Year 7

In Year 7, students will explore a plethora of different elements of music as a subject. They will work to develop a variety of skills that will enable them to discuss music, develop basic keyboard skills, read basic staff notation and interpret more contemporary graphic scoring. They will also cover some more programme-based music and compositional based music. They will be encouraged to work both in groups and as an individual throughout the units of work and be assessed in all three subject areas for music e.g. performing, composing and listening & appraising in line with the KS3 national curriculum guidelines.

Students will study: –

• Singing Skills
• Instruments of the Orchestra/The Musical Elements
• Notation/Graphic Score
• Keyboard Skills
• Listening to Music
• Theme and Variations
• Programme Music

Students will also study some elements of drama in their performing arts lessons to introduce them to this art form with an emphasis on developing an appreciation of this art form in conjunction with music and also to prepare them for options in school.

Students will study: –

• Selecting and developing Vocal Skills in Drama
• Mime
• Soundscapes
• Roleplay and Character Work
• Script Work
• Physical Theatre
• Live Theatre Analysis

Year 8

In Year 8 music, students will expand on the skills that they have developed in Year 7 and they will focus more closely on genre-based studies and topics that focus on a specific element of music. As with year 7, the year 8 students will be working in groups and as individuals throughout the units of work and they will continue to work through all three units of learning for music e.g. performing, composing and listening & appraising.

Students will study: –

• Stomp (a rhythm-based unit of work based on an artist)
• Rhythm/Pulse/Syncopation
• World Music
• Minimalism
• Keyboard Skills
• Notation work
• Chords and harmony
• Studying form and style in Popular Music
• Music for Film and the Media

As with year 7, year 8 will also be studying some drama units to again develop communication  and develop some skills that will be useful in many different areas as they approach the end of KS3.

Students will study: –

• Monologue
• Duologue
• Script Work
• Devising Drama
• Live Theatre Analysis (particularly technical theatre)

Year 9

For the year 9 period, students are currently in a carousel system in which they study a project in an arts subject for a period of time and produce an assessed piece of work. In this instance, there are separate music and drama projects that the students will complete at separate times.

Music

For the music project, students will be focusing on song writing as a main skill. They will also be exploring what goes into planning a music event and the health and safety considerations that have to be made. This project was designed with the RSL Level 2 Music Practitioner qualification in mind which will be an option for GCSE at the end of Year 9.

During this project, students will study: –

• What goes in to writing a pop song?
• Song writing/lyric writing
• Basic music theory
• Planning a Music Event
• Health and Safety at a Music Event
• Use of Music Technology

Drama

This SOL has been developed to prepare the students for the modules in BTEC Tech Award. It will focus on the analysis of professional works, studying extracts and devising based on a theme. It will concentrate on the development of key skills in Drama and movement. There will be the opportunity to also study aspects of technical theatre

During this project, students will: –

• Analyse Romeo and Juliet
• Study aspects of West Side Story
• Study Across the Barricades
• Study Script
• Create Devised Work
• Work on Choreography and Movement Skills

Year 10/11

BTEC Level 1/2 Tech Award in Performing Arts

Following either a Music Theatre/Drama or Dance pathway students will study: –

Unit 1 Internal unit – Exploring the performing Arts (In-depth research into 3 professional works with either an extended essay or presentation to be assessed)

Unit 2 Internal unit – Developing skills and techniques in the Performing Arts (workshops and performance of a piece of musical theatre/ Drama or Dance from repertoire)

Unit 3 External unit – Performing to a brief (Exam performance project based on a set brief from the board)

Who should I contact for more information?

Ms. C. Milan – Subject Leader cmilan@stmca.org.uk

Mr. J. Bruus – Music Technician