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Music
Music at Framingham Earl aims to develop students knowledge of Music and develop skills as composers and performers. All students study Music in Years 7, 8 and 9. At the end of Year 9 the students have the option to continue to study GCSE Music. There are opportunities for the students across all year groups to take part in extracurricular musical activities. Through Years 7 to 9 students study eighteen units of Music covering a wide variety of musical styles and genres, using a variety of instruments. The units range from Western Classical, including the Great Composers to world music from around the globe. Every unit is centred around gaining knowledge of the elements of music and their application in listening, composition and performance.
The units have been chosen and planned to support the development of musical knowledge and skills. Each unit will have a variety of listening, composing and performance tasks to aid understanding and knowledge development. Some units focus on a specific element of music and some centre around music theory and a specific style or genre. Students will develop their level of skill during a topic and this will be assessed at the end of each topic. Creating compositions and practising for performance, including singing, is an integral part of the curriculum and necessary to make sustained progress. Preparing a piece of music for performing, whether it be composition or performance involves constant revision and improvement and is equivalent to creating an extended piece of writing.
Key Stage 3
Year 7
|
Term |
Content |
Assessment |
|---|---|---|
|
Autumn Term 1 |
Duration |
Group composition of rhythmic piece. |
|
Autumn Term 2 |
Pitch Sol Fa system Treble Clef notation |
Performance of ‘Mattachins’. |
|
Spring Term 1 |
Ostinato, Riffs and Hooks |
Composition of Ostinato/Riff/Hook. |
|
Spring Term 2 |
Chords and Britpop |
Performance of Brit pop song. |
|
Summer Term 1 |
Programme Music |
Group composition of Programme Music inspired by ‘Carnival of the Animals’. |
|
Summer Term 2 |
Musical Futures - Wimmoweh |
Group performance of ‘Wimmoweh’. |
Year 8
|
Term |
Content |
Assessment |
|---|---|---|
|
Autumn Term 1 |
12 Bar Blues and Improvisation |
Performance of 12 Bar Blues. |
|
Autumn Term 2 |
Pitch-Bass Clef |
Performance of ‘Hall of the Mountain King’. |
|
Spring Term 1 |
Minimalism |
Performance of ‘Oxygene’. |
|
Spring Term 2 |
Chord Progressions |
Composition of chord pattern. |
|
Summer Term 1 |
Melody Writing |
Composition of Melody. |
|
Summer Term 2 |
Film Music |
Performance of Film Theme. |
Year 9
|
Term |
Content |
Assessment |
|---|---|---|
|
Autumn Term 1 |
Jazz and Syncopation |
Performance of ‘Boogie Woogie’. |
|
Autumn Term 2 |
Musical Futures - Fur Elise |
Performance of ‘Fur Elise’. |
|
Spring Term 1 |
Ground Bass |
Performance of ‘Canon in D’. |
|
Spring Term 2 |
Reggae |
Performance of ‘One Love’. |
|
Summer Term 1 |
Song Writing |
Composition of song. |
|
Summer Term 2 |
Musical Futures - Just Play |
Performance skills on various instruments. |
Key Stage 4
At GCSE we study a range of types of music. We follow the AQA GCSE Music specification. There are four areas of study:
- Western Classical Music 1750-1910
- Popular Music
- Traditional Music
- Western Classical Music since 1910.
Students are prepared to answer questions about unfamiliar music from these areas using the listening skills they gain during the course and also study specific pieces of music in depth. Students study the process and skills required to produce compositions. Students consider their own performance skills and aim to improve these as the course progresses. All assessment is during Year 11 with the exam being at the end of the course. Assessment is by Non-Examination Assessment (NEA) (60% - 30% Performing and 30% Composing) and by examination (40%). The NEA is completed and submitted during Year 11.
Year 10
|
Term |
Content |
|---|---|
|
Autumn Term 1 |
Area of Study 1 Music Theory |
|
Autumn Term 2 |
Area of Study 2 Music Theory |
|
Spring Term 1 |
Area of Study 3 Composition Skills |
|
Spring Term 2 |
Area of Study 4 Composition Skills |
|
Summer Term 1 |
Area of Study 1 Composition Skills |
|
Spring Term 2 |
Area of Study 2 Composition skills |
Year 11
|
Term |
Content |
|---|---|
|
Autumn Term 1 |
Area of Study 3 Solo performance submission |
|
Autumn Term 2 |
Area of Study 4 Free composition submission |
|
Spring Term 1 |
Area of Study 1 and 2 revision Ensemble performance submission |
|
Spring Term 2 |
Area of Study 3 and 4 revision Free composition submission |
|
Summer Term |
Revision and listening examination |
Website for exam board with specification and other material:
