Departmental Information

Key Stage 3 students will receive regular feedback in a variety of forms, dependent on the nature of the task:

• Ongoing performance feedback is usually verbal, and will balance rewarding good quality musicianship with critical comments aimed to improve standards. This will be provided by teachers and peers, and also involve self-reflection.
• Ongoing composition feedback is usually verbal, and again will balance positive comments with supportive criticism. It will always focus on how successful the piece is in terms of meeting the composition brief, which will be clearly explained to students at the start of each composition task.
• Assessment and feedback at the end of each practical task uses a series of grids which break down the requirements of the task and how successful students have been at completing the different components. Each grid is tailored to the specific performance and composition task undertaken. By using the grid, students can also see how they might progress to the next level. Below is an example of a Key Stage 3 composition grid. 
• Each topic concludes with a listening or musicianship task, which is teacher-assessed. 
• All formal assessments are recorded in students’ music workbooks, which are kept in the music department.
• All formal assessments are graded using GCSE 9-1 grades.

Example of Year 8 Film Music Assessment Criteria

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Key Stage 4 students receive regular feedback in all three areas of the course: performing, composing and listening and appraising:

• Ongoing performance feedback is usually verbal, and will balance rewarding good quality musicianship with critical comments aimed to improve standards. This will be provided by teachers and peers, and also involve self-reflection.
• Ongoing composition feedback is usually verbal, and again will balance positive comments with supportive criticism. It will always focus on how successful the piece is in terms of meeting the composition brief, which will be clearly explained to students at the start of each composition task.
• Assessment and feedback at the end of each practical task uses a series of grids which break down the requirements of the task and how successful students have been at completing the different components. Each grid is tailored to the specific performance and composition task undertaken. By using the grid, students can also see how they might progress to the next level. Below are examples of a Key Stage 4 performance and composition grid. 
• Each topic concludes with a listening or musicianship task, which is teacher-assessed. 
• All formal assessments are recorded in students’ folders.
• All formal assessments are graded using GCSE 9-1 grades.

Below is a sample of a GCSE composition assessment sheet:

Music is littered with technical language, much of which is not in everyday vocabulary, and much of which uses Italian, French and German regularly! This can make a student’s life difficult, but with regular repetition of terminology, spelling of these terms improves over time.

All students from Year 7-11 should be familiar with DR G SMITH (see image below).

Click on the glossary tab of the GCSE music web page, which covers the main musical spellings and definitions.

Homework is not set in Year 7, 8 and 9. Students are encouraged to join in with extra-curricular activities and to make time in their week to practice their instruments or work from their singing lessons, should this be relevant to them.

GCSE musicians are set homework according to the school homework timetable. This might include:

• Instrumental or singing practice, especially when approaching a public performance or GCSE recording
• Composition work, which may need to be completed during lunchtime or study club if using specialist software
• Listening work, connected with the ‘Anatomy of Music’ document. This will include appropriate use of YouTube, as directed by class teachers
• Listening work, connected with the eight set works
• Preparation for tests and quizzes
• Practice of exam questions
• Work connected with improving musical literacy

High standards of behaviour are expected at all times. If behaviour is not acceptable then it will be dealt with according to the school behaviour policy. Detentions will be recorded in students’ planners, and persistent poor behaviour will be referred to the Head of Performing Arts. Happily, the standard of behaviour in class music lessons is usually excellent, so this rarely happens.