Hurst Lodge School

Music

Key Stage 3

The Importance of Music

Music is a powerful, unique form of communication that can change the way pupils feel, think and act. It brings together intellect and feeling and enables personal expression, reflection and emotional development. As an integral part of culture, past and present, it helps pupils understand themselves and relate to others, forging important links between home, school and the wider work. The teaching of music develops the pupils’ ability to listen and appreciate a wide variety of music and to make judgments about musical quality. It encourages active involvement in different forms of amateur music making, both individual and communal, developing a sense of group identity and togetherness. It also increases self discipline and creativity, aesthetic sensitivity and fulfillment.
Taken from the National Curriculum.

One of the prime aims of the Music department is to instill a love and enjoyment of music. Music is a subject for everyone. Everyone can respond to music and is capable of developing that responsiveness. Music should be varied and besides ‘performing’, pupils should learn to explore ‘sound’ – how it works through music making. Above all they should learn to listen.
1. to their own and other people’s performances.
2. to their own and other people’s compositions.

Music should enable pupils to use and understand sound as a means of expression and communication.

There are three main activities which are involved in music lessons and programmes of studies – they are:

Performing (including singing)

Composing

Listening and appraising

In practice these three elements are closely inter-linked e.g. one cannot perform or compose without listening to the results. One’s listening will be enhanced by the experience of playing, singing and composing music. The pupils’ involvement in all three is at the centre of the curriculum.

Aims of the Music curriculum:

To instill a basic enjoyment of music and a relevance in society.
To develop a sensitive response to sound in general and in particular to those organised patterns of sound called music.
To develop the capacity to express ideas and feelings though the medium of sound.
To develop the necessary skills and concepts to take an active part in music making.
To develop a high level of social and organisational skills and awareness, through music making together, of others.
To develop an awareness of, and a response to, musical tradition in a variety of cultures and societies.
To develop skills in playing musical instruments.
To develop skills in singing.
To develop listening skills.
To develop rhythmical awareness and ability.
To introduce the necessary theoretical skills in musical literary.
To develop and awareness of musical expression, creativity combined with a sense of progression and achievement.
To develop the pupils use of imagination in creating music which stems from abstract and non abstract stimuli and to deepen and widen their own personal experience of music.

What follows is an overview of the Key Stage 3 music units. These units are flexible, as all schemes of work should be, to take into account the abilities of the individuals, the need to discuss and explore other topics if they are relevant and as they arise, events in the school calendar cross curricular links with other departments

Click on the to the band to see an overview of the Key Stage 3 Music Curriculum

Year 9 BTEC First Certificate Performing Arts (Performance)

In Year 9 music lessons students will be undertaking one of the units towards their BTEC First Certificate in Performing Arts. The unit they will study is called ‘Exploring Musical Composition’.

In this unit students will be introduced to the technical and creative skills required of a working composer. They will be encouraged to explore a range of instrumental resources and genres. Students will be required to present their music in an appropriate form. Learners will be encouraged to find their own creative routes through the compositional process and ultimately begin to develop their own creative voice.

By the end of this unit a student should be able to:

1 Be able to generate original musical ideas from starting points
2 Understand how to extend, develop and manipulate musical material
3 Be able to form musical material into completed compositions
4 Be able to present compositions appropriately.

Students’ prior experience of composition activity will probably be largely through group work. The transition from composing in a group to working independently is an important focus of this unit. Some exploratory work will be undertaken in groups so that ideas can be shared, as group work can be an essential tool in building learners’ confidence prior to taking up compositional activities independently and is a skill necessary for any musician.

Assessment:

Pupils will develop a portfolio of compositions. This will include their Log Book, recordings and or videos and scores whether they are graphic or in musical notation.

Musical Achievements

ABRSM Music and Theory Examinations (Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music)
Trinity Guildhall Music Examinations
Lamda Musical Theatre Examinations
Windsor Festival Music Competition
Young Composers Competition – Inspire BBC
BBC - Joseph’s Choir for the BBC1 series ‘Any Dream Will Do’ to find a choir for a production of this musical
National Festival for Music for Youth (choir competition)
BBC New Talent competition to find 40 singers to represent the ‘Lost Children’ in a performance at the Proms of ‘ The Water Diviner’s Tale’
Local Eisteddfod competition
Recordings for the following publications and composers:

The Little Cradle Rocks Pub: Boosey and Hawkes

Percy Parker’s Flying Bathtub Pub: Scholastic

Recording for G & A Sadler