Music Academic

Academic Music

The music curriculum at Akeley Wood seeks to build pupils’ key musical skills, incorporating the three strands of modern music education: performing, composing, listening and appraising. Creative composition work often makes use of the department’s two music rooms, which provide 21 workstations running Sibelius 5 and Cubase software for both notation and sequencing work. Pupils achieve high standards in composition, and works by Akeley pupils can feature in the school’s assemblies as well as scoring highly in public examination.

Year 7-9

All pupils in Year 7-9 receive an academic music lesson each week as part of their core curriculum. They will study music from different cultures and different genres. Year 7 pupils enjoy one period of choir plus one period of academic music. Pupils in Year 7 have the opportunity to explore a range of musical instruments as part of their academic music and are encouraged to take up individual music lessons. In Year 8 the pupils are able to start work on Sibelius 5 and compose in a Baroque style with also class performing on keyboards to reinforce the learning process. In Year 9 the pupils work on both Sibelius 5 and Cubase working on compositions on both.

GCSE

Music is an increasingly popular option at GCSE following the Edexcel specification. The qualification is examined through instrumental or vocal performance (30%), two coursework compositions (30%) and a course of listening and appraising based on four areas of study. For the complete specification and further information from Edexcel, please click http://www.edexcel.com/quals/gcse/gcse09/music/Pages/default.aspx

A Level Music

At A Level, the Edexcel specification is followed which develops skills in composition through a range of options, and makes higher demands on the interpretation of music in performance. Candidates also study a wider range of music. For the complete specification and further information from Edexcel please click http://www.edexcel.com/quals/gce/gce08/music/music/Pages/default.aspx

A Level Music Technology

With Music technology, the Edexcel specification is followed which develops skills in arranging, recording and sequencing. Candidates also study Popular music and recording techniques from 1910 to the present day. For the complete specification and further information from Edexcel please click http://www.edexcel.com/quals/gce/gce08/music/tech/Pages/default.aspx