Key Stage 4

The National Curriculum states that pupils should “understand and explore how music is created, produced and communicated, including through the inter-related dimensions: pitch, duration, dynamics, tempo, timbre, texture, structure and appropriate musical notations.“

At Sir John Hunt our aims are for student to:

 
• use a variety of approaches to creating music; from the traditional, to the more music-technology based approaches;
• develop their techniques and improve instrumental and/or vocal performances, recorded and live;
• take part in extra-curricular and enrichment opportunities, which typically involve mentoring of young students;
• evaluate their own, and their peers’ performances, compared to previous ones and demonstrate improvement across a range of musical activities;
• develop their contextual knowledge of music and its stylistic origins.

Students can opt to study music as one of their optional subjects at Key Stage 4.

RSL Level 2 Certificate in Music

 
The RSL Level 2 certificate in music focuses on composing, performing and listening to music, the latter in some depth. The qualification has 2 mandatory core units, and 1 optional unit. The externally assessed Live Music Performance makes up 40% of the overall grade. Many different approaches to live music performance are encouraged and do not focus solely on vocal performances.

The KS4 units followed are:

MUSPRA 201 – Music Knowledge and Styles (Core)
This core unit explores the origins of different genres of music, from Reggae to Hip Hop, to Soul, Rock, to Pop and many more. This encourages students to appreciate the relationship between the many different styles of music, as well as developing their listening skills.

MUSPRA 205 – Composing Music (Solo)

Students compose a song, in a genre of their choice, building on music technology skills from Year 9, whilst developing their creativity and sense of innovation.

MUSPRA 201 – Live Music Performance (Core)

Taken in Year 11, this unit is an externally assessed live music performance unit. Working to a brief, students have to plan and develop a 10-15 minute performance to an audience, which is then self and peer-assessed, before being sent to the exam board. The unit enables students to showcase their developments as musicians, as well as being a fantastic opportunity to build resilience and confidence.

Assessment:

Assessment in KS4 Music is based on 2 units internally assessed and one external performance exam. There is a progress tracker which enables teachers to know which learning objectives to re-visit, to enable students to make good progress. Teachers can identify gaps in students’ learning and, through effective feedback, students can resolve misconceptions and swiftly develop further knowledge and skills.

Year 9

 
• Year 9 gives students who have chosen music as a Level 2 option subject, opportunities to develop their instrumental skills, through more intensive instrumental study, as well more opportunities to perform.

 
Year 10

 
• Final assessments at three points throughout the academic year on a 12-week cycle

• At the end of each learning objective, students complete an assessed piece of work which is marked as per the exam board guidance and marks are placed on the tracker
• Students are assessed in the Composing Music (Solo) unit

 
• Final assessments at three points throughout the academic year on a 12-week cycle

• At the end of each learning objective, students complete an assessed piece of work which is marked as per the exam board guidance and marks are placed on the tracker
• Students are assessed in the Musical Knowledge and Styles unit.
• After Christmas, students plan and take part in their Live Music Performance unit, which typically takes place in March.

Additional support

 
• Morning intervention – students work on a rotation and have an additional 2.5 hours of music with a specialist per week. In these sessions, students use walking talking mocks and Personal Learning Checklists to address gaps in their knowledge.

 
• Year 11 Period 7 – students complete a period 7 lesson in music on a rotation with other option subjects focusing on exam technique, covering topics from the previous weeks’ learning.

There are opportunities for students to continue studying music at Key Stage 5. The current course on offer is the RSL Level 3 Subsidiary Diploma. This 90-credit course is a more intensive study of the areas covered in the Level 2 RSL course, and can contribute UCAS points, used to secure a place at Higher Education.