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Music
The Music department aims to engage all students in making and responding to music, and through music education offers opportunities for them to:
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develop their understanding and appreciation of a wide range of music, extend their own interests and increase their ability to form opinions about music;
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acquire the knowledge, skills and understanding needed to make music and, where appropriate, to follow a music-related career;
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develop the skills, attitudes and attributes that can support learning in other subject areas and are needed for employment and life, e.g. listening skills, concentration, creativity, intuition, aesthetic sensitivity, perseverance, self-confidence and sensitivity towards others.
The department also encourages instrumental students and singers to perform in school ensembles and extracurricular musical activities, and aims to identify and develop those students who display a particular musical talent.
Key Stage 3 (Saltus 7 - 9)
Music teaching in Key Stage 3 should:
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develop each of the interrelated skills of performing, composing and appraising in all activities;
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extend these skills through applying listening skills and musical knowledge and understanding;
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enable pupils to make connections between all areas of knowledge and musical experiences.
In particular, pupils should acquire and apply knowledge and understanding of:
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how music is constructed, e.g. the use of musical elements and devices;
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how music is produced, e.g. the use of instruments, ICT, musical processes and procedures, including relevant symbols and notations;
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how music is influenced by time and place, e.g. the effect of the occasion, purpose or venue.
Key Stage 4 (Saltus 10 and Saltus 11)
GCSE - Music (Specification Guide)
The Edexcel GCSE in Music allows students to capitalize on their different musical interests. The areas of study include a wide range of music including classical, world music and popular music. The GCSE is designed to allow the study of music through the integration of performing, composing, listening and appraising with the opportunity to use music technology in performance and as a compositional tool.
The four areas of study are:
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Structure in Western Classical Music 1600-1899
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Changing directions in Western Classical Music from 1900
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Popular Music in context
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Indian raga, African music and fusions.
In Listening and Appraising, students respond to music from a variety of styles and traditions across all four areas of study. In Composing, students create two pieces written to a brief based on two of the areas of study. In Performing, students perform music from the same area of study as one of their compositions. Both individual and ensemble performance is assessed for the final examination.
The Graduate Years
SGY 1 : AS Level Music
AS Level
Students in SGY1 follow the Edexcel foundation specification for AS Level Music. This is a flexible specification that encourages diverse approaches to the teaching of music. Within the course, there is a broad range of Areas of Study available, and students are encouraged to use music technology as a compositional tool. Students complete three units of work:
- Unit 1: Performing
- Unit 2: Developing musical ideas
- Unit 3: Listening and understanding
The AS level specification is designed to allow students to study music in an integrated way. It allows students to study music as a practical, intellectual and creative subject with specialist pathways in performing, and composing. It has the rigour of Advanced GCE in terms of the breadth, depth and scope of the content as well as in the challenges posed in the assessment tasks. It recognises that we live in an age of cultural diversity and the Areas of Study cover a wide range of music: classical,
world, popular and jazz. Each area is seen within a broader cultural and historical context.
SGY2 : Advanced Placement Music Theory
AP Music Theory
The ultimate goal of the AP Music Theory course is to develop students’ ability to recognize, understand, and describe the basic materials and processes of music that are heard or presented in a score. The achievement of this goal may be best promoted by integrated approaches to the student’s development of:
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aural skills through listening exercises
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sight-singing skills through performance exercises
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written skills through written exercises
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compositional skills through creative exercises
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analytical skills through analytical exercises
Content
The course seeks first to instil mastery of the rudiments and terminology of music, including hearing and notating:
- pitches
- intervals
- scales and keys
- chords
- metric organization
- rhythmic patterns
These basic concepts are addressed through listening to a wide variety of music, including not only music from standard Western tonal repertoire but also contemporary, jazz, and popular music, and the music of non-western cultures. Attention is given to the acquisition of correct notational skills.
Building on this foundation, the course progresses to include more sophisticated and creative tasks, such as:
- melodic and harmonic dictation
- composition of a bass line for a given melody, implying appropriate harmony
- realization of a figured bass
- realization of a Roman numeral progression
- analysis of repertoire, including melody, harmony, rhythm, texture, and form
- sight-singing
A brief introduction to twentieth-century scales, chordal structures, and compositional
procedures is incorporated, through analysis and original composition.
Further Information
If you would like to read any further information regarding the GCSE or AP curricula outlined within this site please visit either of the following examination board web sites: -
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