Music Department
CURRICULUM INTENT
Music is a universal language. It pervades our daily lives and whilst we do not all share the same musical traditions, tastes or values, music is present and, to varying degrees, has value in everybody’s life. Wakefield Independent School’s music curriculum has been created to allow our students to become more musical. By studying music in school, students are provided with a safe environment to explore their creativity and emotional freedom, to cultivate new skills and to understand how musical experiences can benefit them personally, this includes developing teamwork and communication skills, developing their self-esteem and confidence, learning to persevere and developing resilience.
What does Music help young people to achieve?
Music education is widely considered to promote and nurture many of those desirable traits and life skills that students are required to develop in order to become positive contributors to society, exceptional leaders and creative thinkers.
Beyond the intrinsic value of music to cultures worldwide, music education has been proven to equip students with the fundamental abilities to learn, for example enhancing fine motor skills and developing a superior working memory. It also assists student academic achievement in other subject areas by improving students’ ability to recall and retain verbal information and enhancing thinking skills.
Furthermore, it allows students to develop the capacities, skills and knowledge essential for lifelong success, such as fostering resilience, perseverance, creativity, confidence, self-esteem and the ability to communicate in different ways. Additionally, for those students who are passionate about music and wish to pursue a career in the arts, studying music at school prepares them for this and supports them in achieving this goal.
PRIMARY MUSIC
At Wakefield Independent School, the Primary students (Nursery - Year 6) take part in three large-scale performances a year: Harvest Festival, Nativity and Easter Celebration. These celebrations take place at St Michael and Our Lady’s Church situated on the grounds of National Trust’s Nostell Priory. All students perform songs together (many students having the opportunities of singing a solo / or in smaller groups) and the older students (Year 3 -Year 6) are given speaking roles to bring the stories to life. The camaraderie and investment of the students is magical and everybody (including staff) feel a huge sense of pride in what the students have achieved.
If there is an event during the year, for example Book Week, the Primary students get involved in a musical way (for example in March 2023 Nursery - Year 6 students created a backing track and sound effects to accompany the focus book for the week: “The Song for Everyone” by Lucy Morris).
1. EYFS MUSIC
The purpose of study for EYFS students is to sing (appropriately chosen music for their young voices), listen to music, play percussion instruments and compose music for themes and fairytale stories. Students begin reading notation (limited to crotchets, quavers and the treble clef) and are encouraged to compose and perform rhythms using “tea” and “coffee”. Students listen to music from different times and places and are encouraged to describe what they hear by relating it to a mood.
2. KEY STAGE 1 MUSIC
The purpose of study for KS1 students is to sing (appropriately chosen music for their young voices), listen to music, play tuned and untuned percussion instruments and compose music for themes and fairytale stories. Students continue reading notation and begin notating too (limited to crotchets, quavers, semiquavers and the treble clef). Students are encouraged to compose (notating it on a stave) and perform (on untuned percussion or glockenspiels) using rhythms (“tea”, “coffee” and “coca-cola”) and pitches (C-G).
Students listen to music from different times and places and are encouraged to describe what they hear by relating it to a mood or a specific type of character from a story. By the end of KS1, students are familiar with crotchets and quavers, describing music in terms of fast / slow and quiet / loud, audibly recognise a few musical instruments and will be able to confidently describe the difference between rhythm and pulse.
3. LOWER KEY STAGE 2 MUSIC
The purpose of study for lower KS2 students is to continue singing (now in two parts or in rounds, with a wider range and students are expected to navigate first time / second times bars and Dal Segno / Coda’s within their vocal music), listen to music, play tuned and untuned percussion instruments and recorders, and begin composing music relating to a specific studied genre of music, for example a composition using the pentatonic scale influenced by music from the Far East.
Students continue reading and notating music and perform (on glockenspiels and recorders) using rhythms (crotchets, quavers, semiquavers and minims) and pitches (C-C). Students listen to music from different times and places and are encouraged to describe what they are hearing using Italian terms (piano / forte and adagio / allegro) and instrument names (instruments of the orchestra) or ensembles (for example choir / orchestra).
4. UPPER KEY STAGE 2 MUSIC
The purpose of study for upper KS2 students is to continue singing (with more complex two parts and rounds, with a wider range and students are expected to navigate their way around their vocal sheet music), listen to music, play keyboards and percussion instruments and compose music relating to a specific studied genre of music. In Year 5 and 6 students are at the Wragby building, which is also the location of the Music room, equipped with a suite of keyboards and djembes.
Students continue their studies and practise with reading and notating music and perform on keyboards and percussion instruments becoming increasingly confident when using pitch and rhythm (minims, crotchets, quavers, semiquavers and different variations of quavers and semiquavers: students in Year 6 are encouraged to begin using the musical terms for these note lengths). Students listen to music from different times and places and are encouraged to describe what they are hearing using Italian terms (piano / mezzo forte / forte and adagio / moderato / allegro), and will confidently identify the time signature of a piece of music (3/4 or 4/4).
SECONDARY MUSIC
1. KEY STAGE 3 MUSIC
The purpose of the KS3 music curriculum is to engage and inspire students to develop a love of music, become more musical and so increase their self-confidence, creativity and sense of achievement. The students will have the opportunity to sing, perform on keyboard or percussion instruments and create and compose music independently or in collaboration with others. Students will listen to, review and evaluate music across a range of historical periods, genres, styles and traditions and will understand and explore how music is created, produced and communicated, including through the inter-related dimensions of music. Students will also continue reading and notating more and more complex music.
In Year 7, students will look at each dimension of music in more depth, compose music in rounds, improve their keyboard skills, explore structures within music, study the orchestral sonorities and examine the traditions in folk music. Year 8 holds a main focus on World Music. Students explore syncopation used in Reggae music, study improvisation and chords in Jazz and Blues, learn to use variation within composition and become more comfortable with the Bass Clef. In Year 9, students concentrate on commercial music, for example: film music, computer and video game music and dance music, and delve into the wonders of Music from the 20th Century.
2. GCSE MUSIC
At GCSE, pupils work towards a qualification with AQA. This offers a chance to study a relevant and contemporary qualification that covers a wide range of musical genres, with ample opportunity for practical learning. GCSE music brings theory, listening and composition into life in new and engaging ways, and links to the world around us like never before.
The course is divided into three different units. Understanding music (recognising contrasting genres, styles and traditions of music and developing some awareness of musical chronology), performing music (developing performing skills individually and in groups to communicate musically with fluency and control) and composing music (developing composing skills to organise musical ideas and make use of music technology).
BOARD: AQA
COURSE: 8271
Component 1: Understanding music (exam) 40%
Component 2: Performing music (recordings) 30%
Component 3: Composing music (using music technology)30%
EXTRA-CURRICULAR MUSIC
There are several enrichment programmes including Choir (open to students from Year 3 - Year 11) who perform at all of the School events (Harvest, Christmas, Easter, as well as Speech Day (held at the Theatre Royal Wakefield) and the WISPTA Summer BBQ) and two Rock Bands (Junior: Year 5 - Year 8 and Senior: Year 9 - Year 11) who also perform at Speech Day and the WISPTA Summer BBQ. Learning a musical instrument in more depth is also an option with most instruments offered.
