The St Augustine of Canterbury Music department believes in delivering quality music lessons to all pupils and giving them the opportunity to develop their skills at performing, listening and composing. Pupils will have access to multiple instruments and will learn about other genres of music from around the world, giving pupils the opportunity to learn about different cultures and different musical tastes. The Music department strives to make literacy, numeracy and the core British values a feature in all lessons. Studying Music will help pupils become more confident in standing in front of people and delivering a message due to the performance aspect and it will give them the opportunity to develop their creativity through composition.
Music also allows pupils to learn the history of where the music they listen to comes from and how genres such as pop have evolved over the years. Pupils will be given the opportunity to become engaged by learning songs they are familiar with but also have their minds opened to the wider world and experience genres they have not heard before.
The Music department is passionate about linking the Music curriculum to other departments. During lessons pupils will use skills that apply to most other subjects. These include: English (key terms), Maths (Note values and beats), Science (wave forms and pitch), History (development of genres and cultures, slave trade), Geography (map locations of countries and regions), MFL (use of Italian key terms) and IT (use of Music Technology).
Understanding where pupils come from and where they need to get to is crucial for their development. The Music curriculum is a journey that develops many fundamental skills that our pupils will take into higher education courses and employment. We develop skills that are learned in Key Stage 2 and introduce new skills in Key Stage 3 and 4. Some of the skills that pupils will develop and learn are: leadership, resilience, confidence, vocalising ideas, teamwork, responsibility, creativity and many more.
The department endeavours to make music lessons not only fun but also challenging. The aim is for pupils to show their progress lesson by lesson whilst experiencing new forms of music.
Implementation
The school runs a two-week timetable and the hours are allocated as shown.
Year 7- 1 hour every two weeks
Year 8- 1 hour per week
Year 9- 1 hour every two weeks
Year 10- 5 hours every two weeks
Year 11- 5 hours every two weeks
In Year 7 pupils will build on the skills they learned from Key Stage 2. Throughout the year pupils will learn about the elements of music. They will learn how to use them in their own performances, their own compositions and in listening activities. Each scheme of work has a practical and theory element that is aimed at developing a knowledge and understanding of music theory and performance.
In Year 8 pupils be developing their skills in performance, composition and listening even further. They will have access to multiple different instruments and be introduced to music production. This allows them to access industry standard software and compose their own piece of music like a professional producer. Pupils will continue to develop their understanding of music from other cultures and other parts of the world. They will demonstrate this through their performances and their skills.
In Year 9 pupils will enhance the skills required for a successful and smooth transition to GCSE music. There is more focus on pupils to work independently and make their own choices. Each scheme of work is designed to enable pupils to reflect on the choices they have made and how they could improve them.
At Key Stage 4 we follow the Eduqas GCSE Music specification. The course is broken down into three components:
1. Performance 30%
2. Composition 30%
3. Listening Exam 40%
The course allows pupils to progress and develop the key skills that are needed to take Music in higher education or employment. The Eduqas specification is tailored well to pupils because it has interesting areas
of study, two accessible set works, a standard difficulty level of Grade 3 and a composition that allows pupils to demonstrate and develop their personal specialisms.
As well as delivering a wide curriculum pupils have access to the following extra-curricular activities:
- Music Club
- Keyboard Club
- Production Club
- Brass Band
- Samba Band
- Music Lessons
- School Performances
Outcomes
Our aim is for all pupils to leave St Augustines having had a high quality music education that has allowed them to develop the necessary skills to be an outstanding member of society and to give them the necessary skills and knowledge to take their passion for Music further.
At the end of each academic year the Music curriculum we offer is reviewed and evaluated so that any changes can be made to benefit the pupils.
