Vision

At Magna Academy, we aim to create the very best musicians. We challenge students to think, perform and discuss like those working in the music industry. This is achieved through quality teaching, challenging our students to understand different styles of music. We do this by exploring, discussing and demonstrating their understanding and creativity through performance, composition, through collaboration with their peers and through evaluation of their own work.

Intent

The whole of the Key Stage 3 curriculum requires students to work collaboratively, whilst being open to others opinions and abilities as well. Developing the confidence of our students is another vital part of our curriculum and students are regularly challenged to perform their ideas to each other whilst being encouraged to evaluate the success of these performances.

Although what goes on in the classroom is important, it is only part of what our musicians do at Magna. For whilst we want students to achieve the very best exam result possible, we believe our curriculum goes beyond what is examinable. Through both the music department and working with our colleagues in the Performing Arts department we offer a range of extra-curricular opportunities for students who want to develop their musical and performance skills beyond their classroom learning. Our ensembles are varied, offering opportunities to a wide range of students, allowing them to collaborate with others and develop their performance skills, understanding and love of the Arts. Individual instrumental lessons are available to all students throughout the academy.

We offer student opportunities to watch live performances and theatre, exposing students to live music and performance. All students involved in Music at Magna are given regular opportunities to perform in front of others both as individuals and with the various groups. This builds on their performance skills and also helps to develop their confidence and understanding as musicians.

Implementation

We implement our intent through regular lessons in Key Stage 3 (in rotation with Drama). We plan our schemes of work collaboratively with the Drama department to encourage students to use their performance skills across both subjects. This allows students consistent input regardless of the subject they are in. At Key Stage 4 we are offering both a Vocational and a GCSE in Music, allowing all students to access the course and subject, regardless of prior experience.

Music Curriculum Overview
Music Age Related Expectations
Music Assessment Journey

Impact

By the end of Key Stage 3, students will have gained an aural knowledge of some of the great musical output of human civilisation, engaged with creative processes through improvisation and composition, built an understanding of how musical elements work and discussed how these interact with subjective and objective models of musical meaning.

Students will show a developed knowledge of a wider range of notes and will have improved their fluency in music notation. Notation can grant access to a lifelong passion for music making if this skill is nurtured. It is this that is at the heart of what we do, allowing all students, regardless of background or experience to become life-long musicians, able to appreciate and discuss a wide range of music and culture.

Where next

Effective Revision

This is a very important time in the life of any student preparing for a variety of year group assessments, mocks or final course exams. In…

Effective Revision

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