Curriculum
Music

Mr Nota
Faculty Leader – Performing Arts
Subject Staff
Miss Forshaw
Exam Board
RSL
The Subject Way
Firstly, to teach students the vital skills they need to achieve their full potential and gain the very best grades they can. Secondly, to teach students how each subject relates to the wider world, incorporating the life skills they will learn.
It is our belief that knowing how what you learn links to the wider world brings a subject to life and therefore improves overall understanding and engagement.
Our Curriculum
In Year 9 students will start to study the OCR Cambridge Nationals Enterprise and Marketing course. They will start to cover the R064 theory needed for the written exam. Students will have the opportunity to implement the theory content into small projects, allowing students to have a better grasp of the theory content
The students will learn the following skills/knowledge over the course of year 9 curriculum:
Students will develop skills needed to calculate and analysis business finances such as profit/loss, sales revenue, costs and breakeven. |
Understand the importance of Market Research and explain several different research techniques that can be carried out by a business. |
Understand the Product Growth model and be able to offer suggestions on how a business can make a product successful |
Understand the legal issues involved in running a business and how legislation can protect employees in industry. |
In Year 10 students will continue to cover the Theory Aspects of the course. Students will also start the first unit of Controlled assessment. The R065 Unit – Design a Business Proposal. In this unit of work students will need to design a product based on market research they have gathered from their potential customers. Students will also need to look at the financial implications of making their product and outline the potential risks of marketing the product they have designed.
The students will learn the following skills/knowledge over the course of year 10 curriculum:
Demonstrate the ability to evaluate different Market Research methods and carry some of these methods out as part of the controlled assessment |
Using the Market Research identify a “Gap in the Market” and design your own product that could be successful when marketed. |
Understand the Product Development and Growth model and provide suggestions on how to make your product successful. |
Understand the risks and financial issues that could be caused from developing your product. |
In Year 11 students will complete the final unit of the Enterprise and Marketing course. Students will also use this year to resit the exam component or improve and resubmit the previous controlled assessment units.
R066 – Market or Pitch a Business Proposal – Students will learn how to successfully market their product/business they developed in the R065 Unit. Students will have the opportunity to present their business proposal in an assessed business pitch.
The students will learn the following skills/knowledge over the course of year 11 curriculum:
Students will develop presentation and communication skills being able to perform a sales pitch of their business to their peers and staff. |
Students will learn how to create a brand and demonstrate a knowledge of Marketing techniques that can be used by businesses |
Curriculum Intent
In Performing Arts, we aim to provide an exciting, relevant and inclusive curriculum where students can learn to be creative, confident and skillful performers. Through the delivery of a variety of topics, our students become experienced and passionate practitioners who have a clear love for performing arts. We would like our students to gain a wider knowledge and understanding of music and drama both practically and theoretically and to develop a wide range of skills that are used across the industry.
In Music, the goal is to inspire and engage students to develop a love of music and develop their talents through participation in a wide range of instrumental and practical skills. Through learning music, students increase their self confidence, creativity and a sense of achievement.
How we intend to remove barriers
In Music, we help remove barriers to literacy by developing essay writing skills and increase students’ understanding of how to research effectively. Students have the opportunity to read and analyse varying lyrics which helps in widening their vocabulary. We broaden their knowledge of the discipline through subject-specific terminology, which is used frequently and consistently across practical and coursework based lessons when giving answers and feedback. In addition, retention is assessed through regular low-stakes testing during starter activities.
We allow ample opportunities for group discussions in lessons around specific topics and promote creative collaboration where possible when producing a piece of work. Example techniques to support students’ oracy include Think, Pair, Share, planned questioning, question matrices and modelling.
How we develop skills for learning
In Music, we develop skills for learning by encouraging consistent use of subject specific keywords and development of correct and relevant terminology. Our curriculum is designed to allow students to advance in topic based skills throughout each year of study and revisit important terminology through constant recall. We provide opportunities to improve memory through learning lyrics or chords/notes off by heart in order to move their focus away from sheets and more towards specific performance skills.
We offer discussions around differences in opinion and respect others views and subjective tastes when looking at different cultured pieces of music. We help students get a better understanding of the lyrics and the emotion behind specific vocabulary that is used. Being creative is a key component of our subject and we encourage this through composing and writing music and creating different performances. We analyse and listen to different styles of music. We have multiple opportunities to review and reflect on performances and student work allowing for constructive feedback of themselves and their peers.
How we foster personal attributes
In Performing Arts, we foster personal attributes by promoting independence through solo rehearsal and encouraging self-motivation to progress. We enable students to overcome difficulties in musical technique and deal with performance anxiety when performing in front of an audience. We help promote a growth mindset and show how mistakes are an important part of learning. From this, we demonstrate how to bounce back from a disappointing performance.
We encourage all forms of communication and understanding of emotions and expression especially with peers, themselves and their audience. Collaboration with peers and in groups allows for opportunities to work with students outside their usual friendship groups and other year groups. This includes working on the many extra-curricular school productions delivered. All participants are ambassadors for the school and take huge pride in being part of the school community. We have high expectations in lessons that are followed to help students grow in terms of performance and self progression. From this, there is mutual respect for both peers and staff.
How we intend to enrich student experiences and broaden the horizons of students
Our curriculum offers a variety of different trips to local colleges, theatres and music venues. |
Visits from industry professionals that lead on subject-specific workshops. |
The use of regular performance in lessons to increase confidence and decrease performance anxiety. |
Opportunities to be a part of the school led full-scale musical productions that combine all 3 disciplines of the performing arts. |
Extracurricular enrichment through school shows/concerts, choir, music technology and instrumental development. |
SMSC (Spiritual, Moral, Social, and Cultural)
Within Music students learn about the cultural context of a wide variety of different music styles, including British and European classical music, as well as contemporary music genres which reflect modern, multicultural Britain, including rap, R&B, and how music can be used to promote diversity and tolerance.
Students also learn the cultural background in which certain music styles became popular, including reggae, and how this was used as an agent for social change. Students also develop their social skills by working together as a band, by demonstrating effective team work. Students learn to appreciate how music and be used in a therapeutic way, and how music plays an important part in symbolic, spiritual and religious events.
Our Curriculum
Half Term 1 (Autumn) | Unit: Keyboard Skills |
Half Term 2 (Autumn) | Unit: Around the World |
Half Term 3 (Spring) | Unit: Ukulele |
Half Term 4 (Spring) | Unit: Music and Advertising |
Half Term 5 (Summer) | Unit: EDM |
Half Term 6 (Summer) | Unit: Voiceworks |
Half Term 1 (Autumn) | Unit: Band Skills |
Half Term 2 (Autumn) | Unit: Pop Music |
Half Term 3 (Spring) | Unit: Around the World (Not covered in Y7) |
Half Term 4 (Spring) | Unit: Blues |
Half Term 5 (Summer) | Unit: Film Music |
Half Term 6 (Summer) | Unit: Rap & Hip-Hop |
Term 1 | Exploring Genres & Styles of Music |
Term 1 | Unit: 201ta – Musical Knowledge |
Term 2 | Unit: 204ta – Instrumental Study |
Term 3 | Unit: 202a – Practical Development |
Term 1 | Unit: 202ta – Live Music Performance (Mock External Assessment) |
Term 2 | Unit: 202ta – Live Music Performance (External Assessment) |
Term 3 | Unit: 204ta & Unit 201ta Coursework Catch-up) |
Find out more
If you would like more information about our curriculum, please contact the school using the details on our contact page.
Our Subjects at KS4
CORE SUBJECTS
EBACC SUBJECTS
OPTION SUBJECTS
INTERVENTIONS