Music
A high-quality music education should engage and inspire pupils to develop a love of music and their talent as musicians, and so increase their self-confidence, creativity and sense of achievement.’ Department of Education, National Curriculum.
At Lutterworth College our aim is to provide a music curriculum which will enable each child to reach their full potential in music, encourage children to enjoy singing, composing and performing and provide children with the opportunity to perform in front of an audience. Students have an opportunity to develop an understanding of pulse, rhythm and notation. Teaching incorporates the use of technologies such as Digital Audio Workspaces like Bandlab and Cakewalk, enabling the children to compose their own pieces.
We work alongside our Church of England CHRIST values to enrich how our students experience Music, preparing them for a life outside of education. Students are able to demonstrate these values at various points across all years in the following ways:
- Being courageous in the way they perform in front of their peers through solo and ensemble performance.
- Being hard working in the way they approach challenging practical and theoretical tasks
- Being reflective in self-assessment and their Directed Improvement Reflection Time (DIRT)
- Being inspirational through creative tasks and practical demonstrations during workshops.
- Being supportive during group working activities and peer assessment tasks
- Being tenacious in exploring themes that challenge their way of thinking and creativity.
Key Stage 3
In KS3 students are required to be able to collaborate whilst being mindful to the opinions and abilities of others. We encourage students to be enquiring in the development of their ideas. Developing the confidence of our students is another vital part of our curriculum and students are frequently challenged to perform their ideas to each other whilst being encouraged to evaluate the success of these performances. As a knowledge engaged curriculum, we believe that knowledge underpins and enables the application of skills; both are entwined. As a department we define the powerful knowledge our students need and help them recall it by having a carefully planned progression through our curriculum which not only builds on prior knowledge but regularly enables students to develop key skills in all topic areas. We expect and encourage students to use key musical terminology within their work enabling them to develop a confident use of music vocabulary which is the key to their success in later studies. We have created bespoke curriculum booklets which support the learning of our students at KS3 and KS4 giving them the opportunity to reflect on their achievements and areas which they feel need further development.
Key Stage 3 Music Curriculum Map
Key Stage 4
Music can be separated into three different disciplines –Performing Music, Composing Music, and Listening & Appraising Music. The three branches of Music are taught and developed together with the aim to build personal skills that students can draw upon to succeed, not only in music lessons but also beyond school life and in future employment. The life skills that are developed, and are at times explicitly taught, are an integral part of the development of the subject specific skills as well as creating well-rounded individuals. The core principles that are developed would include: Problem solving, perseverance, diligence, teamwork, time management, organisation, responsibility, cultural history, listening skills, confidence, social skills, discipline, self-evaluation and interpersonal skills. Opportunities are embedded for students to be able to hone and develop the practical aspects of performance and composition, but equally important is the ability to understand how the development of life skills, such as confidence, self-awareness, perseverance and discipline give them a holistic experience that they can take beyond their musical studies.
Key Stage 5
We offer a BTEC Level 3 National Extended Certificate in Music Performance. The BTEC music course introduces pupils to the world of music careers and a greater understanding into the music industry. The BTEC course is taught in a way where pupils are encouraged to take creative control and arm pupils with highly developed musical skill, knowledge and understanding.
The course encourages and stimulates students’ achievement through practical learning and forms of assessment based on applied knowledge and understanding of the relevant subject area. BTEC courses provide considerable opportunities for teamwork and in-depth study based on specialist activities. The BTEC Level 3 Extended Certificate is equivalent to one A Level qualification.
The extra-curricular music programmes available enables and supports musicianship in students of varying abilities, giving opportunities for students to experience a wide variety of genres and musical ensembles. As well as all-inclusive ensembles for mixed ability students who want the enjoyment of performing with others and developing their musical skills through our ‘School of Rock’ performance group, we also offer students the chance to audition for more advanced musical groups such as the opportunity of performing in the School Production Band (for students Grade 5+ on their instrument) or by auditioning to be a member of the cast, where the expectation is that all cast members and musicians develop performance talent and professionalism.
Level 3 BTEC in Music Performance Curriculum Map