Creative & Performing Arts
Music
The purpose of the Music curriculum is to encourage engagement and appreciation for music from all over the world. Students will gain knowledge of how to read and write music as well as play, perform and improvise individually, as whole class ensembles and small groups.
Students will be encouraged to think about how we as consumers have a significant impact on intellectual property and the future of the music business, as we know it.
Students should have the ability to transform an original composition or arrangement from an idea to a production in front of an audience, thus preparing them for real life scenarios whilst building confidence and developing teamwork skills.
Exam Board
AQA
Course Title and Syllabus
GCSE Music
Details of Papers
- Understanding music
- Performing music
- Composing music
Overview
| Year | Term | Topic(s) |
|---|---|---|
| Year 7 | Autumn | Heritage Project/The Language of Music |
| Voices in Layers | ||
| Spring | Introducing Keyboards | |
| Gamelan | ||
| Summer | Instruments of the orchestra | |
| Introducing pop music | ||
| Year 8 | Autumn | Copyright |
| The Blues | ||
| Spring | Music for gaming | |
| Baroque | ||
| Summer | Musicals | |
| Samba | ||
| Year 9 | Autumn | Working with chords |
| Introducing songwriting | ||
| Spring | Introducing Jazz | |
| Music from the Romantic period | ||
| Summer | Film music | |
| Introduction to the music industry | ||
| Year 10 | Autumn | AoS 3: Contemporary Latin music |
| AoS 3: Fusions | ||
| AoS 4: Minimalism | ||
| AoS 4: British music | ||
| Spring | AoS 2: Rock music from 60s & 70s | |
| AoS 2: Pop music from 1990 | ||
| AoS 1: Baroque | ||
| AoS 1: Classical | ||
| Summer | AoS 2: Film and game music | |
| AoS 2: Musicals | ||
| AoS 3: British folk music | ||
| AoS 3: The Blues | ||
| Year 11 | Autumn | AoS 4: Copland |
| AoS 4: Hungarian music | ||
| Spring | Coursework focus | |
| Summer | Exam prep and revision |
Assessments
Component 1: Understanding music
What's assessed - Listening Contextual understanding.
How it's assessed - Exam paper with listening exercises and written questions using excerpts of music.
Questions:
- Section A: Listening - unfamiliar music (68 marks)
- Section B: Study pieces (28 marks)
The exam is 1 hour and 30 minutes. This component is worth 40% of GCSE marks (96 marks).
Component 2: Performing music
What's assessed - Music performance.
How it's assessed - As an instrumentalist and/or vocalist and/or via technology:
- Performance 1: Solo performance (36 marks)
- Performance 2: Ensemble performance (36 marks)
A minimum of four minutes of performance in total is required, of which a minimum of one minute must be the ensemble performance.
This component is 30% of GCSE marks (72 marks). Non-exam assessment (NEA) will be internally marked by teachers and externally moderated by AQA. Performances must be completed in the year of certification.
Component 3: Composing music
What's assessed - Composition.
How it's assessed:
- Composition 1: Composition to a brief (36 marks)
- Composition 2: Free composition (36 marks)
A minimum of three minutes of music in total is required.
This component is 30% of GCSE marks (72 marks). Non-exam assessment (NEA) will be internally marked by teachers and externally moderated by AQA.