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.

At Highgate Wood we want all our students to make more music, think more musically and consequently become more musical. The Music department at Highgate Wood aims to engage and inspire pupils to develop a love of music and their talent as musicians, and so increase their self-confidence, creativity and sense of achievement. Music is a powerful, non verbal language that can change the way pupils feel, think and act, by conveying the complexity of emotions and offering students a means of expression.

The Music department at Highgate Wood School aims to give students a broad experience of musical styles, to help build a musical community that is creative, inquisitive and rich with diversity. We aim to give all students knowledge, skills and experience in listening to music, performing music and composing music, gaining confidence in using both traditional methods as well as technology when building musical compositions.  We offer many opportunities for our students to perform the work of others, explore their own creative potential through composing work and through wider listening and engagement come to a broader understanding of musical culture, and meaning. This enables all our students to gain knowledge of how music over time and across cultures has been a conduit for human expression, whilst celebrating the diversity of our school community.

Our students develop technical control over the sound they are producing and by the end of KS3 are all able to perform an instrument with confidence in a group and as a soloist. Practising in small musical groups also develops student’s skills of trust, respect and compromise.​ Students also have many opportunities to play music outside of lesson time, through instrumental lessons and extra-curricular clubs, such as orchestra, jazz band, choir, brass, guitar and mandolin ensembles, who perform at various concerts throughout the year. Music at HWS challenges students, stimulating their intellectual and creative curiosity, preparing them to be lifelong learners and active global citizens and inspiring them to be the best they can be. 

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.

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.

Key Stage 3

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.

Key Stage 4

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.

Key Stage 5

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).