sucks’) and the more conventional typography in MOJO 

 the difference between the more informal language use suggesting commonality of experience in We Love Pop (e.g. ‘decode his Snapchat’, ‘Crush Cringes & Dating Disasters’) and a language use suggesting differences in experience in MOJO (e.g. ‘Society tried to extinguish me’) 

 the difference between the multiple conventionally lit photographs in We Love Pop and the single, chiaroscuro lit photograph in MOJO. 

Responses must make judgements and reach conclusions about whether the similarities due to genre conventions outweigh differences. 

Responses may argue: 

 that most similarities are not due to genre but are either conventions of consumer magazines in general (mastheads, cover lines, inclusive mode of address etc.) and/or are style decisions that are not generic conventions (e.g. use of sans serif fonts) and that the other similarities (e.g. featuring musicians) are trivial 

 that there are similarities due to genre conventions but these are outweighed by differences in media language use 

 that similarities are due to genre conventions and that many of the differences are due to differences in sub-genre between ‘rock’ and ‘pop’ magazines and/or that We Love Pop is an example of generic hybridity – a hybrid of music magazine and lifestyle magazine

 Any other judgements and conclusions supported by evidence from the extracts.