| Unit | Content |
|---|---|
| Unit 1 Carmen | This project is an introduction to Bizet’s Carmen. Students study the music and characters of the opera and related works. They compose a piece in the habanera style, learning how to perform a chord sequence and to write a melody and counter-melody. The project focuses on chords, melodies, character, ensemble playing and composing to a given brief. Key knowledge developed:
Key skills developed:
Assessment: Students receive formative assessment on their work throughout the unit. Their habanera compositions are assessed formally at the end of the unit and they complete an in-class listening activity that tests their understanding of Bizet's opera. |
| Unit 2 West African Drumming | In this unit, students explore the drumming culture of West Africa through listening, performance and composition. They learn basic djembe drumming techniques, including call and response patterns, complementary rhythms, and improvisation. They listen to and perform a range of music from Senegal, Ghana, Liberia and other West African countries. Key knowledge developed:
Key skills developed:
Assessment: Students receive formative assessment on their work throughout the unit. Their final assessment tests their ability to performance a call and response pattern in a djembe ensemble, sing a Liberian song in three parts, maintain a steady pulse, and perform complementary rhythms with accuracy. |
| Unit 3 Human Locomotion | This project develops students’ knowledge of the function and techniques of film music. It consolidates their understanding of the ways in which music is used in film, focusing specifically on music that accompanies human locomotion. It emphasises the ways in which musical ideas can communicate energy and excitement. It develops students’ ability to compose their own music in response to the moving image. Key knowledge developed:
Key skills developed:
Assessment: Students receive formative assessment on their work throughout the unit. Their final film scores are assessed formally at the end of the unit and they complete an in-class listening activity that tests their understanding of the unit's key concepts. |
| Unit 4 Hook, Line, Singer | In this unit, students encounter the concept of musical arrangement. They learn about how music can be arranged, or 'covered', studying six songs each in two arrangements. They learn how arrangements can target a song towards the listening needs and tastes of a particular audience. The project focuses on developing students’ awareness of the techniques of arrangement as well as their own skills as arrangers. Key knowledge developed:
Key skills developed:
Assessment: Students receive formative assessment on their work throughout the unit. Their final arrangements are assessed formally at the end of the unit and they complete an in-class listening activity that tests their understanding of the ways in which musical elements can be manipulated to produce an arrangement or cover version. |
