Music

Key Stage 3

The national curriculum for music aims to ensure that all students:

  • Perform, listen to, review and evaluate music across a range of historical periods, genres, styles and traditions, including the works of the great composers and musicians

  • Learn to sing and to use their voices, to create and compose music on their own and with others, have the opportunity to learn a musical instrument, use technology appropriately and have the opportunity to progress to the next level of musical excellence

  • Understand and explore how music is created, produced and communicated, including through the inter-related dimensions: pitch, duration, dynamics, tempo, timbre, texture, structure and appropriate musical notations.

Year 7

In Year 7 students perform and sing as individuals, in small ensembles and as part of the whole class. They take part in a variety of music for different occasions and from different genres. They develop skills in composition; learning about different structures, using major and minor keys and improvising rhythmical pieces. Students learn to listen with increasing discrimination and awareness to inform their practice as musicians and to appreciate and understand the range of musical contexts and styles studied this year. Use Logic Pro as music software to compose backing tracks to film and adverts give students real understanding of modern techniques used in music industry and how music influences audience reaction.

Year 8

In Year 8 students continue to build their performing and compositional skills in a holistic way performing as an individual, in a small ensemble and as part of the whole class. They develop their compositional skills, looking in particular at how to write a song and work using more complex structures. They continue to explore world music and improvisation through a topic on African drumming and to develop skills in appraising music they are listening to and performing.

Year 9

In Year 9 students continue to build their performing, listening and compositional skills as an individual and in groups. They extend their knowledge of arranging and performing music through a variety of contrasting genres; Jazz, Classical, Pop and Film Music. Ultimately they use these skills to perform with expression and techniques for each other with confidence. students use music technology to great extent to record, evaluate and compose preparing for music GCSE. Listening is in the centre of musicianship where students apply their understanding of musical elements and structures.