Music

KS3

Rationale

Music is a universal language that embodies one of the highest forms of creativity. A high quality music education should engage and inspire pupils to develop a love of music and their talent as musicians, and so increase their self-confidence, creativity and sense of achievement. As pupils progress, they should develop a critical engagement with music, allowing them to compose, and to listen with discrimination to the best in the musical canon.

Intent

We aim to create the very best musicians. We challenge pupils to think, act and speak like those working in the field. We do this through quality first teaching which challenges our pupils to not only understand different styles and genres of music but requires them to explore, discuss and demonstrate this understanding in creative ways. They are challenged in all lessons to be able to demonstrate understanding and creativity through performance, composition, through collaboration with their peers and through evaluation of their own work. Our curriculum at St Peters goes far beyond what is taught in lessons, for whilst we want pupils to achieve the very best examination results possible, we believe our curriculum goes beyond what is examinable.

As a department we offer a wide range of extra-curricular opportunities for those pupils who want to develop their musical skills and abilities beyond a classroom curriculum. We also have a vibrant collection of musical ensembles which we believe offer opportunities to a wide range of pupils, allowing them to collaborate with other musicians and thus develop their performance skills, understanding and love of the subject. Where possible and appropriate we endeavour to expose our pupils to live music and the surrounding industry through visits and events.

All pupils involved in music at St Peters are given regular opportunities to perform in front of others both as individuals and with the various groups. This builds on their performance skills and also helps to develop their confidence and understanding as musicians. Our curriculum in Music supports St Peter’s ethos and the whole of the KS3 and KS4 curriculum requires pupils to be able to collaborate whilst being mindful of the opinions and abilities of others.

We encourage pupils to be enquiring in the development of their ideas and developing the confidence of our pupils is another vital part of our curriculum. Pupils are frequently challenged to perform their ideas to each other whilst being encouraged to evaluate the success of these performances. As a knowledge engaged curriculum we believe that knowledge underpins and enables the application of skills; both are entwined. As a department we define the powerful knowledge our pupils need and help them recall it by having a carefully planned progression through our curriculum which not only builds on prior knowledge but regularly enables pupils to develop key skills in all topic areas. We expect and encourage pupils to use key musical terminology within their work.

We build the cultural Capital of our pupils by teaching themes in context – exposing them to influences and traditions from many different cultural and historical contexts. We believe that it is essential to their understanding that they understand the ‘why’ as well as the ‘how’. Further rationale behind our curriculum design includes ensuring that our pupils have the necessary skills to be able to access the optional curriculum at KS4 and beyond. We encourage pupils to appraise a wide range of musical styles through regular exposure. They are challenged and stretched by an expectation that they can justify their opinions using musical understanding.

Implementation

Quality first teaching and cogent curriculum planning lies at the heart of what we do in the department. We have defined the core knowledge our pupils need to master and our curriculum covers the different key areas of composition, performance and appraisal. The nature of the delivery means that key skills are constantly revisited and key terminology is regularly embedded within the work that our pupils produce.

Impact

We know our curriculum is working in the Music department through the engagement of our pupils that can be seen in all lessons. KS3 topic work regularly shows good understanding and teaching and learning in the department is a strength and can be evidenced through the influence of our methods across the wider school. We have a healthy uptake at KS4 and regularly have 15-20% or more of a year group opt to take the subject. The impact our extra-curriculum provision has is hugely evident by the enthusiasm in our pupils and the impact can be seen throughout the school. We have a reputation for providing pupils with endless opportunities to perform and engage in music making at a high standard. We have a large number of pupils who are committed to their membership of the various musical ensembles. Regular concerts and performances in school give pupils the opportunity to display their talents and we receive regular compliments from audiences regarding the level of musicality with which our pupils are able to perform. As a department we firmly believe that it is the enjoyment of the pupils and staff alongside their commitment and enthusiasm to make music which drives the department’s success.

KS4

Rationale

The BTEC Tech Award in Music Practice is a vocational course. This means pupils have hands-on experiences and opportunities to learn from tutors within the industry. It is a creative qualification and the course is able to support pupils with acquiring a variety of skills that future employers will value. The content builds from Key Stage 3 to challenge pupils to further develop their musical skills.

Intent

Like with our Key Stage 3 Curriculum, we aim to create the very best musicians. We believe that the content within the qualification we have chosen to deliver best supports and challenges our pupils to think, act and speak like those working in the field and they are able to develop a wide variety of transferable skills ranging from:

Teamwork

– Leadership

– Self-management

– Communication

Develop and present musical ideas to a set brief

– Time management

– Meeting deadlines

– Exploring new genres of music

Analysing, evaluating and enhancing their learning

– Broadening their repertoire

– Using specific musical vocabulary

– Review and reflect different approaches

Implementation

Impact

We have a healthy uptake at KS4 and regularly have 15-20% or more of a year group opt to take the subject. Our BTEC results are and have been amongst the highest in the school for a number of years since the department is in its current form, with a positive progress score compared to other schools across the country who teach the same qualification. A good proportion of pupils opt for music pathways beyond St Peters and Music is able to provide students with a range of skills that enhance their employment prospects. The discipline of learning an instrument, along with resilience and determination, thinking and creating, using one’s initiative, and being able to communicate ideas are all invaluable assets. Universities and employers are always impressed by the skills musicians have due to their well balanced curriculum. We have a reputation for providing pupils with endless opportunities to perform and engage in music making at a high standard. We have a large number of pupils who are committed to their membership of the various musical ensembles. Regular concerts and performances in school give pupils the opportunity to display their talents and we receive regular compliments from audiences regarding the level of musicality with which our pupils are able to perform. As a department we firmly believe that it is the enjoyment of the pupils and staff alongside their commitment and enthusiasm to make music which drives the department’s success.

St. Peter's Catholic College

Music

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