Music

Music is a universal language that embodies one of the highest forms of creativity. At St. Mary’s we aim to provide a high-quality, engaging and inspiring musical education in which pupils develop a love of music and their talent as musicians. In addition to the music lessons that form a part of our curriculum, all pupils are offered the chance to participate in a range of additional musical experiences including learning to play a musical instrument, performing as part of a choir or instrumental ensemble and taking part in one of the many concerts that take place throughout the school year.

Key Stage 3

Key Stage 3

In Key Stage 3 pupils follow the programmes of study set out by the national curriculum. They learn to perform, listen to, review and evaluate music across a range of historical periods, genres, styles and traditions. They learn to sing and to perform on a range of instruments, to create and compose music on their own and with others, and to understand and explore how music is created, produced and communicated. Pupils study the use of pitch, rhythm, dynamics, tempo, timbre, texture and structure through the topics outlined below:

Year 7

· Graphic Notation

· Rhythm

· Pitch

· Mood in Music

Year 8

· Chords

· The Blues

· Film Music

· Samba

Year 9

· Basso Ostinato

· Song Writing

· Score Reading

· Music for Video Games

Key Stage 4

Key Stage 4

Students who opt to study Music at GCSE will follow the AQA syllabus. The course builds upon the skills developed at Key Stage 3 and covers performance, composition and listening work through the exploration of four wide-ranging areas of study:

· Western Classical Tradition 1650-1910

· Popular Music

· Traditional Music

· Western Classical Music Since 1910

Students are assessed in three areas:

Component 1 – Listening	40%	Students sit an exam (1 hr 30 mins) at the end of the course in which they answer a series of questions on both familiar and unfamiliar music.
Component 2 - Performance	30%	Students are required to submit two performances, one of which must be a solo performance and the other in which they must perform as part of an ensemble.
Component 3 – Composition	30%	Students will submit two compositions: one in response to an externally set brief and the other a free composition.

Students who opt to take Music GCSE need to be able to perform at a minimum of Grade 3 standard by the end of the course.

Exam Board: AQA (specification 8271)

For further details please visit: http://www.aqa.org.uk/subjects/music/gcse

Key Stage 5

Key Stage 5

Students who opt to study A Level Music will follow the AQA syllabus. The course build upon the three disciplines developed at GCSE and covers a wide range of musical styles including:

· Western Classical Tradition 1650-1910 (The Baroque Concerto, The Operas of Mozart & Romantic Piano Music)

· Jazz (Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Miles Davis)

· Music for Theatre (Richard Rodgers, Stephen Sondheim, Claude-Michel Schönberg)

Students are assessed in three areas:

Component 1 – Listening	40%	Students sit an exam (1 hr 30 mins) at the end of the course in which they answer a series of questions on both familiar and unfamiliar music.
Component 2 - Performance	30%	Students are required to perform as either a soloist or as part of an ensemble for a total of 10 minutes.
Component 3 – Composition	30%	Students will submit two compositions: one in response to an externally set brief and the other a free composition.

Students who opt to take A Level Music need to be able to perform at a minimum of Grade 6 standard by the end of the course.

Exam Board: AQA (specification 7272)

For further details please visit: http://www.aqa.org.uk/subjects/music/as-and-a-level

For further information about the Music curriculum please contact:

Mrs F Fletcher
Head of Music Department