Studying music provides pupils with a vital opportunity to stimulate and explore their creative, emotional and expressive development. The purpose of music is to nurture the next generation of musicians and critical thinking music-lovers. Our aim is to prepare all pupils to appreciate music for its own sake, in order to enhance and enrich their lives and open their eyes to the musical world around them; contributing to their sense of wonder and joy. This aligns with Malet Lambert’s values of teaching subjects for their intrinsic worth, and ensuring social justice.
Pupils will be guided through the vast musical landscape, affording them the opportunity to listen to, appraise, and analyse Western Classical music, Popular music, Blues and Jazz, and music from other cultures. Pupils will develop their understanding of music-reading, pitch, rhythm, melody, harmony, structure, texture, and instrumentation, applying this knowledge to become competent in performance and composition.
In addition to learning in the classroom, pupils will be encouraged to further their musical development through participation in extra-curricular music clubs, both in school and within the wider community.
Facilities
The Music department comprises two purpose-built classrooms, a recording studio, an ensemble room and three practice rooms. Both classrooms are equipped with sixteen PC work-stations, complete with industry standard software, and sixteen musical keyboards. The recording studio is also equipped to industry standard. The department owns a large collection of electric and acoustic guitars, orchestral instruments and two class sets of African drums. These outstanding facilities allow our pupils to fully explore their musical potential by engaging in a varied and stimulating music curriculum.
Courses
Eduqas GCSE Music: Learning spans across four areas of study -
- AO1: Musical Forms and Devices,
- AOS2: Music for Ensemble,
- AOS 3: Film Music,
- AOS 4: Popular Music.
Pupils are assessed across three components - Performing, Composing, and Listening and Appraising. For the Performing component, pupils must prepare one solo and one ensemble piece. Taken together, performances should be 4 - 6 minutes in length. For the Composing component, pupils will write one free composition, set to a brief of their choosing, linked to one of the areas of study, and one composition to a brief set by the exam board. Taken together, composionsing should equal 4 - 6 minutes in length. For the listening and appraising component, pupils will sit a 1hr 15 exam at the end of Y11. The exam will include questions that cover all four areas of study. Performing is worth 30% of the final mark, Composing is also worth 30% and Listening and Appraising is worth 40%.
