Music

Key Stage 3
All students in the Years 7, 8 and 9 receive one music lesson a week. The course is firmly rooted in the National Curriculum, focusing on the skills of performing, composing, listening and appraising.
Music is a practical subject with a strong emphasis on performing and composing. We also aim to enhance a student's aesthetic experience to develop aural awareness and perception of music and to enable students to acquire creative and practical skills. During lessons students are involved in music-making both individually and in groups. Students are expected to perform their work to others in the class.

The equipment includes a variety of tuned and untuned percussion instruments, ethnic percussion and electronic keyboards. The department is developing its use of ICT in Music with computers, sound recording equipment and floppy disc drive keyboards with multi-track recording facilities. The Music Department also offers pupils the opportunity to further their musical skills outside the curriculum. There is a wide range of school ensembles and performance opportunities for both Western and Asian instrumentalists and singers.

There are a number of instrumental teachers who visit the school to give individual and group tuition during the week. A termly charge is normally made for these lessons.

Key Stage 4
Music - GCSE
This examination course is designed to give students a general understanding of a wide range of musical styles as well as allowing them to develop their individual skills in performing and composing. This is achieved during the study of sixteen different styles of music.

The course is based around three related areas of study:

1. Listening, which includes music theory and aural training as well as the study of the development of popular and classical musical styles from a variety of cultures.
2. Performing, which requires candidates to offer a minimum of one solo and one group performance piece.
3. Composition, can be either original compositions in any style or arrangements of an existing piece of music. The department has equipment which allows a composer to invent and record music simultaneously using computer software.

Post-16
AS & A2 Music Technology
This examination course introduces students to the essential knowledge and practice of recording music using microphones, multi-channel and multi-track recording equipment and room acoustics. Students will arrange and compose on computers in traditional western classical and popular styles of music. They also study the history of music technology, traditional harmony and popular music and jazz.

AS/A2 Music
This examination course builds on many skills obtained in the GCSE course. Students learn to perform to greater standards of musicianship. Students will study advanced classical and Jazz harmonies and other compositional techniques. Within the study of the history of western music, students study many set pieces of music.