A+ Music Memory

Materials are created for four divisions: grades 2, 3/4, 5/6, and 7/8.

General Contest Information

The focus of the Music Memory contest is an in-depth study of fine pieces of music literature taken from a wide spectrum of music genres to expose students to great composers, their lives and their music. In the course of preparing for the contest, students should be given the opportunity to describe and analyze the music, relate the music to history, to society and to culture, and to evaluate musical performance.

A new list of selections is provided each school year. See the link below.

Students will listen to approximately 20 seconds of up to 20 musical selections and identify the name of the major work, selection and the name of the composer.

To receive full credit for an answer, all information about the music selection must be complete as shown on the official list. Spelling and punctuation are considered in the grading of this contest.

Download the Music Memory Official List for 2020-2021

Scoring

• (A) In the 2nd-grade matching portion of the contest, award two points for the correct composer, or one point if the composer is correct but misspelled. In the 2nd-grade listening portion of the contest, award two points for correct recognition of selection title.
• (B) In the 3rd/4th-grade matching portion of the contest, award two points for recognition of the composer and two points for recognition of selection title. In the 3rd/4th-grade tie-breaking portion of the contest, award two points for the correct major work, if required, and two points for the correct selection. Award one point if the major work is correct but misspelled. Award one point if the selection title is correct but misspelled. Award no points for incorrect or unanswered items.
• (C) In the 5th/6th-grade contest, award two points for the correct major work, if required, and two points for thecorrect selection. Award one point if the major work is correct but misspelled. Award one point if the selection title is correct but misspelled. Award two points for the correct composer. Award one point if the composer’s name is correct but misspelled. In the 5th/6th-grade tie-breaking portion of the contest, the same scoring method shall be used. Award no points for incorrect or unanswered items.
• (D) In the 7th/8th multiple-choice part of the contest, award two points for each correct answer. (If the district has opted to count the multiple-choice section as a tiebreaker only, it is only necessary to grade that section for entries involved in a tie.) In the listening portion of the contest, award two points for the correct major work, if required, or one point if the major work is correct but misspelled. Award two points for the correct selection title, or one point if the selection title is correct but misspelled. Award two points for the correct composer or one point if the composer’s name is correct but misspelled.

Resources for Study and Practice Materials

• Music Memory Passport, with a new edition for 2020-21

  • Passport description

• Links to recordings in iTunes and Spotify for the 2020-2021
   

• Grades 7/8 multiple choice study guide
   

• Free Spotify playlist

  • An account is needed to access the music. There are minimum age requirements for setting up accounts with services such as Spotify, so parental assistance is necessary.

• Practice Tests

  • Grade 2

  • Grades 3/4

  • Grades 7/8 (multiple choice portion)

• Independent vendors