Music Curriculum

Curriculum Intent – Content and Structure

The intended outcomes of what we teach:

It is the aim of the Music department, first and foremost, for all students to enjoy Music. Students should be involved in as practical a way as possible, broadening their own interests, knowledge and awareness of music generally, as well as realising their own potential. Through the curriculum, students will:

Be exposed to an eclectic mix of repertoire and musical genres to ensure they have a broad musical knowledge.
Develop skills required to be lifelong learners such as interdependence, collaboration, perseverance and noticing skills.
To foster imagination and inventiveness, as well as intellectual and artistic skills.
Develop their listening skills, as well as literacy and numeracy skills to support across the broader curriculum.
Learn to express their own experiences, ideas, feelings and impressions creatively and learn appreciate the creative expression of others.
Develop the use of music technology to enable successful composition work.
Develop analytical skills.
Gain the performance, compositions and analytical skills needed to pass exams.

The three main skill areas covered within Music are:

1. Participation in the performance of music; either individually or in an ensemble, providing the opportunity for all students to achieve a standard of musicianship through an enjoyable experience.

2. Composition and improvisation; using an appropriate medium to create and develop an appreciation of sound.

3. Development of listening skills; analysing recorded and love performances, identifying instruments, compositional devices and traditions.

Curriculum Implementation

Curriculum Content and Sequence

Year 7

Autumn	Spring	Summer
The Elements of Music Reading Musical Notation Keyboards	The Orchestra Programme Music	Programme Music (continued) The Voice

Autumn

Spring

Summer

The Elements of Music

Reading Musical Notation

Keyboards

The Orchestra

Programme Music

Programme Music (continued)

The Voice

Year 8

Autumn

Spring

Summer

Pop Music from 1950 - today

World Music

Musical Fusions

20^th Century Experimental Music

Year 9

Autumn

Spring

Summer

Blues and Jazz Music

Introduction to Notation Software

Film Music

Song Writing

Performance Skills

Year 10

Autumn

Spring

Summer

Laying the Foundations (basic theory)

Composing a melody – composition brief 1.

Vocal Set Works – Killer Queen (Queen) and Music For A While (Purcell)

Pop Song Composition

Music for Stage and Screen - Star Wars (John Williams)

Film Music Composition.

Music for Stage and Screen – Defying Gravity (Schwartz)

Film Music Composition.

Instrumental Music 1700-1820

Fusion Composition

Fusions – Release (Afro Celt Sound System)

Free Composition Task

Year 11

Autumn

Spring

Summer

Instrumental Music 1700-1820 – Bach Brandenburg Concerto

Free Composition – coursework

Solo Performance

Fusions – Samba em Preludio

Revision – Vocal set works and Stage and Screen

Fusions and Instrumental Music 1700-1820

Brief composition

Ensemble performance

Practice Papers and Exam Questions

The Rationale for the Content and Sequence of what we Teach

Year	Why we Teach this Content and how the Content and Sequence of Topics Benefits our Students
Year 7	Develop performance skills in a range of genres. Develop notation skills and have a clear understanding of how to read and write music. Build confidence in performance and understand how movement and rhythm can influence singing. Discover how to structure composition through a range of mediums. Learn how to collaborate to create and perform music. Learn to discuss and write about music with a musical vocabulary, focusing primarily on the elements of music. Broaden keyboard and individual instrumental skills. Regular opportunities to develop singing skills, focusing primarily on expression and communication.
Year 8	Develop the use of technology in composition. Have a clear understanding of how music developed throughout the 20th Century. Extend knowledge of musical vocabulary and apply to discussion and written tasks. Develop listening skills to recognise specific features of music. Build upon collaborative skills to both perform and compose. Compare and perform diverse types of music, ensuring students understand how music is used in the wider world. Take inspiration from different art forms to enhance creativity in music.
Year 9	Build on technology skills in composition, focusing primarily on how music can reflect different moods, intentions, and images. Explore and refine different compositional techniques. Develop and understanding of basic harmony in composition. Build on incorporating a more complex structure into composition work. Further develop ability to work both collaboratively and independently. Further explore the work of different musicians and have an understanding of how different historical events influence music. Develop and extensive musical vocabulary in preparation for GCSE music.
Year 10	Recapping knowledge of the elements of music and development of key vocabulary for specification requirements. Developing knowledge of different composing software and developing composition techniques. By the end of Year 10, students will have covered ¾ of the exam content, which allows Year 11 to predominantly focus on the coursework, which is not allowed to be delivered until the final year of the course.
Year 11	The most complex set works have been intentionally left till the start of Year 11 when students have a wider subject knowledge All performance/composition work has to be completed in the year of completion, so has to take place in Year 11. Completing this by Easter allows a significant period of revision for the written exam.

