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Home > Curriculum > Music and Performing Arts
 

 Department Information - Music

 

The Music & Performing Arts Department is very successful at Whitcliffe Mount and is very proud of it’s achievements. Students consistently gain outstanding results at Key Stage 4 as well as gaining opportunities to perform and gain confidence. A large number of extra-curricular activities are available to all year groups. You may have seen one of our recent annual productions. This year students succeeded in the very ambitious task of putting on a production of Les Miserables. The first time this has ever been taken on by a school in Kirklees.

What does the Music Curriculum in Y7, Y8 & Y9 look like?
The Music Department has been working hard with Middle School Music Teachers for a number of years ensuring that students across our pyramid gain similar experiences. All Key Stage 3 year groups will have 3 hours a fortnight in which to sharpen their musical skills. These will be taught in classrooms that have specialist equipment. Students in Year 7 will be assessed on entry. All students are assessed at the end of every unit in listening, composition and performance. More formal assessment takes place once per term, when grades of effort and attainment are used by the school to track student progress.
 

 Curriculum Outline

 

Key Stage 3

Year 7 - Pitch. Year 8 - Rhythm. Year 9 - Chords.

Baseline Assessment
A variety of activities to assess rhythmic and melodic awareness including keyboard work and singing.

Superheros
Creating music for a superhero that has been created by students making links to literacy.

Theme Parks
A study of the musical structure “Theme and Variations”. Students compose music that represents the different rides at a theme park.

Instruments
Students will get the opportunity to learn a musical instrument.

Gamelan
A study of the traditional music of Indonesia taking into account the cultural and religious context in which Gamelan is performed.

Film Music
Students will discover how to create a mood through music and write music for a short story.

Samba
Students investigate carnivals and the cultural diversity in Brazil. Performance skills include call and response and ostinato.

Rhythmic Composition Project
Students will write a piece for percussion whilst learning about rhythmic notation.

Musical Theatre
Students look at the different styles of Musical Theatre and the impact each one has on the audience whilst performing numbers from our favourite musicals.

Dance Music
Students look at the history of Dance Music and complete a project on Club Dance Music using computer software “Dance Ejay”.

Indian Music & Improvisation
Looking at the cultural implications on Indian Music and the importance on society, whilst developing techniques such as improvisation.

Creating A Music Video
Students will begin their Y9 project on Popular Music by investigating the impact of the Music Video.

The Development of Pop Music
Students look at 4 key areas of pop music—The Beatles, Rock, Soul and Hip Hop.

Understanding Chords
Students will discover the basis of all music and learn how to construct simple chord progressions.

Jazz & Blues
After looking at chords, students nicely lead onto Slave Spirituals and the emergence of Blues Music.

Salsa
Students will investigate the world of Salsa, including dance and social impacts.

Music and the Media
Students will compose using music notation software. Students also look at copyright and the cover version.

Musical Futures
Students are encouraged to pick their own song as part of a group and work out all the different parts that make a good song.

Key Stage 4

In years 10 and 11 students have the option to take one of three courses offered :- Music, Performing Arts or Audio Production.

Music Performing Arts – Musical Theatre Audio Production

Students taking this course are required to perform on voice or musical instrument of their choice.

Core Unit – Individual Showcase
Every student will prepare and produce an individual showcase in music. This will be in response to a variety of ideas put forward by the exam board. This means that students may choose to sing or play a programme of music, put forward a portfolio of original compositions or do a combination of both for their final assessment. This unit is externally assessed.

Specialist Units
In addition to this core unit students will complete another specialist unit. These specialist units will focus on solo and ensemble skills. Music composition will also take a key role. Students will develop the following skills:

  • Expression and phrasing
  • Intonation
  • Rhythm and timing
  • Communication in performance
  • Stage presence

Alongside the course students will also be taught theory skills which is essential for any progression post-16.

Students who show particular musical skill can also be entered for GCSE Music. This is done as an extra option after school.

Musical Theatre Performing Arts is a mixture of singing, acting and dancing. Students taking this course are required to perform in at least two of these disciplines.

Core Unit – Individual Showcase
Every student will prepare and produce an individual showcase in the artform of their choice. This will be in response to a variety of ideas put forward by the exam board. This means that students may choose to dance and act, sing and act or do a combination of all three for their final assessment. A student may choose to complete a production unit for this assessment. This unit is externally assessed.

Specialist Units
In addition to this core unit students will complete another specialist unit. These specialist units will focus on singing, acting, dancing and a combination of all three. Students will develop the following skills:

  • Acting
  • Characterisation
  • Expression
  • Intonation and timing
  • Posture and alignment
  • Choreography
  • Musicality

Audio production is a mixture of music technology, audio manipulation, recording and studio technology. Students taking this course are not required to perform or play an instrument.

Core Unit – Individual Showcase
Every student will prepare and produce an individual showcase in DJ Skills and Performance. This will be in response to a variety of ideas put forward by the exam board. This means that students will learn how to DJ. They will then use their DJ skills in a live showcase held at various points throughout the course. This unit is externally assessed.

Specialist Units
In addition to this core unit students will complete another specialist unit. These specialist units will focus on audio editing. Students will develop the following skills:

  • Controlling live sound for performance

  • Sequencing
  • Cartoon/video game sounds effects and synchronisation
  • Producing a musical recording
  • Audio manipulation
 

 Extra Curricular

 

Recent Activities

  • Performance Tour to Lake Garda, Italy
  • Composer in Residence and performance at Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival, recorded by BBC Radio 2
  • Opera North Workshops
  • Album Recordings
  • Showcases
    • vPrimary School Workshops “Culture Beat”
We believe that music is available to all and instrumental lessons are available through a variety of sources at Whitcliffe and there are packages to suit all abilities and budgets to suit everyone! Please do not hesitate to contact Mrs Keates (Head of Department) to discuss this at any time.
  		 
 

 Department Staff

 
  • Mrs C Keates (Head of Department)
  • Miss L Glaholm
 

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