“Every musician remembers their first lesson. That moment when you feel the spark of inspiration ignite, and your entire world catches fire. The rush of revelation. The earth-rattling epiphany that music is no longer just a sound, it's every breath you’ll ever take again. A puzzle that you’ll never solve, though you hold all the pieces. That moment when you’re handed the key to an alternate universe where everything is beautiful, everything is free, and nothing will ever be quite the same again. For some, the first day of the rest of their lives.” - Dave Grohl

 

In Music, a good musician will perform, produce and create using the inspiration and techniques of those that have gone before them.

 

 

Aim of our Music Curriculum

 

Music intends to inspire, provide motivation and nurture passion for all students to help them develop their musicianship and transferable skills  further. Studying music shows a real drive and determination to improve ourselves, not only as musicians but also humans. It has been  scientifically proven that playing an instrument or singing releases endorphins which promotes wellbeing. We harness this as a department to  support students on their creative, happy and successful journey through school.

 

Studying music enables students to develop highly desirable skills in areas such as self-management, creativity, data analysis, performance,  teamwork, problem-solving, and communication, all of which makes them an attractive prospect for potential employers. There are numerous  careers that anyone studying Music or Music Technology could go into, such as session musician, sound engineer, tour manager, musical director, music or instrumental teacher or a job at a studio or record label

 

 

Our Musical Journey and the National Curriculum

 

How Music underpins the whole-school curriculum through the planned curriculum

1. Big Ideas provide all students with exposure to a wide range of Musical Icons and Genres from Bach to Stormzy. Other Big Ideas include technological developments and current affairs affecting the Music Industry. A full list of these and their allocations can be found in the Curriculum Delivery Map.

2. Academic Literacy is taught through the analytical listening and understanding techniques, reading and writing music notation, oracy and the use of expert terminology in class and rehearsal sessions and being able to articulate evidence-based thoughts and opinions.

3. Future You/Careers are taught throughout the curriculum and students are introduced to leaders in their career field for more in depth study. Students cover a range of job roles that are inclusive across the music industry. Links can be found on subject delivery maps and snapshots.

4. Challenge - every lesson has a challenge activity that is linked to academic learning. Challenge activity is usually delivered in a musical way through performance, production, listening and composition work. The SPA Music Mastery programme is a ‘beyond the classroom’ offer that stretches the most able musicians to build on their classroom learning, instrument tuition and provide wider developmental opportunities to participate in community based music projects. 

 

We want our Music Students to:

 

• Explore - perform, listen to, review and evaluate music across a range of historical periods, genres, styles and traditions, including the works of the great composers and musicians

• Participate - learn to sing and to use their voices, to create and compose music on their own and with others, have the opportunity to learn a musical instrument, use technology appropriately and have the opportunity to progress to the next level of musical excellence

• Develop - understand and explore how music is created, produced and communicated, including through the inter-related dimensions: pitch, duration, dynamics, tempo, timbre, texture, structure and appropriate musical notations.

• Apply - show a sense of community and feel included in their musical journey.

 

Learning Music at Sewell Park Academy:

 

Music Foundations

​At the heart of all music learning are some key concepts we call these the Elements of Music. The elements of music or MAD T-SHIRT; a mnemonic,  have long been an important component of music, they are really just a set of labels under which sits a wealth of musical understanding, and a heap of vocabulary and musical language that can help to hone responses to music that you hear, play, sing or compose from the very start of music education

 

Musical Journey

​Throughout time, music has evolved. There is a rich history filled with  Icons (famous musical people), Genres (different styles of music created in response to the places, time, culture and thoughts) and As we follow this journey, our experiences will help us to  build our own opinions, tastes and understanding of the importance of music in our lives.

There is more to the music industry than playing on a stage. Through our future you programme we discover and explore a wide range of careers. This is through studies of key people in the industry, watching behind the scenes footage and class discussion.

 

Musical Skills & Character Building

There is no better way to demonstrate our understanding and interpretation of the musical world than through the medium of music itself through listening to and appreciating a wide variety of works from our Music Icons and Genres. This can take the form of performance, creating music or production music using computer software.

 

Musicians possess many personal skills and characteristics that are transferable and useful in any career and community. Alongside your musical journey you will have the opportunity to build and develop these important skills that will support you as you venture into adulthood.

 

In addition to the fundamental music knowledge and skills we will develop our ability to communicate for academic purposes. These are universal habits that are required of us to demonstrate that we can think, formulate and communicate effectively with others. The universal language of learning.