Why do we learn music?
Head of Department
Our approach
Year 7
Year 8
Year 9
Year 10
Year 11

Why do we learn music?

High quality music education is unparalleled in its ability to stimulate personal, emotional, and intellectual development, motivate social change and improve cultural capital.  Through Elvin’s rigorous Music curriculum, varied enrichment programme, raising aspirations offer for all years and our instrumental programme opportunities, we believe that every child can be a musician, and improve their cultural capital life chances as a result.   

Head of Department

Head of Performing Arts

Ms Frances Green

f.green@arkelvinacademy.org

Our approach

Pupils at Elvin come from a range of different musical backgrounds, cultures, interests and starting points. Our curriculum ensures that pupils pursue a life enriched by music making, at the same time providing knowledge and skills to successfully continue the study of music at KS4, A-level, university and as a career.    

Many of our students come to Elvin with a limited experience of music theory and music making, while some students will arrive with a rich knowledge and many years of playing experience.  With these opposites in mind the curriculum aims to meet the needs of all students, beginning with an accessible curriculum that builds on knowledge and experience over time, removes barriers of musical making as well as including challenge for those who might be more able.  These challenges are aimed at developing the quality of their musicianship and the music that they produce.     

 In Ark Elvin’s Music department, we believe that every pupil can be a musician, and improve their personal, emotional and intellectual development as well as being open to new, inspirational cultural experiences.       

Year 7

Autumn
Stomp – Rhythm focus
Building blocks of rhythm
Rhythmic patterns
Rhythmic notation
Spring
The Power of the Pentatonic – melody focus
Secrets of scales
Writing a catch melody
Treble clef
Summer
Band Musicianship: Four chord songs
Foundations of harmony
Chords and chord relationships
Ensemble playing

All Year 7 subjects Next Year 7 Subject - Art

Year 8

Autumn
West African Drumming (Focus: Structure, texture and rhythm
Spring
The Beauty of Baroque (classical melody focus)
Summer
Band Musicianship: the Blues (pop harmony focus)

All Year 8 subjects Next Year 8 Subject - Art

Year 9

Autumn
Electronic Dance Music (Texture and technology focus) – Pop music
Spring

Film Music 

(Focus: Sonority)
Summer
Band Musicianship (song writing focus) – protest songs

All Year 9 subjects Next Year 9 Subject - Art

Year 10

Autumn

  1. Performance: Ensemble introduction and solo preparation (instrumental teachers) 

  1. Composition: Keyboard skills and Free composition 

  1. Listening and Appraising: Set work (Toto’s Africa), Film Music 
Spring

Course content: 

  1. Performance: Ensemble development and solo development (instrumental teachers) 

  1. Composition: Free composition – choosing genre, harmonic and melodic choices 

  1. Listening and Appraising: Film Music, Jazz and Blues and Set work – Badinerie Bach 
Summer

  1. Performance: Ensemble and solo finalising – recording of solo. 

  1. Composition: Free composition – beats, bassline and texture 

  1. Listening and Appraising: Unfamiliar and Popular Music 

All Year 10 subjects Next Year 10 Subject - Art

Year 11

Autumn

  1. Performance: Prepare ensemble performance and recording of solo performance 

  1. Composition: Exploration of set briefs and first draft of brief. 

  1. Listening and Appraising: Revision of Musical elements, Killer Queen (Aut 1), Samba Em Preludio (Aut 2) 
Spring

  1. Performance: Refining ensemble performance. 

  1. Composition: Refining free and draft composition. 

  1. Listening and Appraising: Pathetique (Spr 1), Star Wars (recap), Review of all other set works, exam practice (Spr 2)
Summer
Listening and Appraising: Review all set works and exam practice. 

All Year 11 subjects Next Year 11 Subject - Art