Curriculum Statement - Music
‘Music is a more potent instrument than any other for education.’ – Plato
Music has an inexplicable power to stimulate us intellectually and move us emotionally.
Powerful Knowledge in Music
Our aims are for every student regardless of background or circumstance to be inspired, and to make progress to achieve the highest standards of musicianship.
Our curriculum endeavours to achieve our aims in the key areas of singing, listening, composing and performing. We aim to develop powerful knowledge of musical concepts and creative skills through the study of a broad range of genres and through critical engagement with historical, social, moral, spiritual, and cultural contexts.
Our curriculum teaches beyond what is required to pass examinations. It enriches the lives of our individual students and enables them to develop mature musical understanding and a lifelong appreciation of music.
Curriculum Features
Students build powerful knowledge and skills through performing, composing and listening.
They develop their vocal and instrumental fluency, accuracy and expressiveness in a range of solo and ensemble contexts.
They understand the threshold concepts of musical theory, identify and use the interrelated dimensions of music expressively and with increasing sophistication, including use of tonalities, scales, and musical devices.
They compose and improvise; extend and develop musical ideas, use staff and other relevant notations in a range of musical styles, genres and traditions.
They listen with increasing discrimination, and awareness to a wide range of music from great composers and musicians informing their practice as musicians and developing a deep understanding of the music that they perform and to which they listen, and its history.
Co-curriculum Enrichment
Our music curriculum inspires our students to be involved in an extensive, diverse elective enrichment programme. Our inclusive ensembles and choirs are delivered by expert practitioners who nurture an enjoyment of performing whilst challenging our students to develop their musicianship.
We encourage our students to strive to achieve through graded music examinations and we provide quality opportunities to work in partnership with professional music organisations and conservatoires. Student ambassadors develop leadership skills by sharing their musicianship with their peers.
We are unapologetically aspirational which is demonstrated through the quality of our performances.
KS3
Year 7 During Year 7, students explore the elements of music through a variety of mediums and genres. Students will learn to analyse and describe the music that they listen to using music specific vocabulary. They will compose and perform in groups with the focus on effective music making and transferable skills. This year provides the opportunity for students to maintain and develop the invaluable skills of learning by ear, notation reading and rehearsing and performing as part of an ensemble. Students will be given the opportunity to compose and perform using their voices, body percussion, tuned and unturned percussion, ukuleles, and keyboards.
Year 8 In Year 8 students will continue to develop their skills in listening & appraising, performance and composition. They will develop their understanding and musical awareness through a range of workshops using their voices, ukuleles, classroom percussion, guitars and music technology. They will compose and record their own music using a range of notation including staff notation and TAB. They will also learn about different musical contexts, and perform in a variety of settings and genres. Students will explore different timbres, structures, and key characteristics, alongside using the musical elements to create music for a specific medium.
Year 9 In Year 9 students will develop their ability to recognise, analyse and demonstrate a range of music techniques; the aim of which is to produce successful and polished pieces of work, in preparation for the GCSE Music course. They will analyse, compose and perform music from different cultures, genres and musical traditions; learning how to plan and develop their compositions to create stylish and idiomatic pieces. They will create music for a range of different applications, including music for film and television. They will also have the opportunity to perform at a higher level in groups and on their own, developing their skills as musicians and again preparing the way for the GCSE Music course.