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Music

Curriculum Information

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MUSIC AT KEY STAGE 3

During Years 7, 8 and 9, all students, according to their abilities, and with varying degrees of success, will learn to recognise, identify and evaluate the use of the different building blocks of music in a variety of different pieces and will learn to evaluate and respond to the expressive quality of different musical styles from around the world.

The syllabus as laid out in the national curriculum, covers the following musical activities:

  1. Performing. All students will learn to perform simple music or an individual/small group level.
  2. Composing. All students will be involved in creative music making, using a variety of styles and techniques in an individual/group level.
  3. Listening. All students will follow a structured listening course linked to the components mentioned above.
  4. Theory. All students will be taught some simple notational theory work on western music.

MUSIC AT KEY STAGE 4

Examination Board Edexcel

Music is an art form that promotes concentration, teamwork, individual confidence and self-discipline. It is also a language that cuts across national and ethnic boundaries. The new GCSE course caters for a wide spectrum of abilities and, although it covers the three main areas of composition, performance and listening, more emphasis is now placed on the importance of listening (40%) of the total marks for the whole exam.

Composition (30%)

The students will prepare a folio of 2 compositions; each must be a piece of music written in connection with one of four areas of study. These areas of study are Repetition and contrast in western classical music, New directions in western classical music 1900 to the present day, Popular song in context and Rhythms, scales and modes from around the world. These areas of study also form the material for examination in the listening exam.

Performance (30%)

Students will need to be able to play an instrument or sing by the end of year 11. It is a great benefit if they are already learning an instrument at the start of year 10, however many students have gone on to achieve high marks in this area beginning to learn an instrument at the start of the course. Students will learn to develop the ability to perform individually, as well as to perform in a group. The Performance aspect of the course is examined by the student doing two performances, one solo performance, and one solo or ensemble performance (at least 2 in a group).

Listening (40%)

Students will study the four areas of study mentioned above. The listening paper lasts for 1 1/2 hours and will include examples from these topics, students will be set questions on the extracts played. This is the only main external examination of the course, as the other 2 components are coursework based.

This course would particularly interest students who wish to combine creative interests with music technology; and is of particular interest to those who enjoy performing and composing. As a large part of the course is performance based, any student who already plays an instrument or sings to a reasonable standard should do very well at this GCSE. It is an enjoyable, practical subject and develops confidence in students, as well as fostering an interest in other cultures.

Examination Board AQA

Music is an art form that promotes concentration, teamwork, individual confidence and self-discipline. It is also a language that cuts across national and ethnic boundaries. The new GCSE course caters for a wide spectrum of abilities, and, although it covers the three main areas of composition, performance and listening, more emphasis is now placed on the importance of composition (50%) of the total marks for the whole exam.

Composition

The student will prepare a folio of 2 compositions, one of, which must be a piece of music written for a special event ie.The World Cup. Theme music for Soap (Eastenders etc,) wedding birthday . . The other piece is completely free in subject matter and style and should reflect the interests of the individual student. (25%)

The third composition must arise from studying one of the 4 areas of musical study - Dance music (including Club), Popular song, Film music, and Orchestral Landmarks. The student is free to write in any style within guidelines. Set by the AQA which are published in the Spring term of the GCSE year. This is 25% weighting.
All compositions can be produced on Cubase, using simple technology software which is attached to a keyboard.

Performance

Students should already be learning an instrument or studying singing, and will learn to develop the ability to perform individually, as well perform in a group. The Performance aspect of the course is examined in solo performanceensemble performance (at least 3 in a group.). (25%)

Listening

Students will study Film Music, The Development Of The Orchestra, Pop Music, Music for Special Occasions and Music for Dance. The listening paper will include examples from these topics, and the assessment is (25% of the total examination.
This is the only main external examination of the course, as the other 2 components are course- work based.

This course would particularly interest students who wish to combine creative interests with music technology, and those who wish to use and develop their knowledge of Indian skills and interests. It is of particular interest to those who enjoy performing and composing.