Music
Curriculum Intent - Music:
Our music curriculum is designed to provide all students with a high-quality music education which engages and inspires them to develop a life-long love of music, increases their self-confidence, creativity, and imagination, and provides opportunities for self-expression and a sense of personal achievement. As stated in the government’s document, A National Plan for Music - June 2022 ‘’excellent music education opens opportunities, but it is not simply a means to an end: it is also an end in itself. It gives children and young people an opportunity to express themselves, to explore their creativity, to work hard at something, persevere and shine. These experiences and achievements stay with them and shape their lives’’.
Music is a social activity as well as personal and private and to this end we believe that group work, whole-class work and individual work are all necessary for musical development. Good learning takes place in an ordered atmosphere where the work is appropriate and clearly structured. Classroom management arises from well-organised, appropriate and interesting lesson materials, a balanced programme of activities which builds on previous work, clearly defined tasks, and purposeful activity leading to perceived and understood goals.
Our curriculum offers students opportunities to develop their talents in all aspects of music through: Composition, Performance (including singing) and appreciation through Listening and Appraising. We follow a developmental spiral in that students accumulate skills and revisit, strengthen and build upon previous knowledge and experience. The course is intended to continue and develop work of our primary school colleagues whilst providing a good foundation for GCSE Music, BTEC First Award in Music and A Level Music.
LISTENING
Through careful listening to a wide variety of music, including different genres, periods, traditions and cultures, students will appreciate and further develop an awareness of the music, expressing their ideas and feelings about it. Students will also be able to understand and explore how music is created, produced and communicated through the inter-related elements of pitch, duration, dynamics, tempo, timbre, texture, structure and silence.
PERFORMING
Students will learn to perform on a variety of instruments (including voice), to create music on their own and collaboratively, to learn a musical instrument, use technology appropriately and to have the opportunity to progress to the next level of musical excellence.
COMPOSING
We will encourage active involvement in creating and developing musical ideas using voice and instruments. We will nurture a sense of group identity and togetherness as well as individual creativity through composing, rehearsing and performing music with others (including audience).
‘’In our schools, music can bring communities together through the shared endeavour of whole-school singing, ensemble playing, experimenting with the creative process and, through the love of listening to friends and fellow pupils performing. The sheer joy of music making can feed the soul of a school community, enriching each student while strengthening the shared bonds of support and trust which make a great school’’ (The Model Music Curriculum – 2021).
Curriculum Overview Music:
| Autumn | Spring | Summer | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Year 7 |
Starting To Study Music (AU1): Rhythm (AU1) & Developing Rhythm (AU2): Exploring the foundations of rhythm and basic notation using Rhythm games/grids and traditional notation. Solo & Ensemble Performances, composition and Music from different cultures. |
Melody (SP1): Form And Structure - Classical Compositions (SP2): Exploring composition and musical structures through melody writing, development of keyboard work, notation theory and performance techniques. |
Carmen (SU1): The Keyboard Song Book (SU2): |
|
Year 8 |
Samba Music – rhythmic polyphonic texture, structure and form Gamelan Music – melodic fragmentation, textures |
Blues Music – chordal structure, walking bass etc… Celtic Music - modes |
Reggae Music – Pop culture Developing Reggae - to consolidate learning based on popular reggae songs |
|
Year 9 |
Classic Rock Riffs – reading and writing tab 3-Chord Trick – chord patterns and chord tab notation |
Classic Classics: Pachelbel’s Canon Fusion – Classical/Pop |
Film Music – exploring genre and composition |
|
Year 10: Eduqas GCSE Music |
Starting GCSE Music – Developing Musical Theory & Understanding. Performing: |
AoS1: Musical Forms And Devices (SP1 & 2) Performing: Composing: |
AoS 3: Film Music (SU1) AoS2: Music For Ensemble (SU2) Performing: Composing: MOCK EXAM |
|
Year 11: AQA GCSE Music |
Solo Performance deadline Free Composition complete Start Brief Composition Musical Theatre – Set Works Revision of the Classical Period and Set Work. Detailed work on ‘Elements of Music’ for questions in Section A of the exam. |
Ensemble Performance completed. All Programme Notes completed. Brief Composition completed. Folk Music, Latin/Reggae/Fusion Romantic Piano Music Minimalism Copland, Bartok Listening paper exercises and continued essays on Set Works Revision on Baroque Revision of dictation/harmonic and melodic structures/instrumental techniques |
Listening paper exercises/past papers GCSE Music EXAM |
| Year 12 | No A Level Music Course currently | ||
| Year 13 | No A Level Music Course currently |
Key concepts/Big ideas: Music
|
Year 7 |
EXPRESSION (Elements of Music) |
NOTATION - Traditional (Composition and Instrumental skills on the keyboard) |
EXPRESSION AND NOTATION – including Guitar Tab (Ensemble Instrumental Skills) |
|
Year 8 |
STYLE AND EXPRESSION (World Music) Rhythms and Polyrhythms |
STYLE AND EXPRESSION AND NOTATION (World Music) Improvisation |
STYLE AND EXPRESSION AND NOTATION (World Music) Syncopation and off-beats |
|
Year 9 |
NOTATION (Guitar Tab) Rock Riffs and Primary Chords |
STYLE AND EXPRESSION AND NOTATION Ground Bass/Fusion |
STYLE AND EXPRESSION Ensemble awareness |
|
Year 10 |
STYLE AND EXPRESSION AND NOTATION Critical listening/appraising within set genres, Solo Performance, Ensemble skills, Score Writing development |
STYLE AND EXPRESSION AND NOTATION Critical listening/appraising within set genres, Solo Performance, Ensemble skills, Score Writing development |
STYLE AND EXPRESSION AND NOTATION Critical listening/appraising within set genres, Solo Performance, Ensemble skills, Score Writing development |
|
Year 11 |
STYLE AND EXPRESSION AND NOTATION Critical listening/appraising within set genres, Solo Performance, Ensemble skills, Score Writing development |
STYLE AND EXPRESSION AND NOTATION Critical listening/appraising within set genres, Solo Performance, Ensemble skills, Score Writing development |
STYLE AND EXPRESSION AND NOTATION Critical listening/appraising within set genres, Solo Performance, Ensemble skills, Score Writing development |
| Year 12 | |||
| Year 13 |