Music Curriculum Plan

Term

Autumn 1

Autumn 2

Spring 1

Spring 2

Summer 1

Summer 2

Topic title

Pitch and Melody

Knowledge & Skills

·         Keeping a pulse.

·         Aural skills – rhythmic repetition.

·         Rhythm notation.

·         Rhythmic and melodic composition.

·         Group work.

·         Rhythm techniques, e.g. Polyrhythms.

·         Cultural understanding.

·         More independent group work.

·         Identifying polyrhythm, unison, call & response.

·         Leadership skills.

·         Reading notation – treble clef (bass clef HPA).

·         Learning a melody.

·         Exploring different sonorities.

·         Study of tonality.

·         Understanding the layout of the orchestra.

·         Identifying and analysing.

·         Learning chords and playing in a reggae style.

·         Creating a riff.

·         Band work.

·         Background – Caribbean Music.

·         Advanced rhythm – syncopation. 

·         Whole-class work, including call & response, groove and break.

Homework

·         Rhythm composition.

·         Cultural research.

·         Layout of the orchestra.

·         Listening-based homework.

Term

Autumn 1

Autumn 2

Spring 1

Spring 2

Summer 1

Summer 2

Topic title

The Blues

Adding Depth.

(Bass clef, tonality, Musical Letters).

Theme and Variation

World Music

Knowledge & Skills

·         History of The Blues.

·         Analysis and application: Blues lyrics.

·         12 Bar Blues – keyboard.  Chord structure.

·         Improvisation.

·         Band work and independent roles.

·         Learning and understanding the bass clef and / or ensemble skills.

·         Coordinating treble and bass clef lines.

·         Writing and performing a bass line.

·         Literacy; writing a letter as a voiceover.

·         Studying use of musical elements to convey mood for an underscore.

·         Use of BandLab.

·         Writing a melody using a chord sequence.

·         Analysing variations; understanding embellishment and tonality.

·         Varying a melody. 

·         Leadership skills; working as a group to recreate music from another culture.

Homework

·         Artist research and analysis.

·         Bass clef (HPA chord) recognition adaptive theory homework.

·         Underscore analysis.

·         BandLab – creating a motif. 

·         Cultural research.

Term

Autumn 1

Autumn 2

Spring 1

Spring 2

Summer 1

Summer 2

Topic title

Music in the Media

The Music Industry

Fusion

Knowledge & Skills

·         Background / history of music in film.

·         Film music techniques.

·         Analysis of a film scene / theme.

·         Short composition tasks; Mickey Mousing.

·         Understanding how music can represent a theme.

·         Identifying and analysing programme music.   

·         Planning and composing programme music to suit one of four pictures.

·         Persuasive writing / marketing for voiceover.

·         Analysing underscores.

·         Creating an underscore.

·         Creating a jingle.

·         Application of prior knowledge of the blues in order to understand jazz.

·         Background of hip-hop and popular styles from 1950 onwards.

·         Identifying separate genres in fusion music.

·         Application of two genres in a small group.

·         Leadership and independent work: Musical Futures. 

Homework

·         Analytical – Film Music.

·         Planning a composition.

·         Research – Programme Music.

·         Self-assessment and DIRT.

·         Jazz / hip-hop artist research.

Term

Autumn 1

Autumn 2

Spring 1

Spring 2

Summer 1

Summer 2

Topic title

Jazz & Blues and Film Music

Popular Music

Set Work “Africa” by Toto & Musical Theatre and Chamber Music.

Fusions and Bhangra / Summer Exam Prep.

Knowledge & Skills

·         Solo and / or ensemble performances each half term.

·         Composition skills: MuseScore basics, minimalism, motifs, chord sequences.

·         Understanding links within eras between music, fashion, art and architecture.

·         Understanding and identifying different eras of music using elements.

·         Understanding different ensembles.

·         Analysing for purpose:  Baroque coronation anthems.

·         Following and analysing a score.

·         Note-taking.

·         Keywords for writing about musical elements.

·         Aural skills:  Identifying intervals, cadences and texture.

·         Understanding and identifying musical forms.

·         Applying forms to short composition tasks.

·         History of jazz and blues.

·         Group analysis and presentations of jazz sub-genres.

·         Individual analysis of music theatre.

·         Writing efficiently about music.

·         Fusions: Identifying elements of traditional music (including understanding of traditional music) from modern popular music.

Homework

·         Home learning; often research-based.

·         Analysis – writing up plans from lesson-based activities. 

·         Presentation preparation. 

·         Small composition tasks.

·         Practice.

·         Composition coursework.

·         Listening skills:  Cadences, intervals, texture, sonority and dictation. 

Term

Autumn 1

Autumn 2

Spring 1

Spring 2

Summer 1

Summer 2

Topic title

Musical Forms and Devices.

Set work: “Badinerie” – J.S. Bach.

Revision:    AoS 1 & 2

Revision:    AoS 3 & 4

X

X

Knowledge & Skills

·         Film Music Devices.

·         Analysis: Writing about music in detail.

·         Listening skills recall.

·         Composing to a brief.

·         Performance skills – refining solo and ensemble performances.

·         Revision techniques.

Homework

·         Home learning; often research-based.

·         Analysis – writing up plans from lesson-based activities. 

·         Presentation preparation. 

·         Small composition tasks.

·         Practice.

·         Guided revision.

Term

Autumn 1

Autumn 2

Spring 1

Spring 2

Summer 1

Summer 2

Topic title

Baroque Solo Concerto:  Purcell, Vivaldi and Bach.

Baroque Solo Concerto:  Purcell, Vivaldi and Bach.

Optional Area of Study 1

Optional Area of Study 1

Romantic:  The Music of Chopin, Brahms and Grieg.

Romantic:  The Music of Chopin, Brahms and Grieg.

Knowledge & Skills

·         Close analysis of scores.

·         Gaining an understanding of the development within the Baroque era, including German and Italian influences.

·         Contextual understanding of optional AoS. 

·         Writing a 30-mark answer for the A Level paper. 

·         Listening skills:  Analyses of cadences, sonority, harmony, rhythm, melody and gaining an ability to dictate melody and rhythm together.

Homework

·         Instrument practice and composition expectations are part of homework.

·         Exam-style questions.

·         Research.

Term

Autumn 1

Autumn 2

Spring 1

Spring 2

Summer 1

Summer 2

Topic title

The Operas of Mozart

Optional Area of Study 2

Optional Area of Study 2

Revision & Exam Prep

Knowledge & Skills

·         Independent analysis of scores.

·         Understanding of Mozart’s operas and analysing for meaning. 

·         Contextual understanding of optional AoS and using whichever means appropriate to analyse.

·         Listening skills continued.

·         Revision techniques.

Homework

·         Instrument practice and composition expectations are part of homework.

·         Exam-style questions.

·         Research.