Music Curriculum
Empowering pupils through a broad and balanced music curriculum.
Why study Music?
What Music develops
- Music provides a unique outlet for creativity, allowing individuals to express themselves in ways words often cannot.
- Music connects you to diverse cultures and traditions.
- Learning an instrument or how to sing is a skill you can take with you and continue to enjoy in adulthood.
Student voice
“Music is like a portal into another dimension, unique and different for everyone. I think it really helps bring you out of your shell. If you’re shy then singing in Year 7 will help with your confidence. If you want to be a composer then film music in Year 8 will be your thing. If you like a bit of country music then you’ll enjoy the Blues topic in Year 9. Whatever you want to do, music throughout school will aid you”
Key Stage 3 Music– Cycle Overview
Cycle 1
Year 7 – Singing and the Musical Elements
Knowledge focus
The musical elements: dynamics and tempo. Identifying different note values.
Key skills
- Compose and perform simple rhythms using notation.
- Singing while controlling pitch and rhythm.
Assessment
- Building on whole class singing at KS2.
- Singing assessment
- Listening assessment
Key Vocabulary
Dynamics
- Forte
- Piano
- Crescendo
- Diminuendo
Tempo
- Largo
- Andante
- Allegro
- Presto
- Accelerando
- Rallentando
Rhythm
- Pulse
- Semibreve
- Minim
- Crotchet
- Quaver
Pitch
- Barline
- Time signature.
Year 8 – Classical Music
Knowledge focus
- How the orchestra has changed from the Baroque to Romantic period.
- Melodic features used in the Baroque, Classical and Romantic periods.
- Texture in music
Key skills
- Performing hands together on the keyboard.
- Read treble clef notation
- Identify a range of musical features in different music.
Assessment
- Keyboard performing assessment
- Listening assessment
Key Vocabulary
- Melodic contour
- Triadic
- Scalic
- Chromatic
- Treble clef
- Stave
- Texture monophonic
- Homophonic/melody and accompaniment
- Polyphonic
- Dynamics
- Forte
- Piano
- Mezzo forte
- Mezzo piano
- Fortissimo
- Pianissimo
- Crescendo
- Decrescendo
- Orchestra
- Harpsichord
- Strings
- Woodwind
Year 9 – Blues Music
Knowledge focus
- The historical context of Blues music.
- Key features of Blues music including the Blues scale, 12 bar Blues chord sequence, typical instrumentation and walking basslines.
Key skills
- Typography and lettering
- Interpreting and analysing protest imagery
- Using mixed media to communicate a message
Assessment
Key Vocabulary
- Analogous colours
- Typography
- Blending
- Tone
- Observational
- Experimental
- Analyse
- Evaluate
- Realistic
- Accurate
Cycle 2
Year 7 – The Orchestra and Keyboard Skills
Knowledge focus
- The western Classical orchestra
- Instrumental playing techniques
- Treble clef notation
- Describe melodies.
Key skills
- Identifying instruments by sight and ear.
- Perform melodies using the five finger technique with the right hand on the keyboard.
- Play given rhythms accurately on the keyboard.
- Compose a short melody.
Assessment
- Keyboard performing assessment
- Listening Assessment
Key Vocabulary
Orchestra
- Strings
- Woodwind
- Brass
- Percussion
Playing techniques
- Arco
- Pizzicato
- Tremolo
- Con sordino
Articulation
- Legato
- Staccato
- Accent
Melody
- Ascending
- Descending
- Stepwise
- Leap
Notation
- Treble clef
- Stave
Year 8 – Film Music
Knowledge focus
- How the musical elements are manipulated to create mood and character in film music.
- How underscore and soundtracks are used in film.
- Leitmotifs
Key skills
- Performing hands together on the keyboard.
- Read bass clef notation
- Identify a range of musical features in different film music.
- Composing a leitmotif
Assessment
- Keyboard performing assessment
- Listening Assessment
Key Vocabulary
- Leitmotif
- Film score
- Sound track
- Under score
- Sound effect
- Tonality
- Major
- Minor
Dynamics
- Forte
- Piano
- Instrumentation
- Strings
- Brass
- Woodwind
- Percussion
- Bass clef
Year 9 – Riff and Basslines
Knowledge focus
Key skills
- Performing syncopated basslines on the keyboard alongside a chord sequence.
