Music at Sir William Stanier School is intended to be a practical experience which creates a love of music and an appreciation of different genres, styles and cultural influences.  We feel that it is important for students to develop their cultural capital understanding and grow significant transferable life skills that will support them in their future endeavours. 
 
Pupils are challenged in all lessons to be able to demonstrate understanding and creativity through performance, composition, collaboration with their peers and evaluation of their own work. It is the advancement of these invaluable skills through student’s time at Sir William Stanier School that establishes the analytical and creative young person who will leave us and enter society. 
 
Our curriculum is designed to sequence schemes of work throughout Year 7 to Year 11 by supporting and growing students’ understanding of the following: technical knowledge and concepts, key words and inter-related dimensions of music, and how they are used expressively to achieve intentions across various styles, genres and traditions. This will encourage students to use key musical terminology within their work. 

All students at Sir William Stanier are given regular opportunities to perform in front of others: both as individuals and ensembles. This ensures students display courage and confidence in their performance skills, alongside helping their understanding as musicians. The whole of the KS3 curriculum requires students to collaborate, whilst being mindful to the opinions & abilities of others, and how best to express these to evaluate the success of their performances. 
We value the positive impact music can have on mental wellbeing and endeavour to provide an ambitious curriculum that provides a range of opportunities for pupils to experience music outside of the classroom, in the local community and beyond. As a department, we offer a wide range of extra-curricular opportunities for those students who want to develop their musical skills and abilities outside of our curriculum through our community connections with Love Music Trust and neighbouring schools. Individual instrumental lessons are available to all students throughout the school, and they are encouraged to take this opportunity at various stages of their school experience.

Where possible, we strive to expose students to live music including visits to the theatre, performances and Post 16 links. We have created bespoke curriculum booklets which support the learning of our students at KS3, encouraging them to reflect on their achievements and areas which they feel need further develop through regular assessment points.  
 

Year 7

In Year 7, students will begin to build their musical skills by covering the topics:

Melody Madness; Ukulele; Dance Music.

Skills developed include:

  • Keeping a steady beat and playing in time
  • Performing a melody accurately with correct fingers on keyboard
  • Team work
  • Resilience/Practice/independent working/time management
  • Ability to play bass line or chords with the left hand
  • Singing in tune
  • Evaluating performances of peers
  • Self-evaluation
  • Listening critically to music
  • Playing single notes accurately on the ukulele with good co-ordination
  • Playing the 4 main chords (C, Am, F. G) accurately and fluently on the Ukulele
  • Keeping in time with the pulse
  • Using computer software ‘dance Ejay’
  • Structuring a composition that makes good musical sense
  • Layering different sounds that ‘fit together’ well
  • Performing dance music on keyboard with accuracy of pitch and rhythm and correct fingering
  • Playing bass line/chords

Knowledge and Content covered includes:

  • Note values/time signatures
  • Treble clef/ Staff notation
  • Graphic notation
  • Chords
  • How to create a successful melody
  • Recognising instruments, tempi, genre, mood through listening
  • History of the Ukulele
  • How to play single notes accurately, using both hands correctly
  • Playing chords accurately and changing  fluently
  • Reading tablature

 

Year 8

In Year 8, students will develop the musical skills they worked on in Year 7, by covering the topics:

Melody Madness; Ukulele; Film Music.

Skills developed include:

  • Keeping a steady beat and playing in time
  • Performing a melody accurately with correct fingers on keyboard
  • Team work
  • Resilience/Practice/independent working/time management
  • Ability to play bass line or chords with the left hand
  • Singing in tune
  • Evaluating performances of peers
  • Self-evaluation
  • Listening critically to music
  • Playing more complex chords (D7, Em, etc) accurately and fluently on the Ukulele
  • Performing melodies by reading tab
  • Keeping in time with the pulse
  • Using computer software ‘Audacity and Cubase’
  • Structuring a film composition that makes good musical sense
  • Layering different sounds that ‘fit together’ well
  • Performing film music on keyboard with accuracy of pitch and rhythm and correct fingering
  • Playing bass line/chords

Knowledge and Content covered includes:

  • Note values/time signatures
  • Treble clef/ Staff notation
  • Graphic notation
  • Chords
  • How to create a successful melody
  • Recognising instruments, tempi, genre, mood through listening
  • History of the Ukulele
  • How to play single notes accurately, using both hands correctly
  • Playing chords accurately and changing  fluently
  • Reading tablature
  • Understanding of Film Music and its genres

 

Year 9, 10 & 11

Exam Board: OCR GCSE

Integrated Portfolio

Solo Performance for own instrument/voice. (15%)

Pupils will work alone to rehearse and develop their performance skills, culminating in a final recording to be submitted as part of their final coursework. They can develop and improve pieces learnt in Year 10 or prepare a new piece.

Performance skills are developed, such as accuracy, fluency, intonation, expression, musicality and flair.

Integrated Portfolio

Solo Composition for own instrument/voice. (15%)

Pupils will work alone to rehearse and develop their composing skills, culminating in a final recording of an original composition to be submitted as part of their final coursework. They can develop and improve pieces composed in Year 10 or compose a new piece.

Pupils are to develop their creative ideas using correct harmony, rhythm and structure to develop a coherent, imaginative, original piece. It must be for their own instrument and must use instrument specific techniques.

Practical Component

Ensemble Performance. (15%)

Performance skills such as accuracy, fluency, intonation, expression, musicality and flair. They must also demonstrate the ability to work as a group, with awareness and sensitivity top other musicians.

Controlled Assessment

Set Composition. (15%)

Pupils develop their creative ideas using correct harmony, rhythm and structure to develop a coherent, imaginative, original piece.  Pupils may use their instruments or technology to compose this piece.

Listening Exam

(40%)
Areas of Study:
The Concerto through time
Rhythms of the World
Film Music
Conventions of Pop

Pupils will learn all aspects of music terminology linked to their areas of study and will listen to extracts of Music from each style, learning the musical features of each and how to recognise them.

 

The Learning Partnership