Music is a vibrant and diverse subject which, at KS3, is split into three key areas of study. First we teach all students the basic practical skills required to play the keyboard, guitar, bass and drum kit. We also teach about notation, performance and audience skills. The second sphere is composition, where once every fortnight all students are given opportunities to make up their own music. The final sphere is theory and listening, where music comes together and enhances the learning of the other two areas of study.
Music
The music staff are all practising musicians and composers, proficient in at least four instruments and dedicated to making the learning of music fun for all.
Students who take GCSE Music are provided with a challenging and firm grounding in a wide range of music. This enables those who wish to progress to music courses in KS5 with a good foundation.
OCR GCSE Music consists of different Areas of Study:
- My Music You study your own instrument with a focus on performance and composing. This could be a musical instrument that you play, your voice (singing, beatboxing, rapping), sequencing (creating music on a computer) or DJing.
- Conventions of Pop This covers pop music from the 1950’s onwards. It focuses on Rock ‘n’ Roll in the ‘50s and ‘60s, Rock Anthems in the ‘70s and ‘80s, Pop Ballads in the ‘70s, ‘80s and ‘90s, and Solo Artists from the ‘90s onwards.
- Film Music is an Area of Study that should be familiar to students from their Key Stage 3 studies. There are three topics: Music composed for films, classical music used within films, and music composed for video games.
- Rhythms of the World This covers music from the following locations: India and the Punjab region, the Eastern Mediterranean and the Middle East, Africa, and Central and South America.
- The Concerto Through Time You study how the concerto (a composition for soloist(s) and orchestra) developed over the period from 1650 to 1910.
- Introduction to Music Theory This covers reading and writing music, keys, scales and chords, and structure and form.
30% of the course is Performing (playing an instrument or singing). There are two assessment pieces, one solo and one in a group. 30% of the course is Composing individually. There are two assessment pieces, one for the candidate’s main instrument/voice/software and one based on a stimulus provided by OCR such as a chord progression, a description of an event, or a rhythm.
We run the AQA A level, with a focus in Year 12 on a Classical set work and popular music, and a focus in Year 13 on a further set work and jazz.
Additional Information
Within the department we also offer Music Technology courses at BTEC and A Level, using iMac computers and our recording studio.
Students are given vast opportunities to play music outside of lesson time, in a formal setting such as instrumental lessons with one-to-one tuition, and extra-curricular clubs, including orchestra, jazz band, choir, brass, guitar and mandolin ensembles. We also encourage informal practice with our practical rooms being open most lunch times for students to come and play.
We have many concerts throughout the year, including the winter concert, various road shows, a summer MADFest concert, and a week-long tour to a European destination (recently Barcelona and Salzburg).
For more information on our curriculum, please contact Mons Ekstrom: mek@hws.haringey.sch.uk