Raising aspirations and boosting confidence

We are proud of setting high standards for our students

In This Section

The Team
Head of Music Mr N McMullan
Teacher of Music     Miss J Byrne
Teacher of Piano & Theory     Mrs Roper
Teacher of Piano Mr Edwards
Director of Choir Mrs Langton-Gilks
Co-Director of Choir  Mrs Gregory
Teacher of Guitar & Composition  Mr McNicol
Teacher of Drums  Mr Turner 
Teacher of Woodwind Mr Shipley
Teacher of Strings  Ms Mogridge
Teacher of Cello Ms  Burridge 
Supply Teacher for Piano & Voice  Miss Watkinson

At Key Stage 3 students follow two periods of Music per fortnight.
At Key Stage 4 we follow the Edexcel Specification.
At Key Stage 5 we follow the Edexcel Specification.

Results in the department remain amongst the best in the school with 88% of GCSE Music students achieving an A*-B grade and 100% pass rate at A Level.

At Key Stage 3 the academic year in Music is split into 6 units of work i.e. after every half term a new unit of work is started. The titles of the work are

Year 7
Term One Unit One Bridging Unit
Term One Unit Two Take Note!
Term Two Unit One Aleatoric Music
Term Two Unit Two
Instruments of the Orchestra
Term Three Unit One
Programme Music
Term Three Unit Two
I got rhythm

Year 8
Term One Unit One Take Note II
Term One Unit Two Chords are very Fashionable
Term Two Unit One Music and the Media
Term Two Unit Two
Structures on Music (Using ICT)
Term Three Unit One
Ground Bass
Term Three Unit Two
Has anyone seen my Keys?

 

Year 9
Term One Unit One African Music
Term One Unit Two Composing Crazy
Term Two Unit One Stepping up!
Term Two Unit Two
Working with Guitars
Term Three Unit One
Brass Bands
Term Three Unit Two
Blues, Jazz and Ragtime

At Key Stage 4 Year 10 is an experimental year, developing practices and skills in preparation for Year 11 and the exams. The Edexcel Music GCSE is made up of 60% coursework and a final written exam consisting of 40 %. For an outline of the course, see Edexcel’s website which gives an overview for both GCSE and A Level.

We have large classes at KS5 which repeatedly achieve a 100% pass rate.

Individual Music Lessons

Rates for Individual Music Lessons

Instrumental Agreement Form - click to download

Passport - click to download

Extra-curricular events

Monday - Orchestra, 3-4pm in Music Block
Tuesday - Keyboard Club, Lunch (12.00) in Music Block
Tuesday - Chamber Choir, 3-4pm in Memorial Hall
Wednesday - Guitar Club 1, Lunch (12.00) in E7
Thursday - Guitar Club 2, Lunch (12.00) in E7
Thursday - Composition Club, 3-4pm in Music Block
Friday - Drum Club, Lunch (12.00) in E7
Friday - Woodwind Ensemble, Lunch (12.00) in Music Block

Each year the Music Department offers the chance for students to participate in a number of extra-curricular activities and performance opportunities. This includes Orchestral concerts, ensembles, choral groups and individual recitals both within the school and the local community.

The department is involved in several competitions, notably the South West Battle of the Bands, at which our school band won first prize and performed at the Glastonbury Festival.

We continually try to raise money for local and national charities through our performances and have managed to raise over £10,000 throughout the last five years.

The department offers students the opportunity to go to live performances of all genres of music in addition to several master classes throughout the year. We have many ensembles that musicians can become members of including orchestra, choir, drum club, keyboard club and guitar club.

The Music department has two dedicated teaching spaces which are very different in terms of style. We also perform on the school stage and have music performed daily in assemblies.

Music is an essential subject in our school and is a daily part of the school provision. It develops social skills and allows students to express themselves, explore and appreciate ideas in a creative environment.