Our Aim

The Music Department at Edmonton strives to provide students with a wide understanding and appreciation of musical styles and cultures so pupils may form their own choices and opinions if the music they listen to. We aim to do this through a range of opportunities:

• To experience music as a practical and creative subject
• To learn to listen to and evaluate music, developing a perceptive, sensitive and analytical response to all types of music
• To develop individual musical skills and tastes on various different instruments
• To make music with others and enjoy the subject as a social activity, developing communication skills and group work
• To develop the ability to evaluate progress and achievement, strengths and weaknesses
• To develop an open mind when listening to and performing new or different types of music
• To provide intellectual and aesthetic stimulation
• To equip pupils with a broad general knowledge of musical concepts and an appreciation of a variety of musical styles through performing, composing, listening and appraising
• To promote the development of this knowledge as a basis for further study, or leisure, or both

Aims and purposes of music

By engaging pupils in making and responding to music, music education offers opportunities for them to:

• develop their understanding and appreciation of a wide range of music, extend their own interests and increase their ability to make judgments about music quality;
• acquire the knowledge, skills and understanding needed to make music, e.g. in community music making, and, where appropriate, to follow a music-related career;
• develop the skills, attitudes and attributes that can support learning in other subject areas and are needed for employment and life, e.g. listening skills, concentration, creativity, intuition, aesthetic sensitivity, perseverance, self-confidence and sensitivity towards others.

Organisation of the department

1) Accommodation

Edmonton County has 2 separate music suites in both the upper and lower school. The upper school consists of 1 main teaching room equipped with 17 keyboards, a fully equipped studio, 2 practice rooms and 1 computer suite with 6 computers (not yet set up for teaching music technology. The lower school music department consists of two teaching rooms each equipped with 15 keyboards, three practise rooms, each equipped with a keyboard or piano and a studio awaiting equipment (currently used for storage of instruments and equipment).

2) Resources for curriculum whole - class teaching

30 keyboards with sequencing and recording / disk facilities
6 computers.
Various percussion
Recorders
Glockenspiels and Xylophones
CD and tape player
Mini disk, tape and CD player
Mini disk recorder

3) Resources for extra curricular / small group teaching

Drum kit
Bass guitar
Lead guitars
Portable PA system and speakers
Portable CD players
Keyboards
Recorders
Steel pans

KS3 schemes are topic based lasting a half term each. All KS3 schemes of work cover the three main strands of music; composing, performing and listening and appraising and progression is planned across these strands based on the progression indicators set out in the music national curriculum.

KS4 schemes are both topic based (lasting for one term each) and skills based (with several schemes running at the same time for the duration of the course). Each topic based scheme covers the three strands of music as set out in the edexcel specification for GCSE music.

4) Instrumental Lessons

Edmonton offers instrumental tuition on the following instruments:

Keyboard / piano
Voice
Woodwind (flute, clarinet, saxophone)
Strings (violin, cello, viola)
Drum Kit
Guitar (bass, electric, acoustic)
Brass (trumpet, trombone)

These lessons are either 15 or 30 minutes long depending on pupil preference. They are taught on an individual basis (with the exception of singing lessons which can be a joint lesson). Lessons are during the school day; however, times vary each week so that pupils do not miss too much of any one lesson

To take part in the instrumental lesson scheme pupils must return a letter the term before they want to start and renew their lessons on a termly basis. Letters can be obtained from any member of the music department and must be returned to either a member of the department or directly to EASS. We encourage pupils to do the latter as it avoids any discrepancies.

4) Extra Curricular activities

To promote achievement in the music department both during and out side of curriculum time, there are various extra curricular provision in the department. We currently run:

Gospel Choir
Keyboard Club
Recorder Club

GCSE coursework and performance

These ensembles cover all styles of music, offering pupils a large range of activities and music to take part in out side of the class room.

For many of the ensembles it is not necessary that pupils have any prior experience of playing an instrument or have instrumental lessons

AS/A2 Level Work

Y12 Composition Work Example
Y13 Composition Work Example