KS3 Overview

Music is a universal language that embodies one of the highest forms of creativity. We provide a high-quality music education which aims to engage and inspire pupils to develop a love of music and their talent as musicians, and so increase their self-confidence, creativity and sense of achievement. As pupils progress, they develop a critical engagement with music, allowing them to compose, and to listen with discrimination to the best in the musical canon.

How we Support and Develop Your Child

Students at Lytchett Minster have access to state of the art facilities. In year 7 there is an emphasis on singing and keyboard performance skills in class work. A significant number of students also have instrumental lessons and sing or play with one of the many school ensembles. Such students are encouraged to use their skills in curriculum music, and are given extension tasks in each unit. Students who show exceptional promise and commitment are invited to apply for a Music Scholarship, entitling them to free lessons on certain instruments. Pupils in receipt of pupil premium receive subsidised instrumental lessons. At the end of year 7, the most able students are invited to join the department’s programme for gifted and talented musicians.

How we Assess Your Child's Progress

Students are given threshold descriptor grids at the start of each unit. Formative assessment, through teacher, peer or self-assessment, is recorded and reflected on at regular points throughout each unit. At the end of each unit, students will be summatively assessed, with each key assessment being recorded against the threshold descriptors.

Students who have singing and instrumental lessons are encouraged to take exams. The school hosts regular visits from the Associated Board, Trinity and Rock School exam boards

Year 7

Skills Developed

Students develop their understanding of treble clef notation; they sing in harmony and perform on the keyboard and tuned percussion instruments as a soloist and in a group, with the option to develop skills on the drum kit. They learn to construct triads and then to perform and compose with these. They revise their understanding of the basic musical elements, and discuss their use when analysing music from folk, and pop styles, and music from the Romantic period and from other parts of the world.

Topics Covered

Download the Music Year 7 Curriculum Overview

• Sea shanty: Students sing ‘The Drunken Sailor’ in parts. They then perform the tune on the keyboard with chords, either as a soloist or in a pair. They listen to sea shanties and identify key features of the style. They compose their own sea shanty lyrics and tune, based on the phrase and harmonic structure of ‘Drunken Sailor’, and arrange this for performance.
• Romantic music: Students perform ‘Morning’ from ‘Peer Gynt’ by Grieg in a pair or as a soloist. They study the Romantic Period and Programme Music. They revise the musical elements, with a particular emphasis on timbre and the instruments of the orchestra.
• Gamelan music: Students take part in a class performance of a Gamelan piece from Bali in Indonesia. They watch videos and listen to Gamelan music, placing it in its cultural context and identifying key features of the style.
• Minimalism: Pupils will recreate a performance of the opening of ‘Tubular Bells’ as a soloist, in a pair or a small ensemble. They will learn the key features of minimalist music. Pupils will then create their own material and develop this using minimalist techniques. Finally they will create a ternary form piece, with the outer sections based on ‘Tubular bells’, the middle section on their own ideas
• The Beatles: Students perform the melody of ‘Yellow Submarine’ on the keyboard and then add chords to this, first aurally and then following music theory. To do this they learn about primary triads, and about the keys of C, F and G major. They perform ‘Yellow Submarine’ with chords, ideally as a soloist. They sing and listen to a range of Beatles songs, identifying how they developed from relatively simple songs for live band performance, into complex studio arrangements, and other influences on their later style such as psychedelia. They arrange ‘Yellow Submarine’ in a group performance.

Year 8

Skills Developed

Students build on the keyboard skills learnt in year 7, with most progressing to playing a melody with broken chord accompaniment as a soloist. They learn to use Cubase in composition work. They analyse music from the Classical Period, from India and from the Blues tradition, placing the music in its social, historical and cultural context.

Topics Covered

Download the Music Year 8 Curriculum Overview

• Classical Music: Students perform the first section of Beethoven’s ‘Fur Elise’ with broken chord accompaniment. They study the principal features, composers and genres of the classical period. They create a ternary composition either individually or in a pair in a classical style, using relative major/minor tonality contrast to structure the piece and recording this using IT.
• Indian Music: Students create a composition called ‘Sunrise over India’ using the features of North Indian Classical Music. They listen to a range of music from this tradition, identifying the key stylistic features.
• The Blues: Students study how Blues grew from the fusion of African and European musical styles which met in the southern states of the USA at the end of the 19^th Century, and how Blues was a product of the discrimination and resultant poverty of the black community. They trace the development of the Blues into electric blues/rhythm and blues, related genres such as rock and roll, and link this into the development of the Beatles studied in year 7. They improvise in a class performance of the blues, and then produce their own blues song in an ensemble.

