Music
Music at KS3
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Music at KS4
The courses purpose is to give a broad introduction to a whole variety of music. Also an insight and appreciation of different styles and approaches is developed through a combination of the three disciplines outlined below. The course is open to any student irrespective of whether or not they are learning an instrument.
The course falls into three categories: Listening, Performing, Composing & Arranging.
The course is based predominantly on practical work and is built around four specialist Areas of Study: My music, shared music, dance music, descriptive music.
Assessment
Listening (25%) – A perceptive response and enjoyment of many types of music is required, including aural recognition and identification of musical features and structures. Assessment of this takes the form of an exam referring to a CD of several extracts of music ranging from pop and world music dance styles to classical and film music.
Performing and Composing (60%)
Performing – As a soloist you will be required to perform on to CD or mini disc, not to an audience. These performances will be a mixture of playing on your own and with others (solo and ensemble). You will also learn about your chosen instrument and repertoire. No music exams need have been taken to pass this part of the course.
Composing – Part of your coursework will be to compose pieces of music or songs in a variety of style – pop songs, hip-hop, dance music, film and TV or classical style to name but a few. These pieces will be recorded on to cassette, CD or mini disc. The use of computers for music will also be encouraged here but is not essential for top marks. A composition log must be kept.
Creative Task (15%)
A timed composition task of 40 minutes under exam conditions. This is marked by the exam board.
