Music

Music is an integral part of the human condition and is essential to the well-rounded education of all children. 

Not only is it intellectually satisfying, but as an art form, it engenders concentration, teamwork, individual confidence, self-discipline and creativity. 

The aim of the music department is to provide all students with a wide range of music making experiences in both curricular and extracurricular activities. Everything in our music curriculum is geared towards taking pupils as far towards becoming practising musicians as possible. 

Musically, pupils should be able to confidently read treble clef notation by the time they leave music, have experience of singing and playing instruments, be able to aurally recognise musical styles and their features, be able to compose coherently. 

All students are encouraged regardless of their ability and there are many opportunities available for involvement both in and out of the classroom. 

We provide a positive, inclusive environment where students can develop their imagination, self-esteem and teamwork skills. 

Research evidence 

The two most influential documents from Ofsted in recent years are: 

• “Music in schools: wider still, and wider” [click] 
• “Music in schools: what hubs must do” [click] 

As a result, we aim to provide a curriculum which is balanced between the core element of GCSE learning: listening and appraising (including theory and analysis), composition and performance. 

Other articles and sources which discuss situations that affect how we present music in school: 

• “Music ‘could face extinction’ in secondary schools” [click] 
• “Sheku Kanneh-Mason is a state school success story. He may never have a successor” [click] 
• “How playing an instrument benefits your brain” [click] 

Frameworks/ Guidance within which we must work 

N/A 

What does KS2 liaison work tell us the students’ starting points are? 

• Due to curriculum constraints, few of our feeder primary school covers a satisfactory amount of music at KS2.  
• Several primary schools cover some, but it is mainly based on singing or drumming, and little formal music is learned. 
• Durham Secondary Music Network works with primaries to develop its music curriculum based on a set of ideals from the secondary schools. This work is ongoing. 

Assessment objectives at KS4 and how we can support this in KS3 

AO1 – Perform with technical control, expression and interpretation – 30% 

AO2 – Compose and develop musical ideas with technical control and coherence – 30% 

AO3 – Demonstrate and apply musical knowledge – 20% 

AO4 – Use appraising skills to make evaluative and critical judgements about music – 20% 

What broader knowledge will support their continued learning in this subject 

• Those pupils wishing to take music into KS4 should look to start instrumental lessons at school as soon as possible, as the minimum standard required by GCSE is grade 4. 
• Attendance to as many extracurricular opportunities as possible within school develops confidence in performing – school ensembles, choirs, school shows etc. 

How are you allowing opportunities for students to show progress? 

All the foundations of music are covered in block 1 in year 7: The Basics. During this topic, students learn the fundamentals of pitch, rhythm, dynamics, tempo, timbre/ sonority, performance. 

Each unit from 7.2 to 9.1/9.2 seeks to build on these foundations and develop the core GCSE skills of composition, performance and listening and appraising through the increasingly complex application of the musical elements learned in 7.1.