Term 1:1

Term 1:2

Term 2:1

Term 2:2

Term 3

Unit Title:  Music Around Us

Unit Title: In Tune

Unit Title: Samba!

Unit Title: In Harmony

Unit Title: Minimalism to Club Dance

Learning Focus:   

Appraising & IRDM 

Learning Focus:   

Melody Composition & Structure

Learning Focus:   

Ensemble Performance

Learning Focus:   

Composition

Learning Focus:   

Music Technology  

Rationale:   

This unit acts as a bridge from year 6 into year 7, revisiting music notation as the basic concepts of IRDM. This also links into the bridging unit being developed for use with feeder schools from 2024 – 25.

Rationale:  

From this unit, students are introduced to keyboard skills through a dedicated course which then runs from year 7 into year 8.   After an introductory session, students analyse some of the simpler tunes they have been learning in terms of both their melodic shape and structure with a view to developing their own compositions using music notation.  

Rationale:   

This unit is about developing the students’ rhythmic understanding. So far in the year the focus has been on melody, and this allows for the introduction of more difficult rhythmical concepts.

Rationale:   

This unit revisits the composition that was started in term 1:2 and introduced students to the concept of harmony, intervals and consonance / dissonance.   By the end of this unit, students will have looked at the horizontal sections of music and the vertical sections (layers that make up harmony).  

Rationale:   

This unit is about introducing students to different ways of composing in music. With a focus on notation and keyboard skills, this summative unit encourages students to use some premade loops alongside original content in order to create an extended composition.

Key Vocabulary:   

Treble Clef Stave Dynamics Instruments Pitch Tonality

Key Vocabulary:   

Tonic Dominant Passing Note Auxiliary Note Binary Form Ternary Form  

Key Vocabulary:   

Call & Response Groove On the beat Off the beat Syncopation

Key Vocabulary:  

Consonance Dissonance 2nds 3rds 4ths 5ths 6ths 7ths

Key Vocabulary:   

DAW Sample Copyright Loop Panning Rondo Form

Repertoire:   

Stasis – Sean Foran & Stuart McCallum 

Trumpet Concerto – Haydn

Repertoire:  

 Eine Kleine Nachtmusic (3) – Mozart 

Air from Water Music – Handel    

Repertoire:   

‘Samba Drums’ – Drums of the World 

Se a Vida E – Pet Shop Boys

Repertoire:   

When you’re gone – Mel C, Bryan Adams 

Pearlfishers Duet – Bizet

Repertoire:   

Little Fluffy Clouds – The Orb

They Sink (TOKiMONSTA Remix) – Olarfur Arnalds  

Assessment:   

End of Unit term quiz on terminology and music notation 

Assessment:   

Online submission of composition

Assessment:    

Recording of group performance.

Assessment:   

Online submission of composition

Assessment:   

Online submission of composition Summative end of year exam. 

Term 1:1

Term 1:2

Term 2:1

Term 2:2

Term 3

Unit Title:  Jazz & Blues 

Unit Title: Progressions

Unit Title: Reggae

Unit Title: Film Music (1)

Unit Title: Film Music (2)

Learning Focus:   

Improvisation, Triads  

Learning Focus:   

Composition & Structure

Learning Focus:   

Performance

Learning Focus:   

Composition

Learning Focus:   

Music Technology  

Rationale:   

Following on from the harmony introduced in year 7, this builds on this further by introducing triads, accidentals and blues scales to support the performance of an improvisation as part of the 12 bar blues.  

Rationale:  

This unit directly links to the previous unit as it develops students understanding of the development of popular music in the mid C20th and introduces an extended range of chord progressions, as well as knowledge of the the degrees of the scale

Rationale:   

A significant influence on music from the 1960’s onwards, this unit looks at Reggae, its music and allows students to identify and make links with the Samba unit from year 7 in terms of rhythmic devices

Rationale:   

This unit looks at the growth of film music and its significance to the UK music industry but also its links to programmatic music in the C19th, Opera and the musical devices used to create such pieces.

Rationale:   

This unit is a summative unit which allows students to demonstrate their knowledge and understanding of music though the composition of 2 minute extract for a film extract.

Key Vocabulary:   

Triad Chord Sequence Blues Scale Blue Note Dominant 7th Chords Improvisation    

Key Vocabulary/ Knowledge:   

 Unison, Third, Fifth Intervals Degrees of the scale Triads built upon the scale and tonality Chord Progression Roman Numerals for chords Arabic numerals for intervals  

Key Vocabulary:   

Off the beat Riff Syncopation

Key Vocabulary:  

Programmatic Music Opera Leitmotiv Timbre    

Key Vocabulary/Knowledge:   

Sonority, Voicing, Automation, Balance

Repertoire:   

Match Box Blues – Blind Lemon Jefferson

All Blues – Miles Davies

Repertoire:  

Don’t Stop Believin’ – Journey

Thinking out Loud – Ed Sheeran  

Repertoire:   

Three Little Birds – Bob Marley

Last Boat to Cairo – Madness

Repertoire:   

Symphony No 5 Mvt. 5 – Sibelius 

Theme from Interstellar – Zimmer 

Incidental Music from Encanto – Germaine Franco

Assessment:   

Recording of Blues piece and improvisation  

Assessment:   

Online submission of composition

Assessment:    

Recording of solo performance.

Assessment:   

Creation of two leitmotifs, one for a character and one for a place    

Assessment:   

Film Score composition