It is commonly acknowledged that music education contributes to the enhancement of aesthetic and intellectual development as well as social skills and that, as a curricular inclusion, music is pleasurable to and suitable for students with different aptitudes and abilities, including those students who are physically and emotionally challenged.  Music is also known to contribute to the development of qualities that other disciplines aim to develop: creative and inventive thinking, self-control, self-expression, disciplined thinking, problem-solving abilities and sensitivity to the needs and contributions of others.

In offering this syllabus, the Caribbean Examinations Council is providing opportunities for the development of a practical knowledge of music and of the skills of analysis that can form the basis for further studies in teaching, performing, conducting, composing/arranging, the music business and other music-related fields.  The syllabus is rooted in Caribbean musical expressions, as well as in the musical expressions of other cultures, and further enables regional peoples to participate in the continuing development of Caribbean musical culture and to contribute to, and draw from, the pool of knowledge that constitutes world music.

The syllabus aims to:

• provide students with a direct experience of music through listening and appraising, performing and composing;
• encourage students to express their understanding of the particular aesthetics intentions of musical styles and idioms;
• provide students with knowledge and understanding of the history and sociology of different types of music;
• provide opportunities for independent learning through the development of manipulative, aural and notational skills;
• encourage students to interact with one another in a courteous exchange of ideas about different music idioms and to develop an acceptance of diverse musical expressions;
• provide opportunities through which students can develop creativity, critical thinking and problem-solving skills;
• enable students to identify short-term and long-term musical goals and to work with discipline and confidence towards the achievement of excellence;
• provide opportunities for students to engage in music as an educative activity, valuing the working process as much as the end product.

The syllabus is comprised of three profile dimensions:

• Listening and Appraising
• Performing
• Composing