Ordinary Level Music
Discover how the O-Level Music course builds skills in Listening, Creating and Performing across five Areas of Study, from Western Classical to Jazz and Popular Music.
The O-Level Music course will engage students with direct and integrated experiences in the areas of Listening, Creating and Performing, whilst providing opportunities for musical growth and for them to follow their musical inclinations. As part of the course, they will explore a wide range of genres and styles of music, as well as music-making individually and in ensembles. This lays the foundation for further study in music while endeavouring to foster a lifelong interest in music of all kinds.
The revised O-Level Music syllabus implemented since 2019 will test students on the following five Areas of Study (AoSs) which provide a rich spread of musical contexts for students to draw connections and links to music they listen to, perform and create. The five AoSs and some of the genres/traditions explored within each are listed below:
O-Level Music areas of study and genres or traditions
Area of Study (AoS) | Genre / Tradition |
Western Classical | Solo Instrumental Music |
Asian Music | Music of Traditional Malay Dances |
Jazz | Traditional |
Popular Music | Late 1960s Pop-Rock |
Music in Multimedia | Music in Film, Television and Advertising |
Note: NBSS does not offer the O-level Music course in the school. Students who are interested to offer the course will attend lessons at a nearby O-level Music Centre.