| 1. |
The Minister of Basic Education, in consultation with the Council of Education Ministers, has approved the offering of the Practical Music programmes of the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music, Trinity College of London and UNISA for the National Senior Certificate (NSC), as published in Government Gazette, No. 34473 of 21 July 2011 under restricted conditions. |
| 2. |
The Practical Music programme of one of the three approved external music examination bodies may be offered from January 2014 in Grade 12 under the following conditions: |
| 2.1 |
The external Music programmes may be offered only as an eighth NSC subject. This subject will not be used for certification purposes. |
| 2.2 |
A learner may enrol for the selected external Music programme only in his or her Grade 12 year. |
| 2.3 |
The selected external Music programmes must be offered at Grade 7 Practical Music level as follows:
| Practical Music Examination |
Prerequisite Theory Component |
| Associated Board of Royal Schools of Music (ABRSM) Practical Music Grade 7 |
ABRSM Music Theory Grade 6 |
| Trinity College of London (TCL) Practical Music Examination Grade 7 |
TCL Music Theory Grade 6 |
| UNISA Practical Music Examination Grade 7 |
UNISA Theory Grade 5 |
|
| 2.4 |
The external Music examination body’s final results, based on the theory and practical components, will be accepted as the final mark obtained by the candidate. |
| 2.5 |
The practical component must be played by the candidate no later than June of the Grade12 year. |
| 2.6 |
The theory must be completed by the candidate no earlier than October of the Grade 11 year. |
| 2.7 |
The marks supplied by the three external Music examination bodies will be indicated on the National Senior Certificate as a subject passed from an approved and accredited assessment body in terms of the requirements of that body. The mark obtained by the candidate will be reflected on the National Senior Certificate with an asterisk denoting that this subject was offered by an external assessment body in accordance with that body’s requirements. |
| 2.8 |
A learner will be restricted to a maximum of one of the practical music examinations of ABRSM or TCL or UNISA. |
| 2.9 |
A learner who offers Music (NSC) as a Group B subject for the National Senior Certificate, as well as the Grade 7 Practical Music programme of the ABRSM or TCL or UNISA, as an eighth subject, may not offer the same main instrument as a first and/or second instrument for the two examinations. |
| 2.10 |
A learner who offers Music (NSC) as a Group B subject for the National Senior Certificate, as well as the Grade 7 Practical Music programme of the ABRSM or TCL or UNISA as an eighth subject, may not offer a Music programme comprising a combination of components of the Music programmes of the three external music examination bodies. |
| 2.11 |
The Music programmes of the ABRSM, TCL and UNISA may not be offered during the official school hours, but only as an extra-curricular subject. |
| 2.12 |
As from 2014, the Music programme of External Examination Bodies will not form part of the 7 subject requirement of the National Senior Certificate. |
| 3. |
The above requirements for the offering of the Music programmes of the ABRSM, TCL and UNISA have been included in the new policy document, National Policy Pertaining to the Programme and Promotion Requirements of the National Curriculum Statement Grades R – 12, which forms part of the National Curriculum Statement Grades R – 12. |
| 4. |
The phasing out of the existing external Music programmes and the implementation of the external Music programmes under restricted conditions is set out in the table below:
| 2012 |
2013 |
2014 |
No new enrolments in
Grade 10. |
No new enrolments in
Grade 11. |
First cohort of learners to offer an external Music programme (as an 8th subject) only in Grade 12 under the restricted conditions |
| Grades 11 - 12 continue with the existing programme. |
Grade 12s continue with the existing programme. This will be the last cohort of learners to offer the existing external Music programme in the NSC Examination. |
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| 5. |
The status quo regarding the current policy and regulations pertaining to the external Music programmes, as stipulated in the following documents, will be maintained until it is phased out in 2013: |
| 5.1 |
National Senior Certificate: A Qualification at Level 4 on the National Qualifications Framework, Government Gazette No. 27819 of 20 July 2005 |
| 5.2 |
National Policy on the Conduct, Administration and Management of the National Senior Certificate, a Qualification at Level 4 on the National Qualifications Framework, Government Gazette, No. 30048 of 3 July 2007 |
| 5.3 |
Regulations Pertaining to the Conduct, Administration and Management of Assessment for the National Senior Certificate, Government Gazette No. 31337 of 29 August 2008 |
| 6. |
Principals are kindly requested to bring this information to the notice of all Music teachers and learners offering Music as a subject. |
SIGNED: PENNY VINJEVOLD
HEAD: EDUCATION
DATE: 2012:05:23
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