- Performing more complex chord sequences on the ukulele.
- Composing chord sequences and riffs.
Assessment
- Keyboard performing assessment
- Listening Assessment
Key Vocabulary
- Bassline
- Bass clef
- Treble clef
- Riff
- Melody
- Accompaniment
- Conjunct
- Disjunct
- Range
- Chord
- Sequence
- Genre
- Sub-genre
- Guitar
- Keyboard
- Drum kit
- Vocals
- Synthesizer
- Homophonic
- Verse
- Chorus.
Cycle 3
Year 7 – Ukulele
Knowledge focus
- Popular song structure
- Major and minor tonality
- Chord sequences
- Ukulele chord charts and TAB
Key skills
- Developing listening skills – identifying how different musical elements are used in music
- Performing chord sequences and melodies on the ukulele
- Composing chord sequences
Assessment
- Ukulele performing assessment
- Listening assessment
Key Vocabulary
- Popular song form
- Verse
- Chorus
- Intro
- Outro
Tonality
- Major
- Minor
- Harmony
- Chords
- Strumming pattern
- Ukulele chord charts
- TAB.
Year 8 – Pop Music
Knowledge focus
- Typical features of pop songs
- Melodic shape
- Chord sequences
- Ukulele chord charts and TAB
Key skills
- Developing listening skills – identifying how different musical elements are used pop music from 1960 to the present day.
- Performing chord sequences and melodies on the ukulele
- Composing melodies.
Assessment
- Ukulele performing assessment
- Listening assessment
Key Vocabulary
- Genre
- Sub Genre
- Guitar
- Keyboard
- Drum Kit
- Vocals
- Synthesizer
- Verse
- Chorus
- Riff
- Bassline
- Chord Sequence
- Conjunct
- Disjunct
- Repetition
- Range
- Tonality
- Major
- Minor
- Ukulele
- Chord
- TAB
Year 9 – Fusion Music
Knowledge focus
- How fusion music is created.
- Features of Afrobeat, Reggae, Bhangra.
- Complex vocabulary for rhythm, texture and harmony.
Key skills
- Performing melodies and chords on the ukulele.
- Performing syncopated melodies and off beat chords on the keyboard.
- Performing complex rhythms on percussion.
- Developing listening skills – identifying how different musical elements are used in a variety of different pieces of fusion music.
Assessment
- Ukulele and keyboard performing assessments
- Listening assessment
Key Vocabulary
- Fusion
- Syncopation
- Ostinato
- Swung
- Monophonic
- Polyphonic
- Homophonic
- Call and response
- Pentatonic
- Diatonic
- Djembe
Key Stage 4 Music – GCSE Eduqas
Cycle 1
Year 10
Knowledge focus
- Melodic Features
- Rhythmic features
- The foundations of composing a melody.
- Notation
Key skills
Assessment
- 2 x performing assessment
- 2 x Listening and appraising assessment
- Composition exercise
Key vocabulary
Melody
- Anacrusis
- Conjunct/disjunct
- Scalic/arpeggio
- Sequence
- Imitation
- Repetition
- Range
- Pitch
- Leitmotif
- Chromatic movement
- Pentatonic
- Blues notes
- Intervals (including semitone and microtone)
- Ornamentation
- Decoration
- Trill
- Counter melody
- Answering phrase
- Thematic
- Fanfare
Rhythm/Metre
- Semibreve
- Minim
- Crotchet
- Quaver
- Semiquaver
- Dotted
- Syncopation
- Swung rhythm
- Off/on beat
- Triplet
- Rests
- Driving/dance/rock rhythm
- Regular
- Irregular
- Accent
- Simple
- Compound
- Duple, triple, quadruple time
- 2/4, 3/4 ,4/4, 6/8
Tempo
- Allegro
- Vivace
- Allegretto
- Moderato
- Andante
- Adagio
- Lento
- Accelerando
- Ritardando
- Rallentando
- Rubato
Year 11
Knowledge focus
- Set work: Africa by Toto
- Consolidating knowledge of all the musical features learned in Year 10.
