Music

Our music curriculum is designed to be captivating and inclusive. It enables all pupils to develop confidence and resilience through performance, composition and active listening. As musicians as well as teachers, we will encourage children to value and develop their own creative identities through expressing themselves and communicating with others. Our aim is that they will leave school having built an inherent appreciation, understanding and life-long love of music.

Our topics are the vehicle to explore the knowledge, understanding and skills that are the framework of the curriculum. These are frequently revisited and prepare students for further study and for musical contexts outside of school. By exploring the contribution of diverse range of musicians across a variety of musical genres from different social, cultural and historical contexts and the wider world, we provide an opportunity for students of all backgrounds and musical tastes to engage with, be inspired by and progress musically throughout their school life.

Key Stage 3

Key Stage 3 students receive 2 hours of curriculum music over the fortnightly timetable. The department consists of 2 keyboard teaching rooms, 1 computer suite, a recording studio and 4 further practice rooms.

The TA Curriculum for KS3 Music has been informed by wider reading of music educators, experts in pedagogy and the model music curriculum (March 2021).

Students are given opportunities throughout the three large projects in each year of KS3 to develop and hone their skills on a variety of instruments. At TA we ensure that all students have the opportunity to develop keyboard/piano skills using both treble and bass clef; learn basic guitar chords and strumming patterns; singing as part of a vocal ensemble and soloist (where students desire to do so); bass guitar tablature is explored in Year 7-9. The drumkit is also covered, ensuring students understand the different parts of the kit and how to utilise this in different styles of music. Students are encouraged to explore and develop skills on these instruments as a basis, but any instruments they already play or desire to play can also be incorporated to the learning in these projects. Year 7 & 8 Glastonbury project and Year 9 Live Lounge project are examples of students developing and honing these skills, relating this to the wider world and the music industry. Teaching of these instruments happens as whole class demonstration, small group work and 1:1 teaching. Through the use of adaptive practice in the classroom we ensure that all students can access the curriculum and achieve their own potential.

Year 7

How Do We Capture the Spirit of Carnival?

What Makes a Great Composer?

Glastonbury

Year 8

How Does Music Narrate the Struggle for Equality

What Makes a Great Composer?

Glastonbury

Year 9

Bringing Moving Image to Life

How Can Music Tell My Story

Live Lounge

GCSE Music

Students can develop their skills and understanding further by undertaking OCR GCSE Music throughout Year 10 and Year 11. They receive 5 hours of curriculum lessons across a fortnightly timetable. All department computers are equipped with Sibelius and all students across KS3 and 4 have access to Soundtrap sequencing software. We also have a recording studio with Cubase software. All GCSE students also have access to Focus on Sound, a multimedia learning platform, to support all areas of the GCSE specification. With the incredible resources, staff deliver a structured curriculum that encourages independent compositional styles to be developed in Music. Topics are varied in each half term to meet the appraising demands of each specification. There are performance lessons built into curriculum along with opportunities to perform in a full calendar of performance evenings and school assemblies.

Part B: Co-curricular music

This is about opportunities for pupils to sing and play music, outside of lesson time, including choirs, ensembles and bands, and how pupils can make progress in music beyond the core curriculum.

Music tuition is a popular activity at Tewkesbury Academy with students from across all ages and abilities. Lessons are timetable throughout the school day but can be scheduled outside of this at the parent/carer’s request. For example, at tutor time, or directly after the end of the school day. Lessons are taught in 20 and 30-minute slot and occur on a weekly basis, with students attending during their school timetable. Careful consideration has been given to the timetabling of this to ensure that student learning in one subject is not affected, with a rotation timetable each week. Students who opt for a musical subject at Key Stage 4 and 5 currently receive a 20% subsidy towards the cost of their in-school instrumental music tuition. Additionally, pupil premium funding is also available for those that qualify for these payments. These ordinarily cover 50% of paired tuition costs. Currently we offer tuition for the following instruments in our purpose-built teaching/rehearsal rooms.