Key Stage 4 (KS4) only:

What exam board/syllabus do you teach?

Why have you chosen this syllabus?

In what ways is it suited to your students?

Edexcel.

Students will continue to study Music through the three main strands of performing, composing and listening. Candidates will explore the expressive potential of musical resources and conventions used in selected genres and traditions and be able to make critical judgements on their own and others music, using an extensive musical vocabulary. They are required to perform with a sense of style and compose music that shows a coherent and imaginative development of ideas. Throughout the course, students will improve their musical theory skills to improve both their composition work and listening skills

This course was chosen because of the manageable quantities of set works in comparison to some boards. Also, many exam boards had live performance exams which we felt would not suit our students in comparison to pre-recorded performance exams which gives the students an opportunity to retake within a supportive environment. The wide angle of the briefs for composition was also more suitable than other exam boards.

Curriculum Implementation

The subject specific habits and behaviours we develop (or intend to develop) in our students

Subject Specific Habits and Behaviours

How we embed these in our students

Collaboration

Commitment

Resilience

Creativity

Self-motivation

Self-discipline

Extended collaborative group tasks with clear time frames.

Open tasks to encourage deeper thinking and creativity.

Teacher modelling.

Consideration of what is needed to rehearse and collaborate successfully.

Time to reflect on prior learning

Time to rehearse and refine work, building on both teacher and peer feedback.

Academy Ethos

Academy Curriculum Intent

How our department’s curriculum content and teaching approaches reflect the whole Academy ethos

A Curricular and Pastoral commitment to Micah 6v8: Do justice, love kindness and walk humbly with your God.

High Expectations of students’ behaviour for learning, learning progress and respect for our community.

A commitment to make learning enjoyable, engaging, relevant and challenging.

A commitment to develop knowledge, skills and character.

Consistency and fairness in approach and routines.

Excellent and developing subject knowledge which inspires confidence in students.

Effective collaboration across all parts of the Academy.

Highly skilled teaching which deepens understanding and stimulates curiosity.

A willingness to embrace research and innovation in order to enhance the learning potential of our students.

Recognising and rewarding effective use of learning habits as well as academic achievement.

Collaboration. Behaving well as an audience – teaches empathy and respect. Clear expectations for routines for practical work.

Varied curriculum topics / genres and teaching activities.

Trips and extracurricular opportunities.

Balanced curriculum which allows students to use their own specialities/instrumental skills to improve their composing/performing and listening skills.

Each year students build on the different musical skills such as keyboards, singing, and band work. Links between topics across the key stages and year groups.

High standards of behaviour and expectations.

Inclusive subject – differentiation in place through student outcome. Safe learning environment established through regular performance from the start of Year 7.

Work closely as a PA faculty and cross curricular projects such as VA / work with art for production.

Embracing new ideas/practices such as use of Focus on Sound as an online learning resource.

Colours for Music / Drama / PE.

Implementation

Academy Ethos

Micah 6v8: Do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with your God
	Curriculum Content Opportunities	Curriculum Delivery Opportunities
Justice	Year 7: Elements of Music. Year 8: World Music/Fusion. Year 9: Jazz and Blues. KS4: Musical Fusions.	Collaborative work in most lesson – all expected to be involved. All voices to be heard and opinions in group work. Differentiation through outcome. Targeting differentiated questions – no hands up.
Kindness	Year 7: The Orchestra Year 8: World Music/Fusions Year 9: Jazz and Blues KS4: Composition and Performance	Empathy during performances and performance routines. Students taught how to collaborate in group work and to be supportive of others, regardless of ability. Students encouraged to build up others confidence in performance work. Constructive feedback of all practical work with two positives and one development point.
Humility	Year 7: Programme Music Year 8: Experimental Music - Expressionism Year 9: Film Music KS4: Music from stage and Screen, Beethoven ‘Pathetique’	All students expected to be performed in class and to be inclusive of others within their group regardless of standard of musicianship. Using music to express emotions.

Please click here to access the full Music curriculum document.

Music Curriculum