Music

Vision

At Birchwood, we want our students to be able to articulate their ideas about a wide variety of music from a range of genres. We want our students to feel a sense of confidence in taking part and performing within music. We also want our students to feel empowered in their knowledge of the theory of music to compose with creativity and assurance.

How do we build on what students learn at KS2?

We want to ensure that our students are thoroughly supported in their transition from KS2 to KS3 music. In order to do this, we work with local primary schools so that our curriculums complement one another. In year 7, we purposely prioritise revisiting and rebuilding on the following:

Revisit singing
Listening with attention to detail
Continue to develop their understanding of the history of music
Use and understand graphic and stave notation
Improvise and compose music
Appreciate music from different traditions, time and composers

How do we cover the KS3 National Curriculum and beyond?

We believe that covering the KS3 National Curriculum is hugely important but we also recognise how crucial it is for students to be exposed to wider knowledge beyond this.

Pupils build on their previous knowledge and skills through performing, composing and listening. They develop their vocal and/or instrumental fluency, accuracy and expressiveness, and understand musical structures, styles, genres and traditions, identifying the expressive use of musical dimensions. They learn to listen with increasing discrimination and awareness to inform their practice as musicians. They use technologies appropriately and appreciate and understand a wide range of musical contexts and styles.

Pupils are taught to:

Play and perform confidently in a range of solo and ensemble contexts using their voice, playing instruments musically, fluently and with accuracy and expression
Improvise and compose; and extend and develop musical ideas by drawing on a range of musical structures, styles, genres and traditions
Use staff and other relevant notations appropriately and accurately in a range of musical styles, genres and traditions
Identify and use the interrelated dimensions of music expressively and with increasing sophistication, including use of tonalities, different types of scales and other musical devices
Listen with increasing discrimination to a wide range of music from great composers and musicians
Develop a deepening understanding of the music that they perform and to which they listen, and its history

We ensure that we cover the KS3 National Curriculum by covering the following (KS3 headings/ key points):

Year 7: An introduction to Music – Elements of Music, Music for storytelling, Latin music, Ukulele.
Year 8: Music around the world – Musical Eras, The Blues, Reggae, African drumming, Music for media / film music.
Year 9: – Pop Music Performance, Jazz, Songwriting, Rap music and music technology.

Beyond the curriculum, we provide:

Annual School production
DCP Faculty London Trip
The Rockstar Project
Flute choir
Singing club
KS4 Orchestra performance
Pop choir
Keyboard club
Samba drum line club
Choir trust performance
Peripatetic instrumental lessons; this includes voice, piano, keyboard, drums, bass and guitar.
PP students have the opportunity to gain free instrumental lessons
Over 40 students receive instrumental lessons, and this number is rapidly growing.

What do we cover in KS4 and how do we aspire towards KS5?

We ensure that our curriculum revisits key ideas that are covered in key stage 3 and provide a foundation for study at key stage 4.

Year 10: performing – solo and ensemble practice, composing skills with the free composition in Term 3, listening and appraising skills including introduction to Toto set work.

Year 11: performing final solo and ensemble, composing the set-brief composition in Term 1, Listening and appraising skills including introduction to Bach set work and consolidation of knowledge.

We want to ensure that our students are ready for life beyond KS4. In order to do this we expose our students to a range of ambitious content and ideas: