Our Key Stage 3 curriculum sees students develop performance skills and composition skills in two progressive pathways over the three years. In addition to this there are stand-alone modules to broaden students’ appreciation of varying forms of music and develop an understanding about the different career paths the industry has to offer. These stand-alone modules are noted in the module list for each year group.

PERFORMANCE PATHWAY

The performance pathway is designed to allow students to experience new instruments and develop their skills to perform pieces recognised by Performance Exam Boards in the UK (ABRSM, Trinity, RockSchool).

At the beginning of Year 7 students have a 6-week course on Piano which includes basic co-ordination, utilising all digits and finding a basic triad chord. This is followed by a module on Vocal performance giving students a foundation knowledge in what makes a good vocal performance, how to care for your voice, how to convey story/emotion and the opportunity to sing en-masse at the Christmas Concert. There is then a scheme of work to study the Ukulele and learn how to read tablature, strumming patterns and chord diagrams. These three separate modules give students a breadth of skills that then support them in their composition pathway as well as helping them make an informed decision about which instruments they may wish to learn on the Performance Pathway.

Through Year 7 to Year 9, there are 5 half-terms (30 hours) allocated to studying either drum kit, electric guitar, bass guitar, piano or voice. The students have complete autonomy to choose which instrument to learn and every half-term (where it is dedicated to the Performance Pathway) they have the option to switch and try a different instrument from the selection or stay on the instrument they were previously learning to make further progress. At the start of Year 9, students are requested to stay on one instrument and develop it to a high standard. There are 8 grades in Music Performance with the Performance Exam Boards and the minimum standard for GCSE Music is Grade 4, the minimum standard for A-Level Music is Grade 7.

Voice

Students select repertoire to perform from a difficulty list which includes Pop, Rock, and Musical Theatre. The difficulty list features songs from Grade 4 to Grade 8 standard.

Piano/Keyboard

Students can follow our self-written course that takes them to Grade 2 performance, or they can select their own repertoire to learn if it is of a higher standard.

Drum-Kit, Electric Guitar and Bass Guitar

All three instruments learn the same pieces with the view that they can then be performed as Rock Band ensembles.

• Preliminary Grade – We Will Rock You – Queen
• Grade 1 – Teenage Kicks – The Undertones
• Grade 2 – Knock On Wood – Eddie Floyd
• Grade 3 – Sunshine of Your Love – Cream
• Grade 4* - You Know I’m No Good – Amy Winehouse (*Grade 5 on Drums)
• Grade 4* - Heroes – David Bowie (*Grade 3 on Drums)
• Grade 4* - Time Is Running Out – Muse (*Grade 5 on Bass Guitar)

COMPOSITION PATHWAY

The composition pathway is designed to gradually hand creativity over to students whilst also guiding them through the software we use for GCSE Music composing. The platform we use across all year groups is called SoundTrap however we use the Education package. Below is a breakdown of what each module involves, the new skills learnt and the ratio of directed composing to self-creation.

Module 1: Recreate MC Hammers ‘U Can’t Touch This’ (100% Directed, 0% Creativity)

Students learn how to use the basic functions of SoundTrap and are given all the material that has to be inputted. Students use the Pattern Beat Maker to instruct the drum machine, draw in parts for the synths/bass/guitar, and learn how to set-up a microphone to record the rap.

Module 2: Turn Pop into Reggae (70% Directed, 30% Creativity)

Using our ‘Guide to Writing Reggae Music’, students re-work a well-known pop song. The guide explains how to make it all parts typical for the Reggae genre. For some instruments there are even options students can adopt and use (typical guitar strumming patterns, typical Reggae drum grooves). With some parts, the students will need to follow the rules laid-out by the guide but also get creative to adapt the original song (the bass groove, the rhythm of the melody).

Module 3: Songwriting (40% Directed, 60% Creativity)

Students learn how to set-up a MIDI keyboard and then live-record a simple melody using a pentatonic scale. Students are taught how to quantise and improve their live-recording process. Students learn how to construct a suitable chord sequence and how to extend this to various instruments. Students write meaningful lyrics and record them after recapping microphone set-up and also learning how to improve the quality of sound with audio effects.

Module 4: Film Music (20% Directed, 80% Creativity)

Students write background music for one of the film scenes offered. Students learn how to write for time-stamps and how the music should enhance what is seen on screen. Students are reminded about the importance of tonality and use of different textures. New skills learnt include panning, overdubbing when recording and the use of automation for dynamics (volume changes). This is the first of two compositions produced in Year 9 that should be striving for the GCSE Music requirements.

Module 5: Free-Choice Composition (0% Directed, 100% Creativity)

Students select one of our ‘Guide to Writing...’ booklets and compose a piece of music to meet the brief of that genre. This is the second composition in Year 9 that should be striving to meet the GCSE Music requirements. The options are:

• Guide to Writing Reggae Music
• Guide to Writing Celtic Folk Music
• Guide to Writing a Pop/Rock Song
• Guide to Writing Film Music
• Guide to Writing Musical Theatre

Exam Board: Edexcel 
Pre-Course Recommended Requirements 

Grade 4 standard on an instrument/voice and be able to read notation (Please note there is flexibility with these recommended requirements. For further information or an assessment of course suitability, please contact one of the Music Teachers).The GCSE Music course content is based around the three key principles of a well-rounded musician (performance, composition, listening and appraisal). 
60% of the course is coursework and 40% a written exam sat in the Summer Term of the year of the award. 

Performance (30%) 

Students submit one solo recording and one ensemble recording. Together these performances must be four-minutes’ worth of material with a minimum length of one minute each. The expected grade of difficulty is Grade 4 (ABRSM). 

Composition (30%) 

Students submit two compositions with a combined minimum run-time of three minutes and minimum of one minute each. One composition is to an Edexcel specified brief released at the start of the year of final examination. The other composition is of free-choice and may be developed from the student’s personal interest or genres covered in class. With all compositions, students may prepare their work using our industry-standard software and with the support of our resident Composition Tutor. 

Listening and Appraising (40%): 

Students complete a 1 hour 30-minute written examination in the Summer of their final year. Within the exam students are required to answer questions on any extracts from the eight set-works taught to them, complete an unfamiliar listening task, a rhythmic and melodic dictation exercise and write a comparison essay between one of their set-works and an unfamiliar piece of the same genre/style. 

Additional Support: 

GCSE Music students receive a Free 15-minute allocation of peripatetic teaching to use either in instrumental lessons or composition tutorials. 

Students have the opportunity to attend Lectures linked specifically to their set-works performed by the London Philharmonic Orchestra via the Brightsparks initiative. 

Exam Board: Edexcel 

Duration: 2 Years 
Pre-Course Recommended Requirements 

Grade 7 standard on an instrument/voice and be able to read notation (Please note there is flexibility with these recommended requirements. For further information or an assessment of course suitability, please contact one of the Music Teachers) 

About the course: 

The A-Level course we run here at Great Baddow High School is a continuation of the GCSE course outlined above. All weightings remain the same, however the Performance recital must last 8 minutes minimum and be of Grade 7 standard. The composition is expected to be longer too and a larger amount of substantial set works are studied. 

Assessment 

Students give monthly in-class performances of a section of their final repertoire to check it is making progress. There are also multiple mock recitals during Y13 to prepare the students for the final assessed recital. 

Students submit their composition work at least once a half-term for marking and feedback although this can be more regularly if the student prefers shorter/fewer targets to prioritise. 

Compositions and Performances receive on-going verbal feedback when time is given in class to work on these aspects of the course. 

The Listening and Appraising is assessed via the checking of notes and annotated scores at the end of each of the eighteen set-works studied, regular quizzes on the set-works, essay practise writing once every three weeks and four PPE's conducted in examination conditions. 

Instrumental Lessons 

We are joined weekly by 11 peripatetic teachers giving specialist tuition in a range of instruments providing 15, 30 or 60 minute lessons during the school day. This service is provided by Essex Music Services and private-tutors. 

 Please complete and return the form below to apply for one to one music lessons:

Application Form for One to One Music Lessons.

Lessons offered include at present, but are not limited to: 

Extra-Curricular 

We offer a wide-range of extra-curricular clubs where students can further their performance experiences beyond the classroom and peripatetic lessons. 
Please see the Club Timetable for a summary of each ensembles and our timetable of when these clubs meet.

​Music Extra-Curricular Club Timetable

Performances 

Autumn Term

• An Evening of Piano (5.15pm)
• Winter Concert at Chelmsford Cathedral (7pm)
• Gym and Dance Display

Spring Term

• An Evening of Instruments: Brass, Woodwind & Strings including Guitar (5.15pm)
• An Evening of Voice: KS3, Year 7-9 (5.15pm)
• An Evening of Voice: KS4 and KS5, Year 10-13 (5.15pm)
• An Evening of Rhythm: Drums and Percussion Club
• Music Competition Week (Final on the Thursday evening)
• Inter-Primary Music Competition
• A Night of 100 Voices

Summer Term

• School Production
• An Evening of Musical Theatre
• Summer Concert 
• Creative Arts Fayre

Students of Great Baddow High School often perform at school functions such as Curriculum meetings with parents, Awards Evenings, Christmas Dinners, Sports Days, and Assemblies. Our students also feature in events within the Chelmsford area such as the Jack Petchey Awards Evenings, Chelmsford’s Gotta Dance Shows, Summer Fetes and Weddings. 

Facilities 

Instruments: We have some string, brass and woodwind instruments that can be lent to students receiving peripatetic lessons on those instruments. For whole class learning we have 30 ukuleles, 15 guitars, a Samba kit for up to 50 students and 17 MIDI keyboards in each classroom which serve as instruments and as technology to play compositions into our software. Students also have access to the Pianos in the four practise rooms and classrooms as well as the two drum-kits within the department. 

Technology: Our two music classrooms are each equipped with 17 computers and MIDI keyboards. All our keyboards are linked to the computers so that they can be used as instruments and as interfaces for composing on our collection of music software’s.  

We currently own the following software’s: