Music
Pupils in the Thirds, Shells and Fourths explore the main elements of music - pitch, rhythm, tempo, beat, instruments and chords - through the three areas of listening/aural work, composing/creating music and performing/playing music.
Much work is made of keyboard instruments together with a wide selection of both pitched and non-pitched percussion instruments.
In the Thirds (Year 7) pupils are introduced to the basic elements of music and discover how to create and notate a variety of music showing awareness of repeated patterns, mood and structure.
In the Shells (Year 8) pupils learn about music from other cultures (African, Indian and Indonesian) and explore African drumming, call and response vocal techniques, Indian ragas and the percussive sounds of the Indonesian gamelan. They also learn how to create and perform backing chords to simple melodies and songs.
The Fourth Form (Year 9) syllabus allows for more extended project work on topics such as ‘popular music’ (including a practical component on ‘Blues’), musicals, film music and variations.
Pupils end the Lower School having a good understanding of the main elements of music (pitch, rhythm, chords) and an appreciation of how these elements have and can be used to create successful compositions, in a variety of genres and styles.