Music
Music curriculum vision
The music curriculum at Epsom and Ewell High School is underpinned by the three key strands of performing, composing, and appreciating. As music is being re-integrated into Performing Arts, these strands form the intention behind all planning from year 7 to year 9 and reflect specification guidelines at KS4. Deep learning lends itself to the implementation of these strands within lessons. It is intended that the music curriculum is engaging, and offers appropriate challenge for all, inspiring pupils love of music, increasing self-confidence, creativity and sense of achievement.
All students in Year 7, 8 and 9 will participate in Performing Arts lessons (Drama, Dance, Music) with subjects rotating on a half term basis. By the end of KS3, students will have completed 6 schemes of work in each subject. This gives the students the opportunity to gain basic skills and knowledge of each art form.
How do we make our students ROAR?
Resilient: In Music we encourage all students to take risks in their learning, ensuring they are able to extend themselves and achieve to the best of their abilities. We pride ourselves on creating an engaging curriculum, encouraging all pupils to invest in their learning, through schemes of work that have a clear purpose. We strive to create a safe space for pupils to improve their skills in and make mistakes that will ultimately help them to progress.
Open-Minded: Students are exposed to a range of music genres, cultures, areas of history and instruments through a range of topics which gives students a broad understanding of music from around the world. Students are encouraged and supported to explore these genres with an open-mind, through the creation of an atmosphere in which they are able to debate, discuss and explore.
Aspirational: In order to support our students in setting goals for themselves (both long and short term) we expose our students to real-life examples of the performing arts. We offer them opportunities to perform, as well as enabling them to participate in workshops led by industry professionals as well as extra-curricular clubs. This enables students to see themselves as part of the creative arts industry and ensures that they are able to see a future in this.
Reflective: Students are supported to reflect upon their progress at regular intervals throughout the key stages. Students use their deep learning skills of analysis and evaluation to review performances. In reviewing their own performances and the performances of others, they utilise their skills of self and peer assessment. Through the use of deep learning and specific, personalised F.I.T (feedback improvement time) we ask students to take a decisive role in their own progress by reflecting upon concise feedback which will extend their learning.
Year 7
Intent:
At KS3 there is a focus on practical exploration that succeeds in developing students performing, listening and composition skills acquired in their KS1/2 learning. Throughout KS3 we build upon the knowledge and skills learnt throughout the year in order to appreciate different genres of music. Year 7 introduces small pockets of the GCSE specification whilst nurturing students’ knowledge and basic skills using keyboards and a variety of percussion instruments.
Implementation:
Year 8:
Intent:
As students progress into Year 8, they are introduced to a wider variety of music genres throughout history and begin to discover at greater depth, the difference in music across the world within different cultures. The focus remains practical exploration that succeeds in developing students performing, listening and composition skills acquired in their KS1/2 learning, however this is now more closely linked to preparing them for music as a potential GCSE option as well as broadening students’ perspective of what music can be.
Implementation:
Year 9:
Intent:
During Year 9, students begin to apply their previous knowledge and skills and develop these further through links to the GCSE music specification. Students explore a greater variety of different genres of music and will begin learning how to answer exam style questions to gain a deeper level of analysis and music appreciation.
Implementation:
Year 10
Intent:
During Year 10, students apply the knowledge and skills built in KS3 to the GCSE specification and two pieces of coursework that will be submitted to the exam board. Students will have scratched the surface of the each of the areas of study and will now be expected to acquire a much greater depth of knowledge for their exam writing and really harness their music skills for their practical pieces of coursework.
Implementation:
Year 11
Intent:
During Year 10, students apply the knowledge and skills built in Year 9 to the GCSE specification and two pieces of coursework that will be submitted to the exam board. Students will have scratched the surface of the each of the areas of study and will now be expected to acquire a much greater depth of knowledge for their exam writing and really harness their music skills for their practical pieces of coursework.
Implementation:
