Our music department is built on a strong and rich music pedigree of professional performers, composers and educators. We are incredibly proud of our past and our alumni but never rest on our laurels, providing innovative and modern facilities and practices to provide our students with the best education today for the musicians of tomorrow.
Year 7
Autumn Term:
Keyboard Skills/Rhythm – Learning to play simple melodies and chords. Understanding different rhythmic and repeating them, recognising rhythmic notation.
Music Elements/Listening – Understanding the key elements of music such as tonality, instrumentation and texture and how they impact a variety of genres of music. Listening to a broad spectrum of music.
Spring Term:
Ukeles – How to play three chords on Ukulele, understanding I-IV-V harmony. Right hand and left hand co-ordination and technique, plectrum and fingers. Performing in small ensembles and a class group, developing co-operative ability and understanding of group dynamics.
Pitch & Melody Writing – Learn how different pitches affect the melody, the distinct sound of major/minor melodies. Develop an understanding of intervals, tonality, melodic shapes/ sequences. Develop notation skills, the ability to write and recognise melodies.
Summer Term:
Singing & Performance 1 – Singing in small ensemble and class sized groups in unison with simple parts.
Singing & Performance 2 – Singing in small ensemble and class sized groups with two different parts, rounds and harmonies. Leading to performance in class and end of year concert.
Year 8
Autumn Term:
Four Chord Trick/Bass Lines – Learning four chords on piano and how they relate to modern song writing. Developing a left hand bass line to accompany.
Blues Improvisation – Understanding a 12 bar blues, I-IV-V harmony and structure. Learning the pentatonic scale and improvising within a blues format. Discovering the flat 5 and how it changes the pentatonic to the blues.
Spring Term:
World Music/Call & Response – Samba, learning and replicating the rhythms of Brazil. Playing congas, bongos, clave, Agogo bells and Ganza shakers. Call and response patterns.
Minimalism – Understanding the construction of minimalist music and the importance of layering simple patterns. Focusing on Tubular Bells and performing it in class on a variety of instruments with four parts. Learning to count and play in 7/4.
Summer Term:
Ukeles 2 – Learning a choice of songs on Ukulele for performance in large and small groups. Improving chordal vocabulary and further development of technique.
Musical Elements/Listening – Understanding the key elements of music such as tonality, instrumentation and texture and how they impact a variety of genres of music. Listening to a broad spectrum of music.
Year 9
Autumn Term:
Cover Songs – Reviewing instrumental and collaborative skills developed so far (Ukulele, keyboard, guitar, drums). Performing in complete ensembles a selection of popular hits.
Remix A Classic – Take the vocal line of a popular release, add a beat, bass line, different instruments , change the harmony and feel of the track. Create something brand new, working in Bandlab or Logic/Garageband.
Spring Term:
Dance Music – Learning about the mechanics of dance music, understanding the key elements and reproducing them in Logic. Producing a successful cover of a hit or creating a new piece in a dance style.
Hip Hop/Rap – Learning about the mechanics of Hip Hop music, understanding the key elements and reproducing them in Logic. Learning the importance of lyrics and rhythmic structures and phrasing.
Summer Term:
Song Writing 1 – Developing song writing skills. Chord progressions, bass lines, melodies and lyrics.
Song Writing 2 – Further development of song writing skills, structures (verse-chorus-bridge), key changes instrumental breaks, dynamics-tension and resolution.
Years 10 and 11
At Enfield Grammar School we follow the AQA Specification GCSE Music.
Is this the right subject for me? Yes, if you enjoy:
- Composing and performing music
- Learning an instrument or singing
- Creating Music on your instrument, on a computer or in a recording studio
- Learning about all types of music, including classical, popular and world music
In order to do well students must:
- Attend regular instrumental / voice lessons – Performing places great physical strain on the body and students must train their bodies to cope with the rigours of performing in order to create successful performances. We have a highly committed and experienced roster of instrumental tutors who work very closely with the curriculum team, the parents and the students to support the coursework fully
- Take part in ensembles – The department run over 20 ensembles a week and there is a clear link between success in music and engagement in musical ensembles. Taking part in groups makes preparing for your ensemble performance a lot easier
- Choose an appropriate piece for performance – There are marks available for grades but a good, solid performance is what’s required. Always remember that an easier piece played well is always better than a difficult piece played badly
- Listen to music – Sounds obvious right? But students must engage fully in listening lessons and complete all Homework tasks set (this will frequently involve learning facts about the set works in preparation for the exam).
– Listening to a wide range of music– Attending live music performances– Performing music as much music as possible from a wide range of repertoire will also help students to gain the musical understanding required for this area of the course.
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Thorough revision as the exam approaches
Unit 1: Performing – controlled assessment (30%)
Unit 2: Composing – controlled assessment (30%)
Unit 3: Listening & Appraising – terminal exam (40%)
- Section A – 8 compulsory questions that require students to respond to extracts of music
- Section B – 2 questions, of which students choose one to answer, it will require an extended, essay-type answer.
- Western Classical Music
- Music in the 20th Century
- Popular Music in Context
- World Music.
Who is this course for?
This course is designed for students who have an interest in making music through technology and wish to develop their skills further.
The course has an emphasis on practical work and will allow you to cultivate a wide range of skills, including sequencing MIDI and audio, recording live instruments,
producing and composing using music technology.
Music Technology can lead to studying engineering or audio engineering at university but has a huge benefit to any university application as it shows creativity, attention to detail, the ability to work to a deadline, teamwork, and analytical skills.
How will I be assessed and what will I be studying?
Component 1: Recording (20%)
Students will learn how to use production tools and techniques to capture, edit, process and mix an audio recording.
- One recording, chosen from a list of 10 songs provided by Pearson, consisting of a minimum of five compulsory instruments and two additional instruments.
- Keyboard tracks may be sequenced
- Total time must be between 3 minutes and 3½ minutes.
- Logbook and authentication form must be supplied
Component 2: Technology-based composition (20%)
Students will create, edit, manipulate and structure sounds to produce a technology-based composition.
- One technology-based composition chosen from three briefs set by Pearson
- Synthesis and sampling/audio manipulation and creative effects use must be included
- Total time must be 3 minutes
- Logbook and authentication form must be supplied.
Component 3: Listening and analysing (25%)
This is a written exam that tests students’ knowledge and understanding of recording and production techniques through the listening of unfamiliar commercial recording.
The paper lasts 1 hour 30 mins.
Component 4: Producing and analysing (35%)
This component is a written/practical exam that tests students’ knowledge and understanding of editing, mixing and production techniques, to be applied to unfamiliar materials.
Each student will be provided with a set of audio/MIDI materials for the practical element of the exam.
The exam lasts 2 hours 15 minutes.