Flute

Violin

Cello

Piano

Keyboard

Electric Keyboard

Saxophone

Drums

Voice

Clarinet

Guitar (acoustic, electric and bass)

Music Technology

Other instruments may be available on request.

Generic terms and conditions:

Students are taught individually, or pairs (for some instruments) based on a rotational timetable.
Students receive a 20 or 30 minute music lesson during the school day each week.
Timetables are displayed in the Music Department.
Students are responsible for turning up to their lessons on time.
There are typically between 10-12 lesson slots available in each term. The cost can be viewed by following this live link Instrumental Tuition Form
Bills are sent to the fee payer prior to the start of each term by the instrumental teacher.
Individual teachers will let you know about their payment terms and conditions. Failure to pay by the date required on the invoice will result in a student being removed from a tuition list.
4 weeks notice is necessary for cancellation of lessons – charges are made for late notice.
Refunds due to pupil absence are unfortunately unavailable.

We can assist with instrument loans for students who require this facility.

In addition to this, we facilitate and support graded music exams from ABRSM, Trinity, LCRM and Rock School. This is highly successful, and each year we have students completing exams across the range of grades, from Grade 1 to Grade 6, with several students reaching Grade 7 and Grade 8 in recent years, also.

Tewkesbury Academy Music Department – Ensembles
Department and peripatetic staff run a full and varied programme of co-curricular activities throughout the academic calendar.

The current timetable is as follows:
Wednesday – Diamante Female Vocal Group
Wednesday – Big Noise Guitar Ensemble
Wednesday – House Band
Thursday – Tewkesbury Voices student and staff community vocal group
Friday – Voicebox KS3 singing club

There is no audition process for Music Department clubs, but we hope that students will be committed and dedicated once they join. There is no fee for this.
Students can book our practice spaces at breaktime, lunchtimes and after school during the week. This is done by agreement with a music teacher.

Part C: Music events

This is about all the other musical events and opportunities that we organise, such as singing in assembly, concerts and shows, and trips to professional concerts.

Music experiences are a strength of our Academy, and we aim for as many students as possible to be able to attend, participate or be involved in some way. Below are further details.

December – Christmas Music Extravaganza at Tewkesbury Abbey

February – Production with the Drama Department at Tewkesbury Academy– Down the Rabbit Hole

April – Spring Concert at TA

May – Year 7 Showcase at TA

May – Mayor Making Ceremony at Tewkesbury Abbey

May – Year 13 Leaver’s Service at Tewkesbury Abbey

Trips

The Music Department, along with the Drama Department, would like to take groups of students to see a Musical production. This has happened on numerous occasions in the past.

In the future

This is about what the school is planning for subsequent years.

In the future:

The Music Department will continue to offer high-quality musical education across the Key Stages. Staff will continue work closely with trust colleagues along with other local secondary schools.

Department Staff would like to work more closely with the feeder primary schools with a focus on stimulating more interest in instrumental playing from an earlier age.

We are very excited to be returning to Tewkesbury Abbey for the first time since the pandemic for our Christmas Music event. We have developed a highly successful event which we have held at TA for the last few years. This development will be an amazing opportunity for students to perform in the community at such a prestigious venue.

Whole School productions have previously brought a sense of community to the school. The teamwork and dedication that students display in their pursuit of excellence in large scale productions remains the pinnacle of achievements in Performing Arts at TA. We are excited to be working alongside the Drama Department this year on our production of “Down the Rabbit Hole”. Due to changes of staffing in the drama department this will be our debut production collaborating with them. We are very excited about this! Following on from this production we will be looking to develop this further with a larger production next academic year. As a music department we have previously produced Godspell, Grease, We Will Rock You and Beauty and the Beast.

The Roses Theatre has provided us with a great venue for productions in the past. We would like to work more closely with them in the future to provide our students with the opportunity to perform at the venue in future productions.

Aim to improve our links with our local music hub, Gloucestershire Music

Hope to explore further music trips to provide students with excellent opportunities but also an experience of different pathways into the Music and the Arts.