Year 8 Music

Brief summary of the syllabus:

1. Historical work, aural analysis and ensemble skills based on reggae
2. Song form
3. Rondo form
4. Binary form
5. Ternary form
6. To compose a piece of descriptive music as a group that portrays one of the four seasons based on a formal structure
7. Produce a project based around the performance of a piece of music composed by the pupil. This project will be completed using ICT

What skills/attributes are being developed and examined?

1. Performing:
   • Perform in a range of styles, interpreting signs, symbols and musical instructions
   • Perform a solo part with fluency and expression
   • Perform in a group maintaining a part independently of a group
2. Composing:
   • Compose, arrange and improvise music with musical structures
   • Revise composition and notate them appropriately for subsequent performances
3. Listening and appraising:
   • Listen with understanding to a wide variety of music of increasing complexity, identifying and discriminating within musical elements and demonstrate knowledge of different forms of notation
   • Show knowledge of the historical development of music and an understanding of a range of musical traditions from different periods and cultures
   • Show knowledge and understanding of a range of individual musical works and critically assess particular performances live or recorded

What can parents expect to see in class work and homework specifically?

Much of the class work in the Year 8 curriculum is of a practical nature and due to restrictions of equipment and resources it is unfair to expect boys to work on some of the projects at home, particularly the keyboard-based projects.

Pupils will receive revision guidelines one week before the test is due to take place and the boys will make a note of this in their diaries. Revision material will be available on the School's learning resources area.

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What can parents do to help in this subject at this stage?

Parents should be aware of when a half-term test is approaching and help the pupils revise form the revision sheet provided.

Also if a boy wishes to play any music, it would be encouraging if parents were able to listen supportively rather than critically.

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Setting and Course Schedule:

The Music curriculum in Year 8 covers a wide range of different topics (as detailed above) which contribute towards the Key Stage 3 assessment at the end of Year 9. However, an interim level will be generated and progress toward this assessed at the end of the year. There are two groups, one on the BHL side and one on the PSU side of the year, whose pupils are selected on their ability in Music. This is guided by the overall pupil order at the end of Year 7 and also the pupils' approach to the subject throughout Year 7. The other four groups are mixed-ability groups.

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Final Examination:

There is no end-of-year examination for Music although the marks for the three half-term tests and a number of the practical projects will be used to assess the pupils' progress toward their interim Key Stage 3 level, generated from assessments throughout Year 7. An average of these marks will be used to ascertain the overall year order at the end of the year which will also guide the decision on those who will be in the selective sets in Year 9.

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Tests:

A half-term test will be sat around the half-term of each of the two outer terms and at the end of the middle term. It will be a written test on theoretical knowledge and/or listening analysis skills and will be mainly derived from the work covered during the preceding term and half-term. Marked tests will be returned in the lesson following the test and the mark, given as a percentage, will be recorded in the boys' diaries.

Marks are also given for the large-scale practical projects and boys will also record these in their diaries.

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Revision:

Boys will receive revision guidelines, which will also be available on the School learning resources area, in the lesson immediately preceding the test, and are therefore given one school week to revise. All knowledge required for the test will covered and if learnt properly and applied effectively can result in a mark of 100% for every pupil.

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Pupil target-setting:

For each practical project both short-term and long-term targets will be set both for the class and also individually. The class teacher will have a grid with these targets on and will tick off the targets as each boy achieves them. In written work targets will be inherent in the marking and feedback given on the test paper.

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Upper level grade descriptor:

The Key Stage 3 Music curriculum at Queen Elizabeth's School is designed so that at all stages, all boys are able to attain the highest marks, irrespective of past curricular and extra-curricular experience.

The descriptors for the highest grade available, Exceptional Performance, at the final assessment at the end of Key Stage 3, are:

• In performing pupils should give convincing performances and demonstrate empathy with other performers.
• In composing pupil should be able to express their own ideas and feelings in a developing personal style, exploiting instrumental and/or vocal possibilities and produce compositions that demonstrate a coherent development of musical ideas, consistency of style and a degree of individuality.
• In listening and appraising, pupils must discriminate between and comment on how and why changes occur within selected traditions including the particular contribution of significant performers and composers.

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