Music

The study of music allows students to express themselves creatively. It engages, inspires and challenges students, immersing them in an incredibly wide range of music as performers, composers and appraisers. They will explore music from across the world with an appreciation of their own culture and heritage as well as the numerous influences that have shaped music across place and time.  

Music at Rye Hills Academy leads students on a journey of creativity and self-expression through the exploration of core knowledge and skills.   

Students are encouraged to develop their skills through the use of both traditional and non-traditional instruments as well as the use of music technology to both perform and compose their musical ideas. Musical notation is discovered in its many forms and is applied to the abundance of practical opportunities that the music curriculum demands.  

Students enjoy music because it is varied, fast-paced and fun. Every student is inspired to believe in their potential and to aim high. Throughout their musical career, students develop the ability to perform with accuracy, fluency and expression. They compose music for a range of contexts, purposes and audiences and appraise familiar and unfamiliar pieces of music evaluating their impact, musical quality and purpose.  

Across the key stages students explore and manipulate the use of musical elements to produce desired outcomes, perform from a range of notation developing both solo and ensemble performing skills and appraise a diverse range of music of increasing complexity. 

Music is a valuable subject for all to study whether you are a gifted musician or have never engaged in music outside of school.

At Rye Hills Academy we are very proud of the many extra-curricular opportunities we offer our students. With Acapella choirs, school rock orchestra, guitar lessons, keyboard lessons, drum lessons and lessons from TVMS (Tees Valley Music Service) you can truly nurture your talents on any instrument to become the musician you’ve always dreamed of.

Curriculum information

Year	Autumn	Spring	Summer
7	Introduction to the musical elements, the building blocks of music, to perform using your voice and instruments and explore graphic score notation.  Explore musical elements in programme music to tell a story including the carnival of the animals by saint saens and the planets by gustav holst.	Ready, set, play! Develop your notation skills by reading treble clef staff notation and apply this to performing with a focus on playing a melody with accurate pitch and rhythm. Using treble clef staff notation, compose your own piece of music using music technology.	A night at the musicals – explore the wonderful world of musicals and how musical elements are used to create different moods within song. Further develop your vocal skills performing with increasing vocal accuracy as part of a musical ensemble.
8	You’ve got the blues – delve into the history of the blues and the cultural influences that shaped it  Further develop your notation skills by reading bass clef staff notation to perform a walking bass as well as using the treble clef to improvise using the blues scale to perform as part of a blues ensemble. Continue developing your accuracy and focus on fluency between sections.	Loops and samples – using music technology, create your own samples to compose a popular song developing your use of contrast through texture, melody and instrumentation. Apply a range of musical fx to each layer of sound. Performing using both treble and bass clef notation to play well known pieces developing your accuracy and fluency. Compose using musical elements to create contrast between two sections of music.	Music through time – meet the great musical composers who built the foundations for today’s music by exploring their use of musical elements.
9	Film music – explore the manipulation of musical elements to create atmosphere and mood, perform film themes using treble and bass clef notation further developing accuracy and fluency Video game music – arranging sound to match movement and compose a leitmotif.	Musical fusions – exploring the musical fusions of bhangra, samba and afrocelt through Further develop accuracy, fluency and expression performing as a fusion ensemble.	Popular song – exploring the development of popular song through accurately and fluently performing a chosen pop song.  Composing your own popular song with a focus on melodic development and contrast between verse and chorus.
10	Forms and devices - explore forms and devices in western classical music – study the set work  badinerie by J.S. Bach.  Develop your composing skills in different musical forms including binary, ternary and theme and variation.  Continue developing your accuracy, fluency and expression performing on your chosen instrument as a soloist and as part of an ensemble.	Ensembles – explore a wide range of ensembles focusing on the texture and sonority of each piece  Develop your composing skills for different ensembles including blues and jazz ensembles.  Continue developing your accuracy, fluency and expression performing on your chosen instrument as a soloist and as part of an ensemble.	Film music - explore how music is composed for different dramatic effects.  Develop your composing skills writing a score for a film scene with a focus on musical elements to create atmosphere and mood. Continue developing your accuracy, fluency and expression performing on your chosen instrument as a soloist and as part of an ensemble.
11	Popular song – explore different styles of popular song including the set work of toto by africa.  Develop your composing skills manipulating musical elements to respond to a choice of briefs   Continue developing your accuracy, fluency and expression performing on your chosen instrument as a soloist and as part of an ensemble.	Revision of forms and devices, ensembles, film music and popular song  Develop your composing skills manipulating musical elements to respