Music

Music is a creative subject where students have the opportunity to express themselves through musical activities. DCC has outstanding facilities for Performing Arts, which include an ICT mac suite with logic pro and Garageband for composing, interactive whiteboards a practical room with synthesizer/keyboards and two practice rooms fitted with keyboards and drum kits. There is also a recording studio and the facility to record from any of the music rooms into the studio.

Throughout Key Stage 3, Music is part of the National Curriculum. At DCC Year 7 and 8 students have one lesson per week taught by a specialist music teacher, then specialise in music in Year 9 they can opt for GCSE music. In lessons, students will develop their performance skills both as an ensemble and solo, rehearsal processes and units of work that looks into the world of work within the music industry.

In Music students can develop the skills of communication, teamwork, confidence and creativity. Students are offered a huge amount of extra-curricular activities at DCC, including clubs and workshops at lunchtimes and after school. All extra-curricular activities work towards enriching and developing students’ technique and performance skills with students performing throughout the year in concerts and performances in College and in the wider community. Our extra-curricular clubs and bands include Glee Club, Samba Band, Jazz Band, String group, Guitar group and Band practices and rehearsals for the whole school musical.

Instrumental lessons are available for all students through the Tameside Music Service on the following instruments: Strings, Woodwind and Saxophone, Drums, Piano/Keyboard, Voice and Guitar

Inspire

In Year 7, students’ the opportunity to explore a variety of musical activities. Students’ develop their composing, listening and appraising and performance skills throughout the year. They learn basic notation and keyboard skills and learn how to develop and change compositions to create fanfares, own lyrics and improve performances of music from a wide range of sources. Students are encouraged to learn independently by rehearsing, practicing and refine their music by considering what skills and techniques are required to create a good performance or composition.

In Year 8, students continue to develop their composing, listening and appraising and performance skills through a variety of styles and topics including Jazz and Blues, Hooks and riffs and group performance etc. Throughout the academic year students are regularly required to observe and evaluate their own work and that of their peers considering strengths, weaknesses and targets for improvement in order to improve their work.

Aspire

In Year 9, students opt for Music as a specialism and complete the BTEC Level 2 Extended Certificate.

Students are required to pass four units of work; Working in the music industry, Professional Development in the music industry, solo musical performance and Working as a Musical Ensemble and the course is delivered to provide the students with as many opportunities as possible to meet the criteria of these units. The BTEC is all coursework based and students are constantly assessed throughout the course.

Students have the opportunity to learn a variety of musical styles in their individual music lessons and through the Samba Band ensemble. The work completed for all of the units are then assessed against the BTEC criteria and they have to complete a written evaluation of the process and their final performance.

KS4

In KS4, students have the opportunity to study Music at GCSE level.

All Key stage 4 students have three one hour lessons per week with both theoretical and practical lessons built in. Students are also offered instrumental lessons as part of the course to further develop skills and to work with professional musicians.

The GCSE course is 30% Performance, where students perform two pieces no shorter than 4 minutes, One as a solo and one with a group.

30% Composition, in which the students produce 2 original pieces. One in which they have free reign over the style, and another which is set by the exam board. They must last a minimum total of 3 minutes.

40% Listening Exam, where students listen to a variety of music pieces and answer questions

Staff

Lead Teacher of Music – Mrs Claire Hague

Teacher of Music, Head of KS4 – Mrs Nichola Bird