Music
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Head of Subject
Katya Padlyevs'Ka
Welcome to the Music Department at Ivybridge Community College
Mission Statement
Music Making for All!
At Ivybridge Community College, we have a belief that Music is for everyone regardless of background or prior musical experiences.
Every day, we strive to make Music relevant to students and facilitate genuine musical experiences enabling students to realise their full creative potential.
Analysis, performance and composition are intertwined and form the core of our curriculum.
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Subject Benefit
The benefits of music within education are huge. Being a musician shows universities and employers that you can work in groups, solve problems, listen and be creative. There is extensive research outlining links between learning a musical instrument and attainment across the whole College. Most importantly, music making is fun, it offers the chance to make friends and be part of groups of musicians, and gives you the opportunity to be creative.
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Subject Aims
To grow a musician through analysis, performance and composition |
To make music a relevant and engaging subject
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To foster creativity and love for the subject |
To provide a wide range of musical experiences for all students |
To offer a wide range of extra-curricular musical opportunities including different genres and ability points |
To recognise students’ musical interests and respect,
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To embrace technology, and new music,
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To embed key music vocabulary and music reading skills
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To promote students’ authenticity and musicianship through active listening, music appraising, performing, composing and collaborative music-making, both in and out the classroom |
To develop performance skills, both as a soloist
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To develop well-rounded musicians |
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Music Staff
Head of Music
Miss Katya Padlyevs’ka
Teacher of Music
Miss Katya Padlyevs’ka |
Mrs Webber |
Mrs Stephenson |
Mr Allen |
Teacher in charge of RSL L3 Subsidiary Diploma for Music Practitioners
(Performing Pathway)
Miss Katya Padlyevs’ka
Teacher in charge of
A Level Music
Mrs Mary Webber
Teacher in charge of
Primary Liaison
and Ivybridge Music Centre
Mrs Hannah Stephenson
Staff in charge of Music Tuition
Mr Simon Whitehorn
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For more information regarding our 22 Peripatetic Staff,
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What the Music Department Offers
Producing the next generation of Musicians... The Music Department of Ivybridge Community College is inclusive and strives to provide varied, challenging and relevant musical experiences for all students, both inside and outside of the classroom.
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Curriculum Organisation and Courses
Central to the Department is an ethos of team-work and collaboration. We aim to deliver a range of qualifications and opportunities for all students to ensure a well-suited course of study is able for all kinds of musicians.
The curriculum comprises of...
Key Stage 3 Music |
GCSE Music |
A Level Music |
RSL L3 Subsidiary Diploma for Music Practitioners
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Key Stage 3 Music
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For more information on the Key Stage 3 Music Curriculum,
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The Aims of the Course
Rationale: By the end of Key Stage 3 (Year 9), students will have been taught to:
Play and perform confidently in a range of solo and ensemble contexts using their voice, playing instruments musically, fluently and with accuracy and expression |
Improvise and compose; and extend and develop musical ideas by drawing on a range of musical structures, styles, genres and traditions |
Use staff and other relevant notations appropriately and accurately in a range of musical styles, genres and traditions |
Identify and use the inter-related dimensions of music expressively and with increasing sophistication, including use of tonalities, different types of scales and other musical devices |
Listen with increasing discrimination to a wide range of music from great composers and musicians |
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Course Content
Our Music Department is alive with a passion for all kinds of music – we aim to make Music learning as practical as possible, done ‘with’ and ‘by’ our students, not ‘to’ and ‘for’ them.
Our Schemes of Learning are constantly evolving in line with our students’ musical interests – this year we are looking at everything from Blues to Film music and Music Technology to Minimalism and song-writing. We have a belief that music is a collaborative activity, and our students will get to work in pairs and groups as well as independently. Students will explore a wide variety of musical experiences in our lessons...
Performing in a range of contexts
Composing different styles
Improving as part of an ensemble
Listening to a range of music and appraising it
Students work practically, and present their work through audio and video recordings as well as notational idioms as we believe that Music should be understood, experienced and performed.
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Marking and Assessment
Assessment in Music is student focused, and student led. Marking is completed in line with clear assessment criteria for each topic – allowing students to check-off skills, monitor their progress and most importantly identify how to improve. Assessment reflections are recorded in students’ Music books allowing them to monitor progress over the course of topics, and the year.
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How You can Assist your Child
- Encourage your child to get involved with Music outside of lessons in the many extra-curricular activities on offer.
- Encourage them to listen to Music (services like Spotify and Google Music are brilliant to allow students to listen to a range of music).
- Encourage them to rehearse – there are loads of opportunities to do this at lunch and after College within the Department.
- Get them to experiment with Music Technology – each student has an account with YuMu Studio and can record and compose at home using a device or computer with an internet connection.
- Speak to the Music Department if your child wants to learn an instrument.
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To speak with a member of staff regarding Music Tuition for your child, please click the link below.
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Music Enrichment and Extra Curricular
Our Enrichment Programme is inclusive and open to anyone who wants to continue their music learning and development – this includes ensembles, such as Key Stage 3 Performance Workshops, Pitch Perfect and more. We also run an Extra-Curricular programme for those of a high level on specific instruments – these ensembles are directed by expert musicians and include...
Junior Orchestra |
Big Band |
Flute Ensemble |
Wind Band |
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Equipment
In order for students to fully access the range of learning and resources the Music Department has available, students should bring in their own headphones to every lesson. These need to be compatible with using Personal Computers.
Key Stage 4 Music
Key Stage 4
At Key Stage 4 we run the
WJEC Eduqas
GCSE Music Course.
