Year 9 Music

Year 9 students who have opted for Music have a double lesson each week. Throughout Year 9 they will develop skills in preparation for GCSE Music, should they choose to study it as part of their option choices. In Year 9, students study music in accordance with the new National Curriculum guidelines.

What will my child study during Year 9 Music?

Popular Song
Reduce-Reuse-Recycle
Songs from Musicals
Film Music
My Music

How will my child be assessed and how will I know how well they are doing in Music in Year 9?

What will be assessed

Each module will assess their appraising skills and either performance or composition skills.
Students will be marked using the department assessment tool and receive regular live feedback on their work. They will also ne informed whether they are making enough progress to reach their GCSE bands
Parents will be informed through our reporting system
In Year 10 they will be assessed on their performance and composition work and will be given a paper focusing on the elements of music and the set works.

What homework will my child be expected to do in Year 9 in Music?

Students will be asked to complete one piece of homework every four lessons.

How can I support my child to do well in Music during Year 9?

The best thing you can do to help your child is to encourage them to sing, learn an instrument and join musical extra-curricular groups.
Help your child develop their musical ear by playing a variety of music and discussing the instruments they can hear and see if they can describe what the elements are doing.

What equipment may my child need in addition to the standard school equipment?

They are welcome to bring their own instruments into music to use in lessons

By the end of the year, what would an 'expert' be able to do in Music?

Experts will be able to perform graded pieces on a classroom instrument of their choice with accuracy, correct technique and expression
Experts will be able to perform as part of an ensemble with confidence.
Experts will be able to compose short pieces on notation software, using a variety of musical elements with accuracy.
Experts will be able to read treble and bass clef and a variety of rhythms
Experts will be able to use specialist language accurately to evaluate and compare a variety of musical styles.

My child is struggling during the course, what additional help is available to help them keep up?

Students who are struggling will be identified by the teacher through live monitoring. Students will be given support through differentiated learning resources.

What work did students complete during the school closures that they may not fully understand?

Students completed theory work based around our practical units. This included Samba, Disco and Film music. Without the live experience of practical work, students may not fully understand the keywords taught.

How will we support those students who were unable to work properly during the school closures and have gaps in their knowledge/understanding?

We have adjusted the curriculum to focus on building confidence in performance and composition skills. Units have been adapted to focus on one of these areas in each unit. This allows students the opportunity to develop a solid foundation in these skills which will allow for better progress long term
We have adapted the curriculum so that knowledge and understanding is based firmly around the elements of music. Students focus on a few elements each lesson and build secure knowledge through appraising and practical work

Updated July 2023