Music

Staff

Leader of Faculty - Mrs D. Hughes

Teacher of Music - Ms J. Wood

Music at Wade Deacon High School

The Music department at Wade Deacon High School consists of practicing musicians who oversee the planning and delivery of a range of exciting, motivating and challenging lessons.

The department is also supported by a team of excellent peripatetic staff who deliver individual and small group lessons on the following instruments:

Drum kit Mr V. Pearson & Mr R. Martin

Woodwind Mr J. Lewis

Voice & Piano Ms J. Wood

Brass Mr T. Whittingham & Mr G. Smith

Strings Mr J. Taylor

Guitar Mr M. Lynch

The mission of the Music department is rooted in providing students with a personalised learning experience, where they are immersed in meaningful cultural experiences in the performance, understanding, and appreciation of the discipline of the subject.

The facilities in the music department are exceptional and are crucial to the progress expectations of our students. The department consists of 4 practice rooms, 2 ensemble rooms, two teaching rooms, one with a suite of 25 imacs and midi keyboards.

Curriculum Aims

In performance subjects, students are exposed to a vibrant and exciting curriculum based around the development of practical music and drama skills in KS3. This fosters confidence and a love of the performance which enables students to continue their journey in KS4 in a much more personalised manner.

Curriculum Overview

KS3

At Key Stage 3, music is taught fortnightly with a mixture of whole class approach and smaller ensemble work with the focus on developing performance skills. Much of the content is ‘just playing’

instruments underpinned by non-formal teaching and informal learning. To a great extent, many of our KS3 lessons adopt the Musical Futures teaching style and approaches.

KS4

It is the vision of the music department to engage actively in the process of music study whilst developing performance skills individually and in groups, focusing on GCSE expectations of accuracy, fluency and control of the resources used. GCSE pupils also develop their composition skills to create and develop musical ideas and make use of appropriate resources and generate a clear and recognised sense of style.

GCSE Music – Year 9

Autumn Term

Ensemble Performance & Composition Skills

Extended Composition Skills using Sibelius 7 & GarageBand – Submission of Composition 1 to a Brief

Preparation for end of term appraisal exam with a focus on prepared extracts

Review of progress on Office 365 platform

Spring Term

Further extension of Composition Folio & Theory

End of term Solo & Ensemble performance

Third review of progress on Office 365 platform

Summer Term

End of year 1 Presentation of Composition Folio

End of year Solo & Ensemble performance

Revision of prepared extracts

End of year Unit 1 exam focusing on general listening skills and prepared extracts

Third review of progress on Office 365 platform

GCSE Music – Year 10

Autumn Term

Ensemble Performance recording by class teacher and peri tutor Informal assessment of unit 4 Composition folio

Extended Composition Skills using Sibelius 7/GarageBand/Live instruments

Component 3 - Appraisal work focusing on x2 prepared extracts 7 extended questioning technique

Preparation for end of year Unit 1 exam

Review of Office 365 progress

Spring Term

Further extension of Composition Folio & Theory -At this stage, pupils are expected to add to their composition folio once every half term.

End of term Solo & Ensemble performance

Second review of office 365 progress

Summer Term

End of year 1 Presentation of Composition Folio

End of year Solo & Ensemble performance

End of year Unit 1 exam

End of year review of Office 365

GCSE Music – Year 11

Autumn Term

Ensemble Performance recording by class teacher and peri tutor Informal assessment of unit 4 Composition folio

Extended Composition Skills using Sibelius/Garageband

Unit 2 Controlled Assessment – Composition & Appraisal focusing on the Western Classical Tradition

Preparation for end of year Unit 1 exam

Review 1 of Office 365

Spring Term

Further extension of Composition Folio & Theory focusing on Areas of Study Texture & Melody & Timbre & Dynamics

Completion of Unit 2 Controlled Assessment – Composition & Appraisal focusing on the Western Classical Tradition

End of term Solo & Ensemble performance

Review 2 of Office 365

Summer Term

End of year 1 Presentation of Composition Folio

End of year Solo & Ensemble performance

End of year Unit 1 exam

Review 3 of Office 365

Reporting

It is expected that grades achieved at P2S1 may be graded around 2-3 grades below their targets, depending on content covered and stage of the year in 10/11.

At KS4, we stagger the AQA & Eduqas grade boundaries for the exam paper allowing for access and challenge as the course content is delivered.

Across KS3, lessons are delivered once every fortnight making the assessment model different to that of upper school. The majority of lessons are taught with a practical performance and composition focus with theory content intertwined. If a pupil has a target Grade of a 7, this may average out at a 3, 4 or 5 at P2S1 due to this frequency. From this initial starting point pupils will gradually accumulate an improvement in knowledge and skills as each unit of the course is covered, tested and consolidated. It is expected that grades improve at different rates depending on the areas of strength and areas for development demonstrated by each candidate in relation to the units delivered each year.