This GCSE is ideal for students who enjoy listening to music, performing music and creating their own music. Students are not required to be having instrumental lessons to take GCSE Music but they do need to be dedicated to improving their performance skills on their chosen instrument/voice and are advised to practise regularly. Perfect practice makes perfect!
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The Aims of Key Stage 4
Rationale: The WJEC Eduqas GCSE in Music offers a broad and coherent course of study which encourages learners to:
Engage actively in the process of music study |
Develop performing skills individually and in groups to communicate musically with fluency and control of the resources used |
Develop composing skills to organise musical ideas
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Recognise links between the integrated activities of performing, composing and appraising and how this informs the development of music |
Broaden musical experience and interests, develop imagination
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Develop knowledge, understanding
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Develop awareness of a variety of instruments, styles and approaches to performing and composing |
Develop awareness of music technologies
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Recognise contrasting genres, styles and traditions of music, and develop some awareness of musical chronology |
Develop as effective and independent learners with enquiring minds |
Reflect upon and evaluate their own and others’ music |
Engage with and appreciate the diverse heritage of music, in order to promote personal, social, intellectual and cultural development |
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Course Content
GCSE Music is about making Music and understanding it – lesson time will be spent exploring a wide range of musical styles and genres through...
Listening |
Appraising |
Rehearsing |
Composing |
Performing |
...students’ own music. Students will also become familiar with a range of different notational and recording music software allowing them to take full ownership of the creation, performance, recording and editing of their own music. Home learning will involve rehearsing pieces and practising your instrument/voice, developing and completing own compositions and listening to music to complete a variety of mini research projects, appraising tasks and theory exercises.
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Course Overview
What will you study?
Component 1:
Performing (30%)
Students have to perform a minimum of two pieces, one of which must be an ensemble performance of at least one minute duration. The other piece(s) may be either solo and/or ensemble. Total duration of performances must be 4-6 minutes. One of the pieces performed must link to an Area of Study of the student’s choice. Appropriate scores must be provided. Grade 3 Music is the standard level and can score full marks if played perfectly. Students can use any instrument or voice, or choose a technology option and can choose the songs they perform. A substantial part of the course is devoted to developing performance skills. Performances will be recorded using professional quality equipment.
Component 2:
Composing (30%)
Students have to compose two pieces of music, one of which must be in response to a brief set by WJEC. Students will choose one brief from a choice of four, each linked to a different area of study. The briefs will be released during the first week of September in the academic year in which the assessment is taken (Year 11). The second composition is a free composition for which students set their own brief and can write in ANY style. Appropriate scores must be provided. Total duration of compositions must be 3-6 minutes.
Composing music is not easy but techniques and ideas will be developed to allow students to write their own music. You can use any techniques you want to compose; live band, multi-tracking recording, notation, sequencing and computers.
Component 3:
Appraising
Written Examination (40%)
This is a paper with eight questions in total, two on each of the four areas of study: Area of study 1: Musical Forms and Devices; Area of study 2: Music for Ensemble; Area of Study 3: Film Music and Area of Study 4: Popular Music. Two of the eight questions are based on extracts set by WJEC. The exam will focus on three main topics: Elements of Music, the Context (the time, place, and purpose for music) and Musical Language (musical terms, notation and any specific vocabulary associated with the set works).
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Do I need to be able to read and write music?
It would be highly beneficial but not compulsory. Basic music reading and notation skills have already been covered in your Year 7, 8 and 9 lessons and we will build on this in lesson time. Students are able to present compositions in a variety of ways including scores, lead sheets, annotations and written descriptions.
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Do I need to be able to play an instrument or sing?
Yes. The course is practical, so it is essential you already play an instrument or sing - but it is not compulsory to be having instrumental lessons. If you are interested in lessons, please refer to Music Tuition Booklet on College website.
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For more information on Music Tuition
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How you can assist your child
- Encourage them to listen to a wide variety of Music (Services like Spotify, Apple Music and Google Music are brilliant to allow students to listen to a range of music).
- Encourage them to rehearse regularly, there are loads of opportunities to do this at lunch and after school within the Department.
- Speak to the Music Department if your child wants to learn an instrument
- Encourage your child to get involved with Music outside of lessons in the many extra-curricular activities on offer including our weekly Composition Session after College.
- Encourage them to use GCSE revision* and theory websites such as BBC GCSE bitesize and the Music Theory website.
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To view the Music Theory Website,
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- Encourage them to experiment with Music Technology (there are so many free, or very cheap apps allowing students to make music now on tablets and PCs – Audiotool, Audiosauna, Garageband, Soundation etc.)
*Full list of all revision resources is available in students’ class booklets.
Key Stage 5 Music
Key Stage 5
At Key Stage 5 we offer...
AS and A Level Music
and also
Level 3 RSL Subsidiary Diploma for Music Practitioners
courses, allowing students to focus on the music they are inspired by, and learn the music skills they wish to further develop that will best prepare them for the next stage of their development as a musician.
For the further details about these courses’ content and assessment requirements please see College’s Sixth Form Prospectus.
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To view the latest
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A Level Music
We are following the
AQA
Specification
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Level 3 RSL for Music Practitioners
Level 3 RSL for Music Practitioners is a vocational course and has direct links with the music industry. It gives learners the knowledge, understanding and skills that they need to prepare for employment in the music industry as well as valuable skills for other career paths. The focus is on modern popular music but students are required to work in a wide range of familiar and unfamiliar styles within this general area. The course features units on developing music performance techniques, being able to lead music making activity, understanding styles, and in the second year, students work towards planning a career in music and their externally assessed unit, Rehearsal Skills and Live Performance culminating in a large-scale work.