Students on arrival will be introduced to music in the school be assessing what they can already do, along with providing new opportunities such as the Edsential music lessons. 
To assess where they are on arrival, the Rock n’ Roll unit provide a range of performance (singing and keyboard) and listening activities. 

The main assessment is a keyboard performance using a range of differentiated parts designed to assess pitch recognition, coordination, the ability to use syncopation in rhythm as well working with a partner. The performance also the student’s ability to read notation.

The listening assessment uses the basis of musical elements and instrument recognition as well as introducing students to a different period of music and artists in comparison to modern day styles. 

Music department success criteria used for performance skills. TBC.

The students will use teacher verbal feedback to improve performance skills along with listening to each other for examples of good practice and peer feedback.

Students will now expand upon the performance skills developed in Autumn term 1 by being introduced to the world of composition and further musical elements. The main musical elements being assessed are structure in music and the student’s ability to create, and potentially develop, melodic lines. It beings with exploring what is the concept of Form and Structure in music and how this historical music concept (in particular Ternary form) relates to the music we listen to today.

The students will then be given an example of a melody which uses notes from the pentatonic scale. They will use to form section A of their composition. The students will then 

take the same notes but create their own melody for section B. All students will also look at composition development techniques such as retrograde for example but not all will probably be able to use these to create a developed a section B1 melody.   

The main assessment is a keyboard composition performance mainly looking at the students ability to create music from a given stimulus. The assessment will also identify which students are able to developed variations upon their original melodic theme. 

The listening assessment expands upon the basis of musical elements by focusing on being to able to identify structural sections in music by ear, as well as identifying styles and providing musical reasons for linking these style choices to different periods of music.

Music department success criteria used for composition skills. TBC.

The students will use teacher verbal feedback to improve composition skills along with listening to each other for examples of good practice and peer feedback.

This unit looks at core performance skills needed to produce high quality ensemble performances. The skills looked at include:

• How to select music which suits individual skill sets
• How to manage voice projection and balance, especially when it comes to nerves
• How to personalise performance with the view of showing expression
• How to choreograph performances
• How to review the ensemble work of others (peer assess accurately).

The main assessment is a ensemble performance of a piece of music from a select repertoire. This repertoire changes every year and aims to give the students access to a range of style and periods of popular music.

Music department success criteria used for composition skills. TBC.
The students will use teacher verbal feedback to improve ensemble performance skills along with listening to each other for examples of good practice and peer feedback.

To further build on spring 1, the students will now take the performance skills developed and start to introduce instruments into their ensemble performance work. This is done by exploring the ‘Axis of Awesome’ four chord song model, in that most popular music pieces follow some form of I – V – vi – IV chord structure. 

The students begin be listening to a teacher performance of a 4 chord song. This is then further developed by them learning initially to play the 4 chords on the keyboard. Once this is mastered, the students will work in small groups to start to put songs which are known to work with the chord pattern. Once they have got a minimum of 5 songs the group is offered the opportunity to introduce an acoustic guitar into their work area. The students then progress further by aiming to get up to a maximum of 10 songs to enable them to get access to a drum kit. Once these instruments have been introduced the students will usually shift focus from a set number of songs, instead to mastering basic chord patterns on the guitar and drum beats on the drum kit to make a performance which is of an assessable standard.

Continuation of the above…

The students usually at this point will have a degree of ensemble skills but maybe still lacking in different experiences. This is usually tackled by the introduction of a rotation system which enables them to get access on a wider variety of instruments. 

The main assessment is ensemble performance mainly looking at the student’s ability to perform as a group. This is vital skill to begin to develop and is a requirement of GCSE music. The assessment also exposes students often a new set of instruments which they will hopefully decide to have lessons on which again further equips them for GCSE music and helps grow the music culture in the school. 

To further explore different styles of music, the students will now delve into the world of Brazilian Samba music. This includes:

• Learning about different Samba instruments and their role within the band
• Different samba patterns with are teacher led
• Learning about Samba breaks and how to respond to the apito. 

The students will also have the opportunity to compose their own patterns and samba break section.

The main assessment will be the students own samba performances based on a mix of example patterns given to them, along with ones which they have created themselves.

Music department success criteria used for performance and composition skills. TBC.

Teacher will assess along with student peer assessment of performance and composition ideas.

To further build a performance culture in the school, the students will now undergo a performance building unit which enables them to potentially become whole school performers. 

The main assessment will be the student’s performance of a song or piece. This could be either instrumental or vocal. The performers of performances which are fairly developed could then be offered a further ‘stretch’ opportunity such as performing in a school concert / evening.

This will also be an opportunity to widen student’s experiences such as performing a piece of choir music or learning individual keyboard patterns as lesson starters. 

Music department success criteria used for performance skills. TBC.
The students will use teacher verbal feedback to improve performance skills along with listening to each other for examples of good practice and peer feedback.