KS4 Music

Music at Ashton Park will look to go to the very heart of our humanity and provide the sense of the wonder that music has created through diverse human societies and throughout history.

Our music education will offer young people the chance to understand in an aural dimension, that which often sits outside our capacity to describe in words. We aim to build our students technical understanding of how music is composed and performed.

We will look to install a sense of belonging in music and look to instill a purpose that the music they love now will be part of the narrative of their lives and bring colour to the experiences that shape them.

Exam board:

OCR Music GCSE

How is this course assessed?

1 x Integrated Portfolio coursework (30%). A performance on the student's chosen instrument AND a composition to a brief set by the student.
1 x Practical Portfolio coursework (30%). Ensemble performance AND a composition to an OCR set brief.
1 x 1 hour 30 minutes exam (40%). A written exam focusing on listening and appraising.

What is the structure of the course?

Year 10

Year 11

Term 1

This term has two main elements:

Conventions of Pop. We will focus on the pop element for the exam. This covers Rock and Roll from 50s-60s, Rock Anthems from 70s-80s, Pop Ballads of the 80s and Solo Artists from 90s-present day.
My Music. We will focus on building our music skills from KS3.

Term 2

This term has two main elements:

Film music. We focus on the next key genre for the exam. This covers the purpose of film music and explores how film scores are used to enhance the experience of film for the viewer.
Composition skills. We will build on our KS3 composition work in preparation for the first piece of coursework.

Term 3 &4:

This term has two main elements:

Concerto through time. We focus on the third key genre for the exam. This covers three key areas (The Baroque Concerto Grosso and Solo Concerto, The Romantic Concerto and The Classical Concerto)
Integrated portfolio - free composition. This term we will also complete the first part of our coursework.

Term 5:

Rhythms of the world. We focus on the fourth key genre for the exam, this time exploring world music. This covers Indian Classical Music, Punjabi Bhangra, Samba, Calypso, African Drumming and Greek and Middle Eastern Music.

Term 6:

Integrated portfolio - solo performance. This term we will also practice the second part of our coursework focusing on a solo performance.

Term 1:

This term has two main elements:

Integrated portfolio - solo performance. We will record the performance we honed and practiced in Term 6 of Year 10.
Practical performance - ensemble performance. We will practice the first part of the second piece of coursework.

Term 2:

This term has two main elements:

Practical performance - ensemble performance. We will record the first part of the second piece of coursework.
Practical performance - brief set by OCR. We will begin the preparation for the second half of the coursework.

Term 3 and 4:

In these two terms we will focus on:

Practical performance - brief set by OCR. Completing our final coursework element.
Revise and prepare for the Listening and Appraising Exam by returning to the four genre studied in Year 10.

Term 5:

Revision for the exam.

Why is it sequenced this way?

The course has been designed to jointly teach the listening, performing and composing elements. All of the exam content is taught in Year 10 to allow our students to develop strong foundational knowledge about the core genre of music. Through this then can they apply what they have learned to their own performances and compositions. The coursework elements have been purposely scattered through the curriculum. Each is given enough time for students to really get to the grips with each project and show their musical skills.

How is the course assessed?

Verbal feedback is given on performance pieces as they are being prepared and developed for the coursework elements.
Exam questions are used throughout and marked and students given clear feedback on how to improve.
Regular mock exams provide key opportunities for summative assessment.