Music
Curriculum Vision
‘Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination and life to everything.’
- Plato –
We believe that enjoyment should be at the heart of everything students experience in and around the music department. We pride ourselves on delivering a curriculum and range of enrichment activities that are accessible to all, whilst providing a suitable level of challenge that further skills and knowledge in listening and appraising, performance and composition. At Chapel High School, music is a highly regarded subject, fully supported by the governing body, where students in years 7 to 9 receive an hourly lesson each week.
Knowledge and skills
Our curriculum aims to develop a life-long love of music that extends beyond the classroom, and provides students with the contextual knowledge to appreciate how musical creativity is shaped through personal experiences, historical events and external factors. A Chapel High School student emerges at the end of their musical learning journey a well-rounded musician, with a good understanding of how music is created, produced and communicated; a good set of performance skills on a variety of instruments; and the motivation, collaborative skills and discipline for further study in music. We achieve this by delivering an ambitious and diverse curriculum that explores music from the Baroque era to the 21st Century; from Africa to the Americas; and from traditional folk music to modern club dance. At Chapel High School, students learn to play a variety of instruments to a good standard, including voice, percussion, ukulele and keyboard. They learn how to listen to and evaluate music from a range of traditions, and expand their musical vocabulary. Students are then able to create their own music using a variety of methods including improvisation, staff notation, graphic notation and music technology.
Music is an inclusive subject where all students can increase their self-confidence and celebrate their achievements. Our department provides a safe-haven, where all students feel that they can express their musical creativity, and develop further with confidence and the highest levels of support. Our enrichment activities are open to all students, and we draw on the expertise of industry professionals to further enhance students’ experiences; our wind band is led by Birmingham Junior Conservatoire’s Head of Brass, we have a string ensemble and a mixed choir. For the more popular musician, we have a Glee Club, Samba Band, rock bands, music technology club and smaller ensemble groups. We also prepare our students for further study at A-level by providing a grade 5-theory club. In an ever-changing musical landscape, our team of specialists are able to adapt and cater for almost any musical activity our students wish to pursue.
Context
A highly experienced team of instrumental teachers supports our ensembles and musical development; we have a strong peripatetic tuition programme that is supported by Dark Peak Music Trust and Derbyshire Music Education Hub. Students are able to take advantage of our industry and local connections to perform at a range of events throughout the academic year, including our musical production, Christmas carol service, GCSE showcases and Youth Presents. We also expand the cultural capital of our students by attending musical performances and shows throughout the academic year; previous opportunities have included Buxton Music, Speech & Drama Festival, trips to watch shows in major cities, and taking full advantage of our local Buxton Opera House.
You can find our year 7 to 9 curriculum here.
You can find our year 10 and 11 curriculum here.
Years 10 and 11 GCSE Music
In years 10 and 11, music is offered as an optional subject and is open to all. Students have access to a set of keyboards, acoustic guitars and ICT facilities capable of both score writing (Sibelius) and sequencing (Cubase) thus enabling all to succeed in the more challenging aspects of composition.
The OCR course provides a demanding, but contemporary, accessible and creative education in music with an integrated approach to the three main elements – performing, composing and appraising.
Examination Information
| Qualification | GCSE Music |
|---|---|
| Board | OCR |
| Syllabus number | J536 |
| Website link | www.ocr.org.uk/qualifications/gcse/music |
| Assessment details | 60% coursework 40% listening exam |
| Coursework details | Integrated portfolio ( performance and composition) 30% Practical component ( performance and composition) 30% |
| Recommended coursebook | GCSE Music Study Guide Rudland / Galley/ Marshall Published by Rheingold |
| Recommended revision guides | OCR GCSE Music Revision Guide Alan Charlton Rheingold |
| Recommended websites | BBC Bitesize KS4 and school VLE www.gcse-music.co.uk |
