Music

The Music Curriculum is based on the New National Curriculum and aims to ensure that all pupils:

  • Applying listening skills and knowledge and understanding through interrelated skills of performing, composing and appraising.
  • Controlling sounds through singing and playing – performing skills
  • Creating and developing musical ideas – composing skills and music IT
  • Responding and reviewing – appraising skills
  • Breadth of study – performing, composing, music IT and appraising – use of ICT to create and manipulate sounds, range of live and recorded music – folk, jazz, pop genres, Western Classical music

Our curriculum covers:

Practical music making using keyboards, singing, guitars, opportunities for music technology, performance, composing and listening. There are opportunities to play orchestral and rock instruments in ensembles.

Year 7:

  • Common curriculum in rhythm and pitch, Musical Notation, Keyboard Skills, and ‘Sing’ Playing Chords (Term 1)
  • Dance Music (Term 2)
  • Rhythm Factory (Term 3)

Year 8:

  • Gospel Music and Chords and Carols (Term 1)
  • Fusion Fever (Term 2)
  • Song Structure (Term 3)

Year 9

  • Soundtracks and New movements (Term 1)
  • All that Jazz! (Term 2)
  • Musical Mayhem (Term 3)

This provides a foundation for doing BTEC Technical Award in Music Practice which has three components to it.

KS4 – BTEC Technical Award in Music Practice (Option Choice)

Component 1 – Exploring Music Products and Styles

Task1: Styles portfolio - Compile a portfolio of evidence that demonstrates your understanding of four different styles of music. You can select a maximum of two styles from popular music.

Task 2: Explore techniques used to create music products - Create a portfolio of short musical extracts to demonstrate your exploration of musical techniques. You will need to create three 30–60-second examples of ideas for music products using a range of realisation techniques.

Component 2– Music Skills Development

Plan and create two musical outcomes that will develop your music skills using professional and commercial skills to develop your musical outcomes, including: planning and management of development processes, management of equipment and resources, strategy and management of skills development.  You must show how your musical outcomes have evolved through your development of skills in two of the following areas:

  • music performance
  • creating original music
  • music production

Component 3 – Responding to a music brief

Learners will be given the opportunity to develop and present music in response to a given music brief.  This component will allow learners to work to their strengths and interests and apply the skills that they have learned throughout the course in a practical way. They will focus on a particular area of the music sector that excites and appeals to them and respond to a music brief as a composer, performer or producer.

Timetabling

KS3 - 50 minute lesson per week

KS4 - 1 double lesson (1 hour and 40 minutes) and 1 single lesson (50 minutes) per week

Extra-curricular opportunities

As a creative subject, we aim to broaden and enhance learner’s holistic development through exposure to a wide range of music styles, genres and mediums. Cultural capital is in abundance through the rich extra-curricular opportunities that are offered through Music and we also have a team of excellent visiting instrumental teachers for learners to further develop their skills on a one-to-one basis. Learners are offered the opportunity to attend workshops with visiting musicians and composers, theatre and concert hall trips, whole school productions, class sharing, options evening, open evening, transition performances and Summer Arts Festival. We feel that it is these experiences that not only enthuse and excite learners to study Music, but provide a platform for our learners to learn the qualities they need to flourish -  leadership, social skills, public performance, independent thinking, self-peer reflection, team work and respect.

Collaboration with the Art and Drama departments take place throughout the year, showcasing pupils in all disciplines and all year groups working together, a highlight being our annual musical production.  Past performances have included ‘Oliver’, ‘Grease’, ‘Bugsy Malone’, ‘Fame’, ‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory’ and most recently, ‘The Wizard of Oz’.

Musical Instrument Lessons at Martin High School

Please take a look through the information on how to book instrumental lessons in this power point. If you need any further information, please contact Mrs Shaw directly by email:

[email protected]

useful information
Learning To Play A Musical Instrument
Musical Instrument Lesson Letter & Booking Information