Music
Music at Samuel Ryder Academy aims to produce the musicians of the future, both those who have a desire to work in the industry, and those who will continue to enjoy performing and enjoying music into their adult lives. All students, regardless of ability, will achieve their musical potential, gain an understanding of a huge range of musical styles, gain the skills required to create and play on a range of instruments, and build on developing their key attributes that learning music supports.
KS1
In Reception pupils learn how to use their voices to sing and learn a variety of songs. They also learn how to find the beat in music by clapping, dancing and learning actions to songs. They begin to work in small groups with percussion instruments to accompany texts and poems and begin to create their own pieces.
In Year 1, pupils build on the skills they developed in reception, working on singing, rhythm and using percussion instruments in small groups. They learn a broader range of challenging songs, create more complex small-group compositions and start to learn key words to describe the music they are listening to.
In Year 2, pupils start off with singing, learning to sing canons and rounds in two, three or four parts before moving on to learn Christmas songs in the lead up to the holidays. After Christmas they start to learn the recorder, and in the process the basics of music notation (rhythms and pitches), scales and application of how music notation becomes sound.
KS2
Students in Year 3 and Year 4 have the opportunity to perform on a range of instruments including recorder, glockenspiel, African drums, and ukuleles. They learn about a range of musical styles, and learn a number of songs in parts, in groups, and in preparation for a range of performances.
In Year 5 and Year 6 students begin more advanced composition work using the Ipads on Garageband, as well as the suite of Mac Computers in the Music Department. They also develop their skills on the Keyboards, learning melodies and chords of popular songs.
All Year 5 students have the opportunity to take part in the Young Voices event at the O2 Arena, and curriculum time is used to prepare the huge number of songs for this.
In Year 6 students perform a musical in their class in July, and a large amount of the summer term is taken up with rehearsals and preparations for this in collaboration with the Y6 teaching team as well as Dance and Drama
KS3
During Year 7 students will develop their musicianship through the study of different musical styles, including Classical and World Music styles. They will perform in groups and in pairs on a range of instruments and gain a deeper understanding of fundamental music theory, as well as developing their ability to read and write music. Students in Year 8 are introduced to Garageband software on the iMacs as students begin to explore music programming as they compose Film Music and Popular Music.
Music in Year 9 gives students a deeper insight into a range of musical styles, and in this way prepares students for studying music at key stage 4 and beyond. The course looks at the 3 main strands of music: performing, composing and listening. Practical work is at the heart of the Year 9 curriculum and pupils will have the opportunities to further their instrumental skills as an individual and ensemble.
The areas of music that pupils will study include:
- Popular music- from jazz and blues right through to music in 2019
- Film music
- Creating music using technology
- Song writing
- Performance Skills- piano/guitar/drums or your own instrument
- Arranging music
Students also have the opportunity to undertake a bronze/silver arts award in Year 9 as part of this course, which is equivalent to a GCSE grade 3-4 for bronze and grade 6-9 for the silver award. This qualification involves seeing a live performance, researching an ‘arts hero’, creating a workshop for younger students and keeping a log of the skills they have developed throughout the course. For those students who want to take this route, students will use homework time to work on this qualification.
KS4
Students can choose GCSE Music (OCR Specification). The course aims to help students fulfil their musical potential through involvement by performing, composing listening and appraising. It is a natural progression from KS3 and prepares students wishing to study music at A level. Students compose their own music, perform two pieces on their instrument, and listen to a wide variety of styles including pop music, film music, and music from around the world. They learn how to demonstrate aural perception, musical knowledge and understanding, and develop their performing and communication skills, creativity and their teamwork.
The GCSE Music Course covers the following topics:
AOS 2 – The concerto through time:
Baroque Solo Concerto/ Concerto Grosso/Classical Concerto/Romantic Concerto
AOS 3 – Rhythms of the world:
India and Punjab, Eastern Mediterranean and Middle East, Africa, Central and South America
AOS 4 – Film music:
Music specifically for a film, western classical that is used in film, music composed for a video game
AOS 5 – conventions of pop:
Rock ‘n’ roll, rock anthems, pop ballads and solo artists
Extra Curricular
Wider Curriculum and Careers
Studying music offers students the opportunity to develop a huge number of skills and qualities which employers look for in many jobs and career pathways, including:
- Communication
- Memory and concentration
- Teamwork
- The ability to perform under pressure
- Self-discipline
- Critical thinking
- IT skills
- Planning and organisation
Music can also offer a variety of career paths into the world of work, some of which could include:
- Private music teacher
- Music therapist
- Secondary school teacher
- Media production assistant
- Media programme researcher
- Arts administrator
- Editorial/marketing assistant
