Music
Curriculum Intent
Music at Imberhorne is designed to instill a lifelong love for music as both a creative art form and a tool for self-expression. Music can help us make sense of the world emotionally, physically, historically and culturally. It is a door to challenge, opportunity and a way we can craft our creative identity. At Imberhorne we nurture student’s creativity, self-expression and guide them progressively through an eclectic, exciting and well-rounded music education.
We teach music because of what music can teach us. It can teach confidence, self-belief, give a sense of overwhelming achievement and can help to overcome challenges with the ability to communicate in a new and diverse way. Music at Imberhorne is for everybody and we thrive on enthusiasm and inclusion alongside nurture, support, challenge and progress at all levels. We use music as a tool for bringing the school and the wider community together. At the heart of life at Imberhorne, there is music.
Music can be separated into three different disciplines – Performing Music, Composing Music, Listening & Appraising Music. These three aspects of Music are taught and developed together. The intent is to develop important personal skills that students can draw upon in order to be successful, not only in music lessons but also outside of school life and, ultimately, in employment. The life skills that are developed, and are often explicitly taught, play an integral part of the development of the subject specific skills as well as creating well-rounded, independent individuals. The core principles that are developed include: Problem solving, perseverance, diligence, team work, time management, organisation, responsibility, cultural history, listening skills, confidence, social skills, discipline, self-evaluation, interpersonal skills, an overall sense of accomplishment.
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 education.
The curriculum is structured based on the expectations for GCSE, A Level Music and BTEC; key concepts and skills required by the end of these courses are fed down into schemes of work from Year 7 upwards. This is designed to raise expectations and standards from the start of Key Stage 3 and ensure that musical knowledge is being understood both practically and theoretically.
Year 7, 8 and 9 (KS3) will study various musical genres, (historical and cultural) and through these different cultures and styles will explore, develop and refine their musical skills. Each project will focus on one of the 3 subject specific skills, so that over the key stage students will return to these concepts enabling them to build and advance their knowledge and skill set further.
Year 10 and 11(KS4) build upon KS3 development and the three subject specific skills are further refined. Performance and Composition forms 60% of the assessment towards the final grade with Listening and Appraising making up the remaining 40%. This is broken down into Areas of Study that exist covering Musical Forms and Devices, Ensemble Music, Film Music and Popular Music. Learning is embedded through a cocktail of Practical, Theory and Assessment lessons.
Year 12 and 13 (KS5) build upon performance and the course currently on offer is centralised around musical performance. The course develops musical skills and competencies and places the learner in real life contexts. Character development is also a heavy feature.
Staff Information
| Name | Position / Responsibility | |
|---|---|---|
| Mr R Williams | Leader of Learning for Music | rwilliams [at] imberhorne [dot] co [dot] uk |
| Mr E Moorhouse | Music Teacher | emoorhouse [at] imberhorne [dot] co [dot] uk |
| Miss A Philip | Music Teacher | aphilip [at] imberhorne [dot] co [dot] uk |
FAQs
Where do I find out about instrumental lessons?
Information about instrumental lessons can be found on our Instrumental lessons page which links from our Music subject page.
What equipment do you need for music at KS3?
Students are asked to bring in headphones to use on the school keyboards:
Does the school's insurance cover my son's/daughter's instrument in school?
The school's insurance policy does not cover damage to students' personal musical instruments whilst on the school property. Please ensure your son's/daughter's musical instrument is privately insured.
Do you need to be learning an instrument to do GCSE Music?
Yes, ideally we would encourage students to be having instrumental or vocal lessons to prepare them fully for the performance aspect of the exam.
What extra-curricular opportunities are there in music at Imberhorne?
The extensive extra-curricular music programme 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, such as Singing Group,School Band and Rock Club, we also offer students the chance to join more advanced musical groups such as Upper School Band and Upper School Singing Group.
These ensembles are able to challenge the students and prepare them for further studies in addition to building character education.
Clubs and events are not only to encourage enjoyment in the arts but also for students to learn about professional expectations and performance discipline. Students are also able to apply to perform at Key Stage 3 & 4 concerts and the summer I Fest concert.
Students are encouraged to take on leadership roles within the department and developing their own musical skills as well as supporting younger students with their music making and performing out in the wider community.
