The aim of the department is to develop enjoyment, understanding, skill and imagination in composing, performing and appraising music. We aim to give students the opportunity and encouragement to use music as an expressive and meaningful medium to not only develop emotional intelligence but also resilience and problem-solving skills in addition to using music to promote self-awareness and wellbeing. This aim will be pursued within the curriculum in accordance with National Curriculum guidelines. Students will be encouraged to develop to their maximum potential.

In extra-curricular activities the aim of the department is to achieve the above by giving students the opportunity to participate in a wide variety of events. The department has a strong commitment to peripatetic instrumental music and our aim in this area is, once again, to develop enjoyment, understanding, skill and imagination in making music.

KS3 Students are given the opportunity to:

• Develop use of keyboard and/or guitar
• Play a variety of percussion instruments (both tuned and untuned)
• Play and sing as a member of a group and as a soloist, using memory and a variety of notation, including conventional staff notation and chord symbols
• Compose in response to a variety of stimuli and explore a range of resources
• Use appropriate music technology
• Use the voice effectively and freely
• Develop an appreciation of singing
• Communicate musical ideas to others
• Listen to a wide range of music (classical, folk, jazz, pop, ‘world’ and contemporary), including works by well-known composers and performers, past and present and be able to analyse and comment on what they have heard
• Develop a good aural observation and a sensitive response
• Have some awareness of the context in which various musical styles have arisen
• Respond to, and appraise and evaluate a variety of performances and compositions, both live and recorded

At KS4, students will complete Music Practitioner Level 2 Certificate in Performance, this course performance-based which explores a wide variety of music genres as well as research tasks into instrument and practice routines. This course allows students the opportunity to perform their musical talent in a variety of school events and performances. The RSL qualification enables candidates to evaluate their own and others’ music, to develop understanding and appreciation of a range of different kinds of music. The course also provides students the opportunity to develop broader life-skills and attributes including critical and creative thinking, aesthetic sensitivity, emotional awareness, cultural understanding, self-discipline, self-confidence and self-motivation.