KS3 Music

Year 7

Autumn Term Spring Term Summer Term

Music and Movement

  • Exploring pulse, rhythm and the musical elements through Dalcroze Eurhythmics and other approaches

Bronze Arts Award

  • Part C: Who is your arts hero or heroine?

Find Your Voice

  • Musical Futures
  • Exploring how to build a composition using vocal riffs
  • Exploring music through handheld technologies

Bronze Arts Award

  • Part D: Teaching others an arts skill

Marching Music and Fanfares

  • Exploring the musical ideas and purpose of fanfares, using keyboards
  • Composing a two-part fanfare for the Royal Opera House
  • Brass students will be able to perform the fanfares, too
  • Introduction to Garageband, and how to use the software musically
  • Arranging a march using Garageband

Music for Machines

  • Exploring staff notation
  • Composing a rhythmic piece to accompany scenes from Fritz Lang’s film ‘Metropolis’
  • Uploading compositions to the school’s record label on NUMU

Bronze Arts Award

  • Part B: reviewing the Christmas Concert as an audience member

Gamelan

  • Exploring the geographical, cultural and religious aspects of gamelan music
  • Understanding how to recreate gamelan music
  • Understanding how to play tuned and untuned percussion with the correct techniques
  • Understanding how to perform successfully as part of a group
  • Playing on an authentic Indonesian gamelan in Central London

Soundscapes

  • Recording sounds using handheld technology from their local environment
  • Arranging these sounds into an abstract composition, thinking about the elements of music
  • Uploading these compositions to the school’s record label on NUMU

Year 8

Autumn Term Spring Term Summer Term

Jazz & Improvisation

  • Learning how to improvise vocally and on their own instruments
  • Understanding what free improvisation is
  • Understanding that improvisation can be based upon musical parameters such as pitch and rhythm
  • Exploring musical ideas in jazz, both aurally and through performance
  • Preparing a group performance of Bag’s Groove

Pimp My Melody

  • Exploring pitch notation, to compose melodies
  • Understanding how to develop a melody and add chords

Classical Music is (not) Boring

  • Challenging students’ opinions about classical music
  • Exploring music that makes a statement, that tells a story, that is used in films, TV and advertising, and that has been stolen for pop music!
  • Finding out more about the orchestra and its instruments
  • Performing and arranging classical music

Codes & Games

  • Exploring minimalism, experimental music and serialism (20th century music) through performing, improvising, listening and composition

Brazilian Samba

  • A cross-curricular project with MFL, Geography, RE and Core Light
  • Exploring Brazilian percussion techniques
  • Discussing the historical context of samba, linking it to African slavery
  • Exploring the cultural and societal role of samba in favelas
  • An opportunity to attend a rehearsal at the London School of Samba

Dance Music

  • Using Garageband software to create dance music
  • Exploring and understanding how dance music can fully utilise texture and how it is structured
  • Exploring different types of dance music, from the medieval period to 2015

Year 9

Autumn Term

Spring Term

Summer Term

In At The Deep End

  • Exploring the real-life learning practices of popular musicians

  • Creating a cover version of a song that students choose

  • Developing PLTS skills

  • Silver Arts Award

Music Production

  • Exploring how to create and produce a song using music technology

  • Silver Arts Award

Why and how has music changed?

  • Exploring the history of music, and what historical and technological events have changed it, in preparation for GCSE Music

  • Focusing on the music of London

The Blues

  • Exploring the Blues throughout their own musical instruments and keyboards

  • Exploring field hollers and the historic context in which the Blues was originally created

  • Singing blues songs too Silver Arts Award

Perfect Harmony

  • Exploring chords and keys, preparing students for GCSE Music

  • Understanding what primary chords are

  • Understanding how to construct and label chords (depending on the style of music)

  • Understanding how keys can structure music

  • Understanding how a

  • four-chord progression is very useful

  • Silver Arts Award

What is an outstanding performance?

  • Preparing students for the performance part of GCSE Music

  • Evaluating performances in contrasting styles, genres and traditions

  • Preparing for a solo or group performance

  • Understanding the GCSE criteria