Year 9

Overview

Music is a universal language that embodies one of the highest forms of creativity. We provide a high-quality music education which aims to engage and inspire pupils to develop a love of music and their talent as musicians, and so increase their self-confidence, creativity and sense of achievement. As pupils progress, they develop a critical engagement with music, allowing them to compose, and to listen with discrimination to the best in the musical canon.

Skills Developed

Students develop their keyboard skills to perform piano arrangements using treble and bass clef (with those who already learn the piano given extension tasks). They learn how to use score-writing and sequencing software, recording both audio and midi, and adding effects. They learn how to use the recording studio and how to place mics and set up a band to record. In preparation for GCSE, students are given more autonomy, choosing some of the repertoire and instruments they perform and selecting their own composition tasks

Topics Covered

Download the Music Year 9 Curriculum Overview

• Electronic Dance Music: Students will create a composition based on the structure and techniques of Electronic Dance music using Cubase sequencing software.
• Recording a Hit: As a class we will perform ‘Wonderwall’. Students will practise either the vocals, guitar, drum or keyboard part and be recorded for this. They then choose a song to record in a band with other students from the class. As part of this unit, students learn to use the recording studio.
• Ragtime: Students perform ‘The Entertainer’ by Scott Joplin in a piano arrangement that requires those who don’t yet know the bass clef to learn this. They study the features of ragtime and place the music in its historical and geographical context. They compose a ragtime piece using score-writing software.
• Film and Gaming Music: Students study music for a range of film genres, then choose a short video and compose their own music to accompany this.

Subject Leader: Mr N Fulker
Email: fulkern@lytchett.org.uk

What are the aims of the course?
This course is designed to develop your musicianship through performing, composing and listening.  It is a stimulating and enjoyable course which is largely practically based.  Students at Lytchett Minster have enjoyed considerable success in Music in recent years, and the number of students taking the course at GCSE has historically been above the national average.  If you learn an instrument you will also find that Music GCSE enhances your skills and provides a foundation for further study.  However, it is not essential to have additional instrumental lessons in order to take Music GCSE.

What is the content of the course?
During this course you will develop your performance skills, both in groups and by yourself.  You will compose music in a range of styles.  You will listen to extracts drawn from European music of the past 300 years, contemporary rock, musicals and fusions.  For much of the course you can choose to focus on the styles of music that you are particularly interested in.

Download the Music Year 10 Curriculum Overview

Download the Music Year 11 Curriculum Overview

How will the course be assessed?
You will be assessed by:

1. one solo performance and one group performance recorded during the final year of the course. You may choose to perform on any instruments and in any style (30%)
2. two compositions: one of which is a free choice and may be completed at any stage during the course; the other must be completed during year 11 to a brief set by the Exam Board (30%)
3. a 90-minute listening exam (40%) based on set works which include pieces by Bach and Beethoven, songs from ‘Wicked’ and by Queen, extracts from the soundtrack to ‘Star Wars’ and fusion music.

What will the course be like?
During the course you will spend two- thirds of your time performing and composing.  For some of this time you will be expected to work in groups developing your ensemble skills.  However, you will also need to compose and perform by yourself.  You will listen to a wide range of musical extracts, discuss these with the rest of the class and practise answering exam questions.  As part of the course you will use the fantastic resources that are available in the Music Block.  In particular your practical work will benefit from access to two suites of Music rooms equipped with Cubase 7 and Sibelius 7 and a full recording studio with Protools software.

Are there any special requirements?
You will be expected to complete a weekly homework.  Like all subjects the new Music GCSE is designed to be more challenging, and students who find time to practise regularly in addition to timetabled Music lessons will enjoy a distinct advantage. You will also find it beneficial if you are able to bring your own instrument to lessons.

What will I be able to do by the end of the course?
By the end of the course you should be able to:

• demonstrate technical control and expression in performing a solo piece
• demonstrate technical control and a sense of ensemble by performing with others
• create and develop musical ideas by composing music
• identify and compare the distinctive characteristics of music from a variety of styles and traditions.
• express and justify views by making critical judgements about music.

Sixth Form Progression
After GCSE, students can progress to take Music A-Level at school.