Lesson video

Hi, my name's Mr. Pate, and welcome to this lesson on what makes a good performance, from the unit Introduction to Performance.

The outcome for this lesson is, I can identify key characteristics that make a performance accurate, fluent, and expressive.

We'll be using some keywords in today's lesson.

We'll be talking about accuracy, which is playing the correct notes and rhythms, fluency, which is playing smoothly without stopping, expression, which is when we can add feeling and emotion to music, intonation, which is how accurately pitches are played or sung in tune.

In today's lesson, we'll start by understanding what makes a good performance.

Then you'll spend some time developing your own performance skills.

So what makes a good performance?

A good performance is more than just playing or singing the correct notes.

It combines accuracy with fluency, expression, and control to create something engaging for an audience to listen to.

Your GCSE performance piece should demonstrate your skills as a performer.

It should let you connect with an audience and to meet the assessment criteria in order to achieve the highest possible mark.

Let's start by considering accuracy.

Accuracy means playing or singing the correct notes and rhythms in your piece.

When the examiner listens to your performance, they will follow along using a score, or they'll use your reference recording to assess whether you are performing the piece accurately.

They will assess things like your intonation, which means how well the notes that you play or sing are in tune.

They'll also check to see if you're following written details in the score, like rests and repeats, accurately.

So which of the following are important for an accurate performance?

A, playing the correct notes and rhythms.

B, playing or singing notes in tune with good intonation.

C, paying attention to score markings, like rests, repeats, and more.

Or D, all of the above.

The answer is D.

All of these things are important for an accurate performance.

It's not just playing the correct notes, making sure you get the rhythms right, consider your intonation, and look at all of those details on the score is essential for an accurate performance.

Fluency is the ability to perform music smoothly and continuously without unnecessary stops or hesitations.

This helps the performance sound confident and well prepared.

When the examiner listens to your performance, they will assess whether you can keep a consistent tempo.

They'll also consider how you recover from small mistakes without breaking the flow of the performance.

Let's listen to two performances of the same short piano passage and compare the fluency.

How does the fluency change the overall quality of the performance?

Here's the first clip.

Now let's listen to clip two.

Once you've heard it, pause the video and compare the fluency.

How does the fluency change the overall quality of the performance?

So what did you think?

How did the fluency of these two clips compare?

Sam says, "The first clip was less fluent.

The piece stopped and started, which made the music feel disjointed.

" Jun says, "The second piece was more fluent because the tempo stayed steady throughout.

This made the performance sound more confident and musical.

" Now let's have a think about expression.

Expression is the use of musical elements, like dynamics and phrasing, to communicate mood and emotion in a performance.

A good performance is not just about playing the right notes, but also about how you interpret the music and bring it to life.

The examiner will assess how effectively you use dynamics, phrasing, articulation, tempo, and other expressive musical features, whether they're written down in the score or added through your own musical judgment.

Let's have a look at a score to see what expressive features we can draw from it.

Look at the following extract from a musical score.

I'd like you to try and identify any opportunities for the performer to add expressive detail through dynamics, phrasing, articulation, or tempo.

Pause the video and consider your answers.

So how did you do?

Did you spot opportunities for the performer to add expressive detail?

Sofia says, "The markings of mp, mf, and the crescendo show opportunities for the performer to shape the dynamics and add expression to the piece.

The accents show notes that should be emphasized.

" Lucas says, "Phrase markings show how the music is divided into musical sentences, and help guide the performer on how to shape and play each phrase.

" So there's lots of opportunities mentioned in the score that will guide you on how you can make your playing really expressive.

Your final performance mark is also influenced by the difficulty of your chosen piece.

Your marks might be adjusted depending on whether the piece is considered more or less demanding.

Different exam boards do this in different ways, so it should be considered carefully when selecting a repertoire, and always check the specifics of your exam board and how they mark difficulty levels.

Choose a piece that's challenging, but still allows you to perform accurately and confidently.

It's better, usually, to play an easier piece well than try and play a harder piece not as well.

Let's have a listen to a clip of a piano performance, and I'd like you to provide feedback on how the performer could improve their use of accuracy, fluency, and expression.

Listen to this clip, then pause the video and consider your answers.

So now you've had some time to consider your answer.

What advice would you give this performer to improve their accuracy, fluency, and use of expression?

Jacob says, "The performance sounded fairly accurate, but it sounded like there was some wrong notes in the middle.

The performer should prioritize practicing this section.

" Sofia says, "The performer slowed down and hesitated in several sections of the piece, which reduced the fluency of the performance.

They should practice these passages so they can play the piece accurately and up to speed.

" Aisha says, "The performance lacked dynamic contrast.

The performer should consider where changes in volume could be used to make the piece more expressive.

" So this performer's got a little bit of work to do on their performance, making sure that it's accurate, that they've got all the correct notes, by improving their fluency, by working on those tricky bits where they hesitated or slowed down, and by looking for opportunities to add expression, whether it's notated on the score or whether through their own interpretation.

Now let's look at developing your own performance skills.

An effective performance combines accuracy, fluency, and expression to communicate the music clearly and confidently.

Accuracy involves performing the correct notes and rhythms with secure intonation, meaning the tuning, and attention to details on the score.

Fluency involves maintaining a consistent tempo and performing with confidence and continuity.

Expression involves using dynamics, phrasing, articulation, and tempo to shape the music and communicate mood and character.

Strong performances balance technical control with a musical communication, helping the performance sound confident, engaging, and stylistically convincing.

Why is it important though to consider expression when you're performing?

Is it A, because playing expressively means getting all of the notes right, B, because expressive playing makes the piece sound more musical and engaging, or C, because playing expressively means not stopping?

The answer is B, expressive playing makes a piece sound much more musical and engaging.

Which of the following describes playing smoothly and continuously without lots of hesitations?

A, fluency, B, accuracy, or C, expression?

The answer is A, fluency.

This describes playing smoothly and continuously without lots of hesitations.

Now it's over to you.

Choose a piece that you have been playing or singing recently and perform it, focusing on your use of accuracy, fluency, and expression.

You could record your performance or ask someone else to listen and give you feedback.

You can then reflect on how accurate, fluent, and expressive your performance was, and set yourself a target to help you improve as you continue to practice this piece.

Pause the video now and spend some time developing your performance skills.

So now you've spent some time developing your performance skills.

How did you do?

Izzy says, "My singing was mostly accurate, but I struggled with the middle section and my intonation was less accurate.

I should focus on this section when I'm practicing.

" Andeep says, "The fast passages towards the end of my piece make it difficult to maintain fluency, and I sometimes slow down or stop.

I should practice this section at a slower tempo and gradually increase the speed.

" Laura says, "I often forget about dynamics and phrasing in my performance.

I should remember that it starts quiet and then there's a crescendo in the fourth bar.

This will help develop my use of expression.

" These are great reflections on performance work so far and targets looking ahead to how to improve in the future.

In today's lesson, we've learned that good performances balance accuracy, fluency, and expression.

We've learned that pitch and rhythmic precision build confidence in a performer.

Dynamics, tempo, and phrasing shape the musical character of a piece.

And self-assessment and peer discussion help identify strengths and targets to inform our practice.

Well done for your performance work in today's lesson.

I'll see you again in the next one.