Music

What Music Has To Offer

Key Stage 3

Year 7

In year 7 all students receive 1 lesson of music per week, during these lessons students cover elements of the national curriculum by undertaking 4 different projects. 

The first project is called ‘The Human Drum Kit Project' and during this time students are introduced to all the musical elements and learn to read and write musical rhythms.  They compose and perform their own rhythms as part of a group and are encouraged to develop their rhythms into a structured piece in 3 sections.

Students are then taught about the Instruments of the Orchestra in order to learn about the different families of instruments and their sounds.

The second project is ‘The keyboard Project'.  Here students learn how to write and read using musical notation.  They learn correct technique on the keyboard and learn the difference between melody and harmony.  Students are taught how to perform both melodies and chords together.  They use the Music ICT suite in order to record their work and improve it using the ‘Garageband' software.

Next students learn about the history of music and complete listening activities based on the main periods of musical history.

The third project is a ‘Pop Song Project' where students are given the opportunity to create their own number 1 hit single.  They put into practice the melody and chord work used in the last project and experiment with writing their own lyrics and structuring their pieces. 

The last project over the year is ‘The Carnival of the Animals Project'.  Here students listen to a piece of music written about animals and perform a section of the piece on keyboards.  In groups they then have to compose their own piece about an animal of their choice. 

All of the students work is recorded and assessed at the end of each project. As well as myself assessing the work students are given the opportunity to self and peer assess.  Their assessment mark also counts towards their overall mark.  For every project students set themselves targets on areas they think they can improve and I also set them a target for the next project.  Homework is set throughout the project - some of which is written and some of which is practical. 

Year 8

Year 8 completes the areas of the National Curriculum not covered in year 7.  The units are based around World Music and looking at different cultures.

The first project is ‘African Music Project'.  Students look at the key features and instruments used in African music and perform pieces as a class and as groups.  They perform African songs in harmony and in a call and response style.  Students learn how to play African Drums using correct hand positions and compose pieces for these instruments.

The second project they cover is Blues Music.  Here students look at the history of Blues, why it started and how.  They learn about the makeup of Blues pieces and using ICT create a whole Blues piece on the computer.  Here they can perform a 12 Bar Blues Chord Sequence, add a walking Bass Line, Improvise a melody and add a drum beat to their pieces.

The third project looks at music from Trinidad and Tobago. Calypso Music which derives from this area features the steel pans and students are given the opportunity to perform pieces on them.  They look at chord patterns and melody lines as well as the key features of Calypso music.  They learn key Calypso rhythms which they can add to their pieces. 

The last project that year 8 undertakes is ‘Samba Music'.  Students learn a number of Samba rhythms and the structure of Samba pieces.  They perform pieces firstly as a class and then in smaller groups.  Students are encouraged to add solo's to their pieces and lead group performances.

Key Stage 4

Year 9 BTEC Certificate in Music Level 2

For this course students must complete 3 units: the core unit plus two other units

 The core unit which everybody who decides to take Music will have to complete is called ‘Planning and Creating a Musical Product'.  Here students will be working towards a final product or showcase of their work. 

Some students, if they are performers, may decide to put on a solo Musical performance. This counts for another unit in the course.  Here students will have the opportunity to look at pieces written for their instrument or voice.  They must perform 2 contrasting pieces. 

Introducing DJ Technology is another unit students may choose to opt for. Here student will: research DJ equipment, Perform using a range of DJ techniques, learn how to structure a set, create their own set perform their own set using appropriate material.

Another Unit is: Working As A Musical Ensemble.  For this unit students will look at different types of ensembles, plan and prepare a musical performance and perform their chosen piece

If a student prefers to write their own music and use music technology they may like the unit on ‘Exploring Computer Systems Used By Musicians'.  Here students will show they are able to operate audio and music software tools, Compose pieces using music technology, Set up and configure music production systems and understand the role of the components of  Garageband.

Extra-Curricular

Music offers a wide range of extracurricular clubs including: orchestra, steel pans, African drumming, choir, keyboard club, Rock Band and recorder club.

 

 

Curriculum and Extended Learning Details - Click Here
Enrichment Details - Click Here