Music

Curriculum intent

Our lessons are delivered to reflect the objectives of Queen Elizabeth’s Academy knowledge-rich curriculum ensuring its intent is specific so that content is clearly stated and delivered in varied ways, across different timeframes and allocations to be appropriate to student age related needs, capabilities, interests and aspirations. The curriculum is designed to promote interest and a love of music informing both current and future subject study. Its design supports students’ ability to read the subject developing their subject comprehension, knowledge, vocabulary and ways of thinking.
The curriculums introductory design constantly seeks to prepare and encourage students to access further studies relevant to students’ current and future lives, experiences and aspirations.
Our year 7 to 9 curriculum ensures content is suitably demanding, well sequenced and regularly revisited to coherently balance breadth and depth of study. We aim to make the learning of music meaningful for learners so that all students can enjoy the study of music and be encouraged to study further study.

Christian distinctiveness

Music is a valuable subject for all to study whether you are a gifted musician or have never engaged in music outside of school. Music’s place in education has important wider benefits on personal and social development building confidence, self-esteem, sense of achievement and ability to relate to others as part of a community.

We believe that music also teaches our students of the world around us in terms of how music is displayed in other countries and communities. At QEA we help support charities such as Red Nose Day in our choir dash. This shows students how they can directly help others with the use of music. Music links to our wider life experience. Music is an intrinsic part of our lives. Music can play an active part in developing cultural awareness and celebrating diversity and in this way it has strong links with religious education, geography, citizenship and our wider British values.

Music plays a significant role in creating an appropriate balance between work and play and positively affect our physical and mental wellbeing. It has strong connections to religion and also complements the wider agenda of emotional health and wellbeing – it can help change the way we feel. The study of music is important becomes music is an important component of our human experience. Whether singing, playing, or listening the study of music helps you listen and hear in new ways. Plato said that music “is a more potent instrument than any other for education”. Music requires you to use both sides of your brain and develops your ability to think academically, emotionally, physically and spiritually. What would life be like with no music? Studying music can lead to your personal lifetime pursuit of music for your own personal enjoyment. Fill your life with the power of music.

Knowledge in music

Music is academic, it trains your brain for higher forms of thinking. Music can be physical and like any performance skill requires practice and rehearsal but it also promotes movement through rhythm and promotes health and wellbeing as it demands an emotional engagement. Music is an art form. We are emotional beings and your study of music from year 7 will provide an artistic outlet and a vehicle for expression. Music is for life you may not be able to play an instrument but we can all feel uplifted by music. See it’s study as a gift – you could have fun learning how to play in ensembles, experience the fast paced changes to music technology and perform.

You will listen to musical compositions from a wide variety of genres from classical, different cultures and dance, to pop and film music. Music plays an important role in academy life both inside and outside of your lessons developing a wide range of skill and opportunities to enjoy live music experiences and
participate in music making in a range of genres. Music teaches one to understand critical engagement (listening), expression (performing) creation (composing).

Students will learn

• Practical music skills
• Composition
• Notation
• Aspects of music technology
• Elements of performance
• Cultural richness of music
• Music history

Careers and Aspirations

Study of any subject in the QEA curriculum takes full advantage of links with other subject areas – we term these as interdisciplinary links and we make the most of them because we know that deep learning requires the transference of knowledge and skills from one topic of learning to another.
Once one can transfer learning across topics and subject areas then you are really mastering what one knows and how to apply understanding and skills. In addition to opportunities within the academy, the Diverse Academies Trust organises Trust wide events for our most passionate performers / artists.
This is an opportunity to work with other performing arts students from across the Trust on largescale performances with 200+ performers. These events are held at professional venues such as Retford Majestic Theatre and give the opportunity of performing on in front of family and friends. This promises to be an experience you would never forget!