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Music
Curriculum Intent
As a music department we aim to develop independent, resilient, creative thinkers who are unafraid to take intellectual and creative risks.
The objective of our music curriculum throughout the Key Stages, is to teach our students that music is a subject for all where they can make progress from their individual starting point.
We aim to provide the students with the skills and knowledge enabling them to study and explore music beyond the classroom and enjoy music as a pastime or profession. We strive to produce independent and resilient musicians and learners.
Our curriculum is a spiral model, revisiting skills and knowledge in different contexts, to build upon and embed understanding.
The three key strands of our music education are
- critical music appreciation
- composing and improvising
- playing and singing.
Our curriculum is based on a spiral approach where the key elements of music, concepts and skills are studied and applied throughout all years.
Students will be equipped with critical language for learning which will build on existing knowledge and enable them to express personal ideas, feelings and opinions with growing confidence.
Through musical creation, students will have the opportunity to combine imagination, practical skills and increasing knowledge of the subject. Their ability to work both independently and through collaboration, which are vital skills in industry today, will be developed through a variety of activities.
Key Stage 3
Students will arrive at The Whitby High School with a wide variety of experiences of musical education. Our intent for Key Stage 3 is to firstly ensure all students now have equal opportunities within Music and build on prior learning and experiences, but to also introduce topics and skills which may be brand new to some students. The Year 7 curriculum enables teachers to get to know their students well to ensure that the feedback and guidance they receive from here on is individualised and encourages the most growth and progress for all, both academically and personally. Basic skills in performing, composing and appraising will be introduced through a variety of projects and tasks in Year 7, then developed further in Year 8 and refined in Year 9 in preparation for Music to be a viable option for all students at Key Stage 4 (options).
The Elements of Music will be introduced in Year 7 and practiced each week to allow students to confidently express themselves with the correct terminology and musical language. These terms and concepts will be revisited throughout the Key Stages, through various topics to allow students to build on knowledge, develop their musical preferences and also a number of transferable skills vital for life after school (Leadership, collaboration, communication, problem solving).
Key Stage 4
The curriculum aims to explore the 4 AOS in depth in Year 10 – building on knowledge of key terminology learnt at Key Stage 3 and will then hone in on their ‘Exam skills’ in Year 11 as they prepare for the Appraising Exam in June. Students will refine their skills in answering the different types of questions presented on the exam paper.
One of their two compositions should be complete by the Summer of Year 10 so this one should only need ‘refining’ in Year 11. Focus then turns to their ‘Brief piece’ set by Eduqas in September of Year 11. The students will research and consider each brief before deciding on their final stimulus for this piece of coursework.
Building on performance skills learnt and practiced throughout Key Stage3, students will continue to develop these skills on an instrument of their choice. At the start of Year 10 students complete a ‘baseline’ performance test so that their learning at Key Stage 3 is ‘recapped’. Throughout Key Stage 4, two performance pieces will be prepared by each student. These will be performed (and recorded) live in front of their teacher, marked using the marking criteria provided by the exam board, which the students will be very familiar with.
Under review
Under review