Music

Vision

The Music curriculum develops every student's musical skills and knowledge from the start of Year 7, building on learning started in primary school. Throughout their time at Colchester Academy, our musicians are supported through different classroom activities and homework tasks. All our lessons in Music work on developing the following skills:

• Performing
• Composing  
• Listening 

Every student will aspire to show resilience, self discipline and a willingness to try new ideas, as these are the hallmarks of a good musician. In our Music lessons, all students will have the opportunity to succeed, regardless of starting point. 

Every student has an opportunity to fulfil their potential by linking key knowledge,vocabulary and skills throughout each unit of work. Lessons are sequenced appropriately to ensure that skills and knowledge are developed rigorously and systematically. All students will undertake a practical assessment at the end of each half-termly unit, with feedback based on their musical performance, composition and listening skills. 

There are opportunities for self and peer evaluation as part of this process, ensuring that every student will know what they can do to make their work better, encouraging  them to be reflective and independent as musicians.

Key Stage 3

Lessons in Year 7 - 8  take place in a keyboard room. For these lessons, students will usually work in pairs. Each lesson starts with a recap of music notation, before introducing the next task in the topic. There is an emphasis on practical work in the faculty, with all assessments based around either composition or performance. All students are assessed at the end of each half-term.

In Year 9, our students work in a Music Technology suite, learning skills around composing, editing and sequencing. All students are assessed at the end of each half-term.

In Key Stage 4, our students will embark on a learning journey around the skills of performing, creating and producing. Having developed their core musical skills in Years 7 - 9, our students will be suitably prepared for making informed choices about their musical development through Key Stage 4.  

Key Stage 4

Our music students study the Eduqas Level 1/2 Vocational Award in Performing Arts (Technical Award). Our lessons in Year 7 - 9 provide a solid foundation for further study. As Key Stage 4 Music students, every student is entitled to 15 minutes individual music tuition per week.

Our Key Stage 4 curriculum aims to develop our students as musicians, but also as professionals. Our students will study a wider range of musical styles in greater depth, as well as develop their skills as musicians and young professionals. Their coursework in Year 10 will prepare them for their final assessment in Year 11,requiring them to work to a professional brief set by the examination board.

music curriculum map final 2023 2024 1 .pdf

Useful Links

Specifications