Ratcliffe-College-Key-Stage-3-Handbook-2016-2017

Music
What you will study:
Music in Years 7 to 9 is very much a practical subject and making music is at the
heart of every lesson. You will learn how to compose, arrange and perform music
in a range of styles and also listen to a wide variety of music to inspire your
work! In Year 7 you will learn how to compose melodies and how to use chords to
make songs. Year 8 begins with Rock and Roll music and teaches you how to make
arrangements for different instruments and how to develop your ideas further.
In Year 9 the lessons will give a good introduction to GCSE, focusing not only on
the practical skills, but also on analysis techniques.
Teaching approaches:
Music should be fun and there is an emphasis on enjoying the music that you are
performing or composing. You will have the opportunity to work on your own, as
part of a small group and as a whole class. During practical work you will be
expected to work independently and to set your own targets with help from the
teacher. Hopefully you will find that you are learning without realising how much
work you are doing!
How you will be assessed:
The course is divided into units, which last for half a term. In each unit there
will be a main composition or performance task that will be assessed at the end
of the unit. You will perform your piece at various stages during the half term to
give you confidence and to be given help and advice about how you could develop
it before the final assessment. You will also do a variety of listening work
throughout the unit that will be marked and graded. At the end of each half
term you will have the opportunity to complete your own self-assessment. In
Year Nine the assessment is similar to that used at GCSE.
How you will be grouped:
You will come to music lessons as a Teaching Group. This means that there will
be some people who have done a lot of music before and some who haven’t. Don’t
worry if you have never played an instrument before, you will be able to work at
your own level and will soon find that you are performing and composing with
everybody else!
Specialist equipment:
You won’t need any special equipment for music lessons. All of the instruments
(mostly keyboards and percussion) that you will need to use are available in
school. Those who have peripatetic lessons are strongly encouraged to gain
further experience by using your instrument in lessons. Apart from being
enjoyable, it will help your performing skills as well! Students are welcome to use
their own headphones for the times when keyboards are used.
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