Key skills
- Identifying a wide range of musical features in different musical examples.
- Analyse Africa by Toto
- Completing composition coursework: Free composition.
- Performing on chosen instrument both a solo piece and ensemble piece for coursework submission.
Assessment
- 2 x performing assessment
- Prelim: Listening and appraising assessment
- Coursework: Free Composition
Key Vocabulary
All vocabulary for all the musical elements that was introduced in Year 10 including:
- Melody
- Tonality
- Harmony
- Form and structure
- Texture
- Tempo
- Rhythm
- Metre
- Dynamic
- Musical styles and sonority.
Cycle 2
Year 10
Knowledge focus
-
Harmonic features
- Different musical structures.
- Western Classical music
- The foundations of composing diatonic harmony.
Key skills
- Performing on chosen instrument
- Composing a chord sequence.
- Identifying harmonic and structural features in a wide variety of musical styles.
Assessment
- 2 x performing assessment
- 2 x Listening and appraising assessment
- Composition exercise
Key Vocabulary
- Tonality: Major, minor, modulation, dominant, relative, pentatonic, atonal
- Harmony: Primary Chord, Secondary Chords Inversion, Diatonic, Tonic, Subdominant, Dominant, Dominant 7th, Perfect/Imperfect/Plagal/Interrupted Cadence, Chord progression/sequence, Harmonic rhythm, drone, pedal, dissonance, power chords
- Structure: Phrasing, Binary, Ternary, Rondo, Minuet and Trio, Repetition, Contrast, Theme and Variation, Strophic, 32 bar song (AABA), 12 bar blues, Call and Response, Ostinato, Bridge, Break, Loop, Improvisation, Verse, Chorus, Middle 8, FIll, Intro, Outro, Coda, Riff
- Style: Western Classical Tradition, Baroque, Classical, Romantic, Chamber Music, Jazz, Blues, Musical Theatre, Film, Rock, Soul, Hip-hop, Reggae, Ballad, Pop, Bhangra, Fusion
Year 11
Knowledge focus
Key skills
- Identifying a wide range of musical features in different musical examples.
- Completing composition coursework: Composition to a brief
- Performing on chosen instrument both a solo piece and ensemble piece for coursework submission.
Assessment
- 2 x Final recording of both solo and ensemble performances for submission to Eduqas.
- Prelim: Listening and appraising assessment
- 2x Completion of both compositions for submission to Eduqas.
Key Vocabulary
All vocabulary for all the musical elements that was introduced in Year 10 including: melody, tonality, harmony, form and structure, texture, tempo, rhythm, metre, dynamic, musical styles and sonority.
Cycle 3
Year 10
Knowledge focus
- Different textures, sonority and dynamics used in music.
- Study set work: Badinerie Suite No.2 by J S Bach
- Further compositional techniques.
Key skills
- Performing on chosen instrument
- Coursework: Create own composition as part of final coursework submission.
- Identifying different textures, sonority and dynamics used in a wide variety of musical styles.
- Analyse Badinerie Suite No.2 by J. S Bach
Assessment
- 2 x performing assessment
- 2 x Listening and appraising assessment
- Coursework: Free composition
Key Vocabulary
- Texture: Monophonic, Homophonic, Polyphonic, Unison, Chordal, Imitation, Melody and Accompaniment, Countermelody, Descant, Round, Canon, Drone, Alberti Bass, Stab Chords, Walking Bass
- Sonority: Instruments, Technology, Articulation, Techniques
- Dynamics: All dynamic markings from Pianissimo to Fortissimo, Crescendo, Diminuendo, Sforzando
Year 11
Knowledge focus
Key skills
- Identifying a wide range of musical features in different musical examples in preparation for final listening and appraising exam.
Assessment
- Final Listening and appraising exam.
Key Vocabulary
All vocabulary for all the musical elements that was introduced in Year 10 including melody, tonality, harmony, form and structure, texture, tempo, rhythm, metre, dynamic, musical styles and sonority.
For Key Stage 5 Curriculum information please click link here to our Sixth Form Curriculum