Curriculum Map - MusicYear 7
All students will study how music is constructed using the acronym MAD TSHIRT. (Melody Articulation Dynamics Texture Structure Harmony Instrumentation Rhythm Tempo and Metre). The Music Key Stage 3 curriculum has three axes as its basis, developing both active and receptive musicianship. These are performing, composing and active listening. Students are introduced to key vocabulary via the acronym MAD TSHIRT to help them speak confidently about a wide range of musical genres.
Performing – Students perform individually and in groups on a range of instruments including keyboards, Voice and percussion, focusing on instrument specific techniques. Through the study of short pieces of music, students learn how to develop a performance using MAD TSHIRT as their basis for doing so.
Composition – Students learn how to extend musical ideas to create development and contrast using MAD TSHIRT. Using elements including texture, dynamics and pitch, students create an interesting music listening experience.
Listening – As part of their learning, students listen to a wide range of music and identify key musical elements in their analysis. They develop their musical oracy by learning how we can accurately talk about music using subject specific vocabulary.
Why?
Musical development requires skills in listening, composing and performing. These areas are discrete but also rely on each other to provide compelling musical outcomes. Practising for performance requires the use of resilience, resourcefulness and relational skills through group work and the ability to reflect on our own and others’ work. Listening exercises build reverence, reflectiveness and cultural understanding. Students understand the cultural and emotional significance of music in all its social functions, while building on their understanding of the universal nature of musical language and application across different cultures. Composition allows students to demonstrate their grasp and application of the musical elements to create compelling music that keeps the listener engaged through thematic development.
Year 8
In Year 8, students further build on their knowledge and build this through further practice and deployment of the acronym MAD TSHIRT.
Performing - Students perform individually and in groups on a range of instruments including Djembes, Keyboard and voice, learning how to create and perform polyrhythms, melody and basslines, as well as sing in harmony.
Composition - Students create a range of compositions through the application of the musical elements gained through the performing and listening to a wide range of genres.
Listening - Students continue to build their musical knowledge of a variety of genres listen to a wide range of music and explaining and identifying what they are hearing. Students continue to develop their musical oracy through the discussion and reflection about these pieces. Music genres studied will include Minimalism, traditional drumming cultures and vocal lead music, alongside popular and classical recordings and live performance.
Why?
Performing - Through the study of untuned percussion, it enables students to focus on studying rhythm without the distraction of pitch. Studying a range of rhythms will give the students a wider palate from which to draw in their compositions and understanding of how pieces of music are constructed and developed.
Composition - Students will be guided through short compositions that employ the concepts studied in the current module. They will compose a piece for drumming using polyrhythms, learn to write vocal harmonies and how to derive melody and basslines from chords. We will look at the importance of creating a feeling through music using Film Music as a guide.
Listening - Students will listen to a wide range of music and will describe what is being heard in the music,using the MAD TSHIRT acronym as their basis for doing so.
Year 9
Year 9 students will continue their discovery of MAD TSHIRT through the exploration of longer form compositions and performances.
Performing - Each term, students prepare a performance from any available stimulus; online resources, graded examinations, private lessons, extra-curricular ensembles etc. These pieces should be no shorter than one minute and can be on any instrument. These pieces should be a mix of ensemble and solo performances. Through this, students develop the skills necessary to prepare and successfully perform to an audience, evaluating they improve them.
Composition - Students will delve deeper into the world of composition via the analysis of songs and pieces by well-known composers and by composing their own. Through this approach, students create variety and development of ideas using MAD TSHIRT as their basis.
Listening - Students listen to a wide range of music, evaluating the compositions. The students will develop their music oracy by deepening their understanding of the musical elements and key words. Music studied as listening exercises include pop music, western classical, world and fusion music, as well as film music.
Why?
As students continue to develop their skills in the three main areas of musical proficiency: composition, performing and listening. The Year 9 curriculum offers a chance to explore the capabilities of their own instrument and to work collaboratively.
By diving yet deeper into the MAD TSHIRT key words, students are learning about the mechanisms used in the creation and performance of music and how to communicate those in sound, sign and to another musician.