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Key Stage 4 |
GCSE Music follows on from work that students have done at Key Stage 3; they will continue to develop their skills in performing and composing different types of music, they will also listen to and analyse a wide variety of music and learn more about how and why it was written and/or performed. The listening exam is worth 40% of the students’ final grade and is completed at the end of the course; this area is an important focus in both Year 10 and Year 11 lessons and for homework, and this theory will also feed into the practical work that they complete.
Students in Year 10 begin the course by recapping the elements of music and then exploring them at a more advanced level through performance, composition and listening work. The practical part of the course begins by working in groups to produce their own version of a well-known 4 Chord Song – of course they all had a go at this in Year 8 but these extra two years always result in greater progression as they ‘funk’ up and challenge themselves to better their Key Stage 3 work; of course this also gets them working as a team, which is such an important part of GCSE Music. Certainly practical and performance skills are a key part of the GCSE and why so many of our students are drawn to it; Year 10 is an important preparation time for their solo and ensemble performances and we always help students choose appropriate pieces, helping them learn and practice so that they are ready to record in Year 11.
Throughout Year 10, and into Year 11, we cover the Areas of Study for the listening exam and it allows students to hear music from a range of styles – in Year 10 we focus on Film and Game Music, Popular Music and Orchestral Music.
The final part of the course, and sometimes the most challenging for the students, is composition. We always start with mini composition tasks and group activities so that they have fun and support each other as they develop their own songs and this helps build confidence for when they eventually branch out to writing their own pieces after Christmas. The aim is to get the first composition recorded by the Summer holiday and that students finish Year 10 feeling really proud of the music they have created.
This is a very busy year for our budding musicians as they get their solo and ensemble pieces recorded. Time is still given over to working on these pieces in lessons; however, students are expected to practice in their own time to help them gain the best marks they can.
Students must also complete their second composition in Year 11. What is so exciting about this composition is that it has to be based on one of the mini starting points that the exam board sets out; this is in contrast to the Year 10 composition which was completely free-choice. It is so amazing to see how creative our students can be – they might choose the same starting point but the way they develop them into their own unique pieces is so inspiring.
The listening aspect of the course has been carefully planned so that we only have World Music to cover as completely new material. We then revise the topics covered in Year 10 ready for the listening exam at the end of the course.
This is a very busy year for our budding musicians as they get their solo and ensemble pieces recorded. Time is still given over to working on these pieces in lessons; however, students are expected to practice in their own time to help them gain the best marks they can.
Students must also complete their second composition in Year 11. What is so exciting about this composition is that it has to be based on one of the mini starting points that the exam board sets out; this is in contrast to the Year 10 composition which was completely free-choice. It is so amazing to see how creative our students can be – they might choose the same starting point but the way they develop them into their own unique pieces is so inspiring.
The listening aspect of the course has been carefully planned so that we only have World Music to cover as completely new material. We then revise the topics covered in Year 10 ready for the listening exam at the end of the course.
