Encouraging Arrangements
Sunday 1 June 2025
Neglected Areas
I have been reflecting on the number of students who submit original compositions. It is, however, entirely acceptable for students to submit arrangements for components such as Exploring as a Creator, Experimenting as a Creator, and The Contemporary Music Maker. Currently, this area appears to be underrepresented. I encourage teachers to promote these options more actively and to invite students to develop their arranging skills in this less-explored domain.
“Arranging Blocks” Photo by Melissa on Unsplash
Arranging is mentioned a number of time in the Guide:
Exploring as a creator
“Exploring music as a creator means to engage with creating conventions in practical ways. For creators, musical findings can be gained through arranging, improvising, notating or creating music according to specific stylistic conventions”.
(p.29 of the Guide)
Remember that the exercises undertaken in this component are for the creator to demonstrate an understanding of musical styles and conventions, which is certainly achievable through the arrangements.
Experimenting as a creator
“Experimenting as a creator offers students the opportunity to trial and shape musical ideas, make artistic choices and, in the process, develop less familiar or unfamiliar skills through composing, improvising and arranging”.
(p.32 of the Guide)
Again, examiners can ascertain the level of trialling and shaping of musical ideas as well as other sub-skills required of this component through arranging pre-existing materials.
Contemporary Music Maker
“Students are encouraged to explore aspects that they may not have previously considered as part of the course”.
(p.36 of the Guide)
Although arrangement is not explicitly mentioned for this component, examiners can certainly assess technical proficiency and musicianship if the student decides to submit an arrangement. However, I would caution here that students (with teachers guidance) need to ensure that the project delves into an area that they have not previously considered as part of the course (of which arrangements certainly can feature elsewhere). In other words, the student would need to consider not only its real-life significance, a contemporary setting, and the bringing together the three roles - creator, presentor and research - and associated skills when making the decision to opt for an arrangement here.
Note for Presenting as a Creator
It is NOT possible for students to submit an arrangement for the Presenting as a Creator option. Here, the submision needs to be original works (compositions or improvisations). Theme and Variations is also acceptable, along with other forms of stimuli (see p.34 of the Guide).
“Please note that arranging or remixing do not feature in this syllabus component and will not be accepted for assessment”.
(p.35 of the Guide)
It is often remarked in the Subject Reports (see HERE for reports stemming back to the start of the existing syllabus) that students are not varying repetitions (of course it depends on the genre), but it is somewhat difficult for examiners for fully assess the scope of creativity if this is not the case.
Here is an example from one of my own arrangements of how to vary materials. Teachers may wish to set exercises that exploit different forms of variation.
Here is a portion of the original material (from b.30). It is entitled “Kusimama” by Jim Papoulis. The material is highly repetitive with the following section repeated a number of times in the piece:
A portion of Jim Papoulis's Kusimama illustrating its most repeated portion.
Here is a complete version of the work for piano, percussion and voices.
In my arrangement for full orchestra, I have decided to vary each of the repetitions, but not with mere decorative elements, rather with material that I have extracted from the work itself. This provides a much more integrated approach to the materials and could be construed at being at the heart of arranging.
For example, in the first of the repeated sections, I have the flutes, clarinets and saxs mimic the main theme half a bar later, but in a contrary form, which provides greater focus on the descending line that follows.
Portion of an arrangement of Kusimama (originally by Jim Papoulis) by dr. anton d. luiten illustrating integrated imitation
For the second portion of repetition, I have aimed for an enriched version in which the main theme has a range of doublings, but the rests that appeared in the original have been ‘completed’ with a simultaneous version that contain a turn-like gesture. Again, this is not merely artistic licence, but has been extracted from the original melody, which continues to return to the tonic note (E♭), but contains a pitch below it (D) and pitches above it (F-G), before returning to the tonic again:
A portion of the melody from Kusimama illustrating the reliance on the tonic from above and below.
Portion of an arrangement of Kusimama (originally by Jim Papoulis) by dr. anton d. luiten illustrating a decorative and melodically-related version of the main theme presented simultaneously with the original.
Also in the second version of variation, I have the oboes and bassoon play a syncopated step-wise ascending gesture (b.48, BOXED in BLUE, see below) that is a response to the falling line from the previous bar (b.47, BOXED in RED, see below). Again, this interplay is not merely for the sake of providing interest, but represents the antecedent and consequent phrasing that appears throughout the work. Here is an example of that phrase pairing:
An example of an antecedent phrase in Kusimama
An example of an consequent phrase in Kusimama
There are also a range of syncopated additions, again which have been extracted primarily from the head of the main gesture (see BOXED in PURPLE):
Portion of an arrangement of Kusimama (originally by Jim Papoulis) by dr. anton d. luiten illustrating a contrary response to the main material and syncopated elements.
While students frequently submit original compositions, arrangements are underrepresented. I urge educators to encourage more active exploration of these options and foster students' arranging abilities in this versatile domain.
Additionally, consistent variation of repeated material remains a challenge, complicating examiners’ ability to assess true creativity. I recommend incorporating varied exercise formats to help students develop and demonstrate a broader scope of creative variation.
For a complete version of this arrangement, you may visit here: