A-level music, a qualification taken most often in English and Welsh school contexts around the age of 18, has been a long-standing feature of the musical training of many musicians. Historically bound up with Western European Art Music, the qualification has somewhat broadened its horizons in recent times, though with mixed success in opening up new ways of thinking about music. Recent research has highlighted the seemingly precarious nature of A-level music in many English schools. The reasons for this picture of decline are highly complex and difficult to disentangle, and are part of a much broader diminishing of creative subjects in the school curriculum. Decreasing numbers of A-level music entries run somewhat counter to popular policy discourse, which celebrates flagship announcements of £79 million given to Music Education Hubs in 2019–2020, and 2018 survey results that reported more than 700,000 children learning to play a musical instrument through music hub provision. However, behind these headlines, although there are many children having the opportunity to learn a musical instrument, few continue through to A-level and beyond. Despite its declining numbers, A-level music is recognised as a valuable qualification amongst music teachers, offering something distinct from graded music examinations and other Level 3 musical qualifications. This article presents the results of a recent nationwide survey of A-level music teachers to offer an insight into teacher perceptions of current A-level music specifications, the extent to which it prepares students for entry into higher musical education, and its appropriateness for aspiring young musicians.

中文翻译：

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教师对A级音乐的看法：紧张、困境和衰落

A-level 音乐是 18 岁左右最常在英语和威尔士学校环境中获得的资格证书，一直是许多音乐家音乐培训的长期特色。历史上与西欧艺术音乐密切相关，该资格最近在一定程度上拓宽了它的视野，尽管在开辟新的音乐思维方式方面取得了喜忧参半的成功。最近的研究强调了许多英语学校的 A-level 音乐看似不稳定的性质。造成这种下降的原因非常复杂且难以解开，并且是学校课程中创造性学科更广泛减少的一部分。A-level 音乐作品数量的减少与流行的政策话语有些背道而驰，后者庆祝了 2019-2020 年向音乐教育中心提供了 7900 万英镑的旗舰公告，2018 年的调查结果显示，超过 700,000 名儿童通过提供音乐中心学习演奏乐器。然而，在这些头条新闻的背后，虽然有很多孩子有机会学习乐器，但很少有人能坚持到A-level及以上。尽管数量有所下降，但 A-level 音乐在音乐教师中被公认为有价值的资格，提供与分级音乐考试和其他 3 级音乐资格不同的东西。本文介绍了最近对 A-level 音乐教师进行的一项全国性调查的结果，以深入了解教师对当前 A-level 音乐规范的看法、它为学生进入高等音乐教育做好准备的程度，以及它对有抱负的适当性。年轻的音乐家。