Key Stage 3

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Year 7

Intent

Our initial musical experience features a sequence of high-quality opportunities which aim to nurture and develop a student’s love for music in its many genres. Increasing self-confidence and the desire to be creative seeks to enable and deepen students’ understanding of our comprehensive music history programme, where valuable connections made between Medieval music traditions through to 20th Century modernism drive high levels of intrigue and discussion. Providing music theory tuition allows us to ensure we deliver on our promise to provide an opportunity for all students to read and understand music notation.

Learning Journey

Skill Development

Students enjoy developing a broad range of practical and analytical musical skills which purposefully equips each student with advanced listening skills and a driven sense of enquiry. Participating in a structured and progressive series of guided keyboard lessons, success will emerge through optimum hand positioning, secure finger patterns and careful note recognition. A chronological and ordered historical knowledge of the six main periods and featured composers provides a residual foundation and understanding for what is to follow. Our Year 7 music curriculum is specifically designed to guide, support and welcome students to all things music.

Year 8

Intent

High-quality opportunities continue at pace for our Year 8 students. Priorities quickly move to deepening understanding whilst continuing to develop a student’s love for music. Developing practical skills through progressive group work not only develops individual musical skill but also plays its part in helping identify our future leaders. Our music history programme naturally increases in breadth and becomes more far-reaching. Our Year 8 music curriculum is structured to ensure our developing musicians build firmly and securely on prior knowledge and continues to deliver an informative and skills-based package which encourages students to read and understand music notation.

Learning Journey

Skill Development

An enriching and carefully sequenced musical experience provide our year 8 students with opportunities to build on existing understanding and knowledge both in music history and theoretical knowledge. Closer analysis around the dominance of the church and more secular traditions serve to sharpen contextual understanding and shape classroom discussion. Deepening understanding to enable students to order composers encourages concise and thorough understanding. Noting the increasing orchestra creates a pathway to the challenging harmonic concepts synonymous with the 20th Century. An exciting year of study promotes exploration around the growth and development of music traditions.

Year 9

Intent

Rich and varied musical opportunities underpin students’ Year 9 music experience, consolidating and extending on knowledge and skills developed in Year 7 and 8. We celebrate students’ ability to read and understand music notation and provide meaningful opportunities for them to apply this in a practical setting. Established creative skills underpin a series of investigations involving the Blues, Jazz and music from around the world as students compare and contrast genres and perfomances, articulate their views of these. Our Year 9 curriculum design intentionally nods towards GCSE Music whilst simultaneously having the stature to serve as an independent learning journey.

Learning Journey

Skill Development

Our culminating sequence of musical learning is specifically designed to allow students to express themselves as we seek to travel with energy and enquiry around the world, absorbing and acknowledging a wealth of musical styles and cultures.

Recalling knowledge accrued during Year 7 and 8, our year 9 students are able to refer to a secure foundation of learning allowing an appreciation of styles and musical moods. Through practical music making and the opportunity to use music writing software, such as Musescore and Noteflight, our year 9 students discover their composition skills. The breadth of study contained in our year 9 programme intentionally promotes progression to GCSE but also delivers on its promise to allow students to express and demonstrate accrued musical talent concluding a comprehensive KS3 programme of study.