Year 7

Pupils continue or start to their musical journey through developing performing skills in singing, percussion, drumming and keyboard skills. They start by recapping or gaining knowledge of note lengths and common rhythms, using and combining these to play a range of drum kit patterns. From here, notes on the stave lead into playing the keyboard. After learning these basics, improvising and composing, use of music vocabulary to appraise music are used to explore topics on scales, tonality and harmony.

Year 8

In Year 8 pupils after a brief recap of notes and harmony, we embark on exploring and comparing music through Cover Version, develop knowledge of reading tablature and chord diagrams by playing the ukulele. After this, we start to get an insight into some of the areas of GCSE music with a continued focus on appraising, composing and performing with topics on Blues music, film music and EDM and techniques.

• AoS1 Musical Forms and Devices – an exploration of eras in orchestral music and structures used by composers.
• AoS2 Music for ensemble – exploration texture and sonority of combinations of groups of players.
• AoS3 Film Music – how films music is created, developed and performed and its impact on the audience.
• AoS4 Pop Music – different idioms of pop music are explored as well as composing techniques and development of pop culture through the ages.

It is split into 3 components :

1. Performance – Pupils will perform a minimum of 2 pieces with one being a solo and one being an ensemble (group). The duration must be between 4 and 6 minutes. 30% of the qualification.
2.  Composing and Appraising Music. Two compositions, one set a brief released by the exam board and one linked to the area of study. Compositions to be 3-6 minutes in length in total. 30% of the qualification.
3. Listening and appraising. The final exam is 1hr and 15 minutes long. It assesses their knowledge of the 4 areas of study as well as musical aural skill. This is the final 40% of the qualification.