Music

To view our curriculum plans, please click the following:

Year 7      Year 8      Year 9      Year 10      Year 11      Year 12      Year 13

To view the Music Department Feedback Policy, please click here.

Intent

We study Music to experience an exciting range of practical activities and cultural experiences that cover a broad spectrum of styles and genres. We aim for this curriculum to inspire and engage all learners through creative and challenging activities. We aim to foster a great sense of independence and musical competence as well as an ever-greater appreciation of music. Pupils will gain valuable independent and ensemble experiences that teach self-discipline, resilience and reflective skills through the rehearsal process.

The music department runs a wide range of extra-curricular activities. These include a jazz band, several choirs, drumming ensembles and rock bands.  There are opportunities for students to organise their own ensembles and they are encouraged to perform. Our annual performances include a Christmas carol service at the Anglican Cathedral and our summer concert in school. As well as these we also hold solos concerts and recitals, we participate in local and national festivals in which we have had many successes and we regularly sing at retirement homes several times a year. We collaborate with other music departments, choirs and organisations for concerts and events raising money for charities. The music department works closely with our Worship team to deliver Eucharist’s, assemblies and services with pupils taking lead toles in the organisation and performances. Each year the music department joins forces with the art and drama departments for an Art’s Trip – past venues being London and Edinburgh. On these trips the pupils visit universities, theatres, concert halls, art galleries and have a chance to see where a career in the arts could take them. Staff willingly give their time at weekends for these trips as we care about the future of our pupils and the future of arts education.

In the department pupils are led by a team of experienced and passionate musicians. For these staff music is all consuming and they relish the opportunity to impart this love of music on the pupils. The staff enjoy many different genres of music from Baroque to Britpop and are members of choirs, bands and ensembles outside of school as we believe you have to make music in order to teach music.

At key stage 3 the pupils are taken on a musical journey with topics such as Programme Music, Film Music, Music for Space, World Music and Popular music. Within each topic pupils are given the opportunities to create music through composition and performance. Pupils in Year 9 and 10 follow the Eduqas GSCE. This course involves the study of a variety of genres and styles and again encourages pupils to perform, compose and appraise music. The Year 11 pupils follow the Edexcel GCSE course in which the 8 set works enable pupils to study in depth a variety of different styles and put them in a wider context. At Key Stage 5 pupils follow the AQA course where they can focus on an area of interest and we can create a course that plays to these interests and the strengths of the department.

In the music department we try to provide opportunities for students to learn to enjoy and expand their knowledge of music in a very wide sense. We want our teaching to impact on students of all age, levels and abilities and to stretch the gifted musician as well as provide opportunities for those who do not necessarily see themselves as musically inclined. A wide range of musical styles and traditions are given equal prominence with a view to opening students’ minds to what is available out there in the world of music.

With our curriculum we aim to build successful learners who enjoy music and want to achieve excellence but our aim as teachers, as leaders is to create a department in which learners feel safe, at home and completely themselves.

Lower School Choir Performing on the steps one lunch time.

Years 7-9

During key stage 3 we like to take pupils on a musical journey and prepare them for GCSE Music and further study. The bold print below shows areas that we study again at GCSE but skills from other topics are transferable. All pupils have the opportunity to join an extracurricular activity and learn an instrument/have vocal lessons. We aim to make lessons as fun and interactive as possible learning through doing and making music. Pupils will learn how to read both treble and bass clef and will perform/compose music on a weekly basis.

Edexcel GCSE

The Edexcel GCSE qualification will inspire the next generation of students in forming personal and meaningful relationships with music through the development of musical knowledge, understanding and skills.

Students will be encouraged to engage critically and creatively with a wide range of music, develop an understanding of the place of music in different cultures and contexts, and reflect on how music is used in the expression of personal and collective identities.

Detailed specification is available at https://qualifications.pearson.com/content/dam/pdf/GCSE/Music/2016/teaching-and-learning-materials/overview-guide-to-edexcel-gcse-music.pdf

Text books used: Music Student Book, Pearson

A Level Music

AQA states that by ‘developing and applying the musical knowledge, understanding and skills set out in our specification can ensure students form a personal and meaningful relationship with music. They will be encouraged to engage critically and creatively with a wide range of music and musical contexts, and reflect on how music is used in the expression of personal and collective identities.’

The specification allows students to develop particular strengths and interests, encourage lifelong learning and provide access to higher education and university degree courses in music and music-related subjects as well as music-related and other careers.

The Subject content is divided into three components:

• Appraising music
• Performance
• Composition.

Detailed specification is available at http://www.aqa.org.uk/subjects/music/as-and-a-level/music-7272/subject-content/appraising-music

Textbooks used: Rhinegold Study Guide AS and A level Music

Where can MUSIC take you?