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Music
Intention:
The study of music explores the language of sound, emotion, and culture through listening, performing, composing, and understanding notation. As both an academic discipline and an expressive art form, music connects students to history, creativity, and the wider world. Through rigorous skill development and creative exploration, music empowers students to communicate meaningfully, think critically, and express themselves with confidence and artistry. Music fosters a lifelong appreciation of the arts and a deep sense of identity, belonging, and cultural awareness.
Key Stage 3
KS3 Music develops foundational skills in musical notation, listening, performance, and composition through hands-on, engaging lessons. Students explore a wide range of genres, traditions, and musical forms while learning to read and write music, play instruments, and use technology to create their own compositions. Regular listening activities deepen musical understanding and analytical thinking, while performing and composing build confidence, discipline, and teamwork.
Music lessons are currently taught once a week for Year 7, 8 and 9. Lessons aim to inspire curiosity, encourage creativity, and provide every student with the tools to express themselves musically, both as individuals and collaborators.
Key Stage 4
This specification focusses on the three areas of appraising music (40%), performing (30%) and composing (30%). Students have the options of performing vocally or instrumentally and work as soloists and ensembles. When composing, students work professionally to a brief as well as having the opportunity to explore a free composition. All GCSE students are encouraged to take instrumental or vocal tuition to enhance their potential in examinations; the department facilitate this and encourage participation in enrichment opportunities to further support progress. GCSE students follow the Eduqas specification.
| HT1 | HT2 | HT3 | HT4 | HT5 | HT6 | |
| Year | Autumn 1 | Autumn 2 | Spring 1 | Spring 2 | Summer 1 | Summer 2 |
| Year 7 | Music FUNdamentals (singing) | Writing your own piece of music on Bandlaf, all | Introduction to Bandlab | Orchestral and Baroque Music (Appraising) | World Music (Appraising & Bandlab) | Disco (Bandlab) |
| Beat, Pitch, Solfa Scale, Melody, Rhythm Recognition and healthy singing techniques. | Notation on the treble clef stave, Structure of the Blues, I-IV-V chord progressions and playing Blues pieces on the keyboard. | Note Value consolidation, Programming notes into the MIDI Editor, Metronome, Dynamics, Structure. Creating a piece of music to a brief. | Historical context of music notation, Great composers, Time Signatures, Instrumentation and Articulation. Accurately describing the elements of music of Baroque music. | Chinese Pentatonic Scale, Samba and Djembe Rhythms. Creating a piece of world music for performance or presentation on Bandlab. | Beat, Rhythm, Instrumentation and history of Disco music as music for dancing. | |
| Year 8 | The Classical Period on Keyboard | Musical Theatre - Hadestown (Singing & Appraising) | Reggae (Bandlab / Keyboards or Instruments of choice) | Pop Music - The Four Chord Trick (Keyboards) | Pop Songwriting into BandLab | Super Hero Composing (Bandlab or Instruments of Choice) |
| Identifying note names on the keyboard, Accurately playing C Major and A Minor Scales. Playing chords and scales simultaneously. Piece focus: Für Elise. | The form of Musical Theatre, Vocal Types and styles of singing, Identifying and explaining musical elements within songs. Song Focus: How We Build The Wall. | Origins of Reggae in 1960s–70s Jamaica, Rastafari and Social Commentary, Offbeat Skank, Syncopation, Bass Riffs and Dub. Recreating a reggae song on Bandlab, keyboards or instruments of choice. | History of Pop Music and Britpop, Verse/Chorus Structure, Hooks and Riffs, the I-V-vi-IV Four Chord Trick. Playing the chords and melodies of well-known pop songs on the keyboard. | Thhank you for giving me the for next s=assesment peiord, | The role of music in film, Leitmotif, Ostinato, Underscore, Mickey-Mousing, Diegetic and Non-Diegetic Sound, using the elements of music to create mood and tension. Composing an original superhero theme to a film clip. | |
| Year 9 | Hamilton (Keyboard) | Hamilton Motifs | Gospel To Grime (bandlab) | Trailblazing Composers | Composing To A Brief (Bandlab or instrument of choice) | |
| Hamilton as a fusion of Hip-Hop and Broadway, Rap and Flow, Chords and Melody of My Shot on the keyboard, Motif Identification. Performing a section of Hamilton on keyboard and writing an original rap opener. | How motifs tell the story and develop character, Motif Transformation (Augmentation, Diminution, Inversion), Orchestration, Arrangement and Score Reading. Creating a Bandlab arrangement built from an original motif. | The evolution of Black British and American music from Gospel through Soul and Funk to Grime, Call and Response, Syncopation, Sampling, Loops and Layering, Social Commentary. Singing in a gospel style and creating a Bandlab remix blending features of at least two genres. | Romantic composers and Programme Music through to trailblazing modern composers, Chromaticism, Minimalism, Steve Reich and Phasing, Looping, Sampling and Electronic Music. Composing a minimalist-inspired piece on Bandlab. | Responding to a brief, the purpose and history of TV Theme Tunes, Hooks, Leitmotif, Instrumentation for mood and identity, Target Audience. Composing an original theme tune, then annotating and evaluating compositional decisions in preparation for GCSE. | ||
| Year 10 | AoS 1: Musical Forms & Devices | AoS 1: Musical Forms & Devices (continued) | AoS 4: Popular Music | AoS 2: Music for Ensemble | AoS 4: Popular Music | AoS 3: Film Music |
| Bach: Badinerie (set work), Binary, Ternary and Rondo Form, Theme and Variations, Counterpoint, Imitation, Sequence and Ornamentation. Music theory: Key and Time Signatures, Circle of Fifths, Intervals and Notation. Composition 1 begins; solo performance. | Sonata Form, Modulation, Relative and Parallel Major/Minor, Transposition, Augmentation, Diminution and Inversion. Comparing Baroque, Classical and Romantic styles, listening exam practice. Composition 1 drafted; solo performance rehearsal. | Toto: Africa (set work), Popular Music styles (Rock, Pop, Soul, Hip-Hop), Synthesisers and Drum Machines, Riffs, Hooks, Vocal Harmony, Studio Production and Cross-Rhythms. Composition 1 completed; solo performance. | Blues and Jazz features, Ensemble Textures and Roles, Chord Symbols and Lead Sheets, Walking Bass, Swing Rhythm, Improvisation. Aural skills: recognising intervals and chords. Ensemble performance; Composition 1 final stages. | Revisiting Toto: Africa and wider popular music theory, Consolidation of AoS 1, 2 and 4, Listening practice under timed conditions and end of year mock exam. Ensemble and solo performance preparation. | Leitmotif, Underscore, Stingers, Mickey-Mousing, Diegetic and Non-Diegetic Sound, Ostinato and Dissonance. How Melody, Harmony, Structure, Rhythm, Tonality, Metre and Instrumentation create mood and character. Composition 1 submitted; Composition 2 planning begins. | |
| Year 11 | AoS 3: Film Music / Composition 2 | AoS 4: Popular Music - Set Work / Performance Recordings | AoS 4: Popular Music (continued) | Revision | Revision | Exam |
| Film Music consolidated through analysis of familiar and unfamiliar works. Composition 2 brief released: composing an extended piece in response to a brief, with annotation and evaluation. Ensemble performance; solo performance refinement. | Toto: Africa in depth (score and recording), Popular Music across styles, Comparing works within the Area of Study, Listening practice. Composition 2 development; solo and ensemble performance recordings. | Popular Music continued, Revision of key terminology across all four Areas of Study, Timed listening practice and mock exam. Composition 2 completed; performances finalised. | Structured revision of all four Areas of Study, Past paper practice, Familiar and unfamiliar listening, Structuring extended answers, Targeted support from mock results. Final performance recordings and composition portfolio submitted. | Final revision and exam preparation, Rapid recall of key terms, Listening exam simulation, Exam technique and time management. All coursework completed and checked. | Students sit the GCSE Music Listening and Appraising exam. Compositions 1 & 2 and Solo & Ensemble Performances are moderated externally. | |
The Twickenham Music Department Follows the WJEC Eduqas specification which can be found here
https://www.eduqas.co.uk/media/akxduier/eduqas-gcse-music-spec-from-2016-e-050225.pdf
Instrumental tuition, to support the KS3 curriculum, is offered by the Open2music. More information can be found here https://music-in-education.co.uk/home
Students have the opportunity to access the following qualifications in Music:
- Music GCSE (Eduqas)
- Grades through Open 2 Music
- Trinity grades through a Master Learner Program
Extra-Curricular Music
|
Activity |
Run by |
Time |
Charging details |
Day |
Instrument |
|
Instrumental tuition |
Open 2 Music |
All day |
Charged |
Monday - Tuesday |
Drums, Guitar, Bass, Piano |
|
Twickenham Choir |
Music Dept |
1:15 – 1:50 |
Free |
Wednesday |
Singing |
|
Show Choir |
Music Dept |
3:00 – 4:15 |
Free |
Tuesday |
Singing |
|
Production Band Rehearsal |
Music Dept |
3:00 – 5:00 |
Free |
Friday |
|
|
School Production Singing |
Music Dept |
3-4:30pm |
Free |
Tuesdays and Thursdays |
Singing |
- Band/individual practice in practice rooms at break, lunch times and after school (free) Monday - Friday
Musical Events
|
Musical event |
How do students get involved? |
Open to which year groups? |
How are students involved? |
Charging information |
|
|
Singing at local primary schools’ |
Attending Singing Group rehearsals |
All years |
Singing at the event as participants |
Free |
|
|
Singing at various school-based presentation events |
Attending Singing Group rehearsals |
All years |
Singers and all Instrumentalists |
Free |
|
|
Performances during Assemblies |
Attending Group rehearsals, Participate in music and/or private lessons |
All years |
All instruments |
Free |
|
|
Performing at Arts evenings and concerts |
Attending Singing Group rehearsals |
All years |
Singers and all Instrumentalists |
A small charge to all audience members |
|
|
Performing at the Winter Cabaret |
Attending Singing Group rehearsals |
All years |
Singing at the event as participants |
Free |
|
|
Performing at the Spring Soiree |
Attending Singing Group rehearsals |
All years |
Singing at the event as participants |
Free |
|
|
Trips - West End Musicals, The Royal Opera House, Royal Albert Hall and The Southbank Centre |
All Students |
All Years |
Audience |
Subsidised West End prices |
|
|
School Production Performances |
Auditions and attending rehearsals for performers and as part of the Twickenham Band |
All years |
Singing, acting and dancing in the event |
A small charge for all audience members |
|
In the future
We would like to:
- Increase the number of KS3 students in the school singing group
- International Choir trip
- Increase the number of GCSE students
- Increase participation in string, brass and woodwind instruments
- Create an outdoor Summer Music and Arts Festival
Overview
|
Detail |
Information |
|
Academic year that this summary covers |
2026 - 2027 |
|
Date this summary was published |
September, 2026 |
|
Date this summary will be reviewed |
September 2027 |
|
Name of the school music lead |
Nikki Aitken |
|
Name of school leadership team member with responsibility for music (if different) |
Lawrence Hepburn |
|
Name of other music education organisation(s) (if partnership in place) |
Open2Music |
Key Features of KS3 Music lessons:
- Music lessons at KS3 are one hour a week
- Lessons at KS3 focus on the skills of:
- Critical listening
- Research and literacy
- Performance (live or recorded)
- Creating / composing
The Music department follows the AQA specification, which can be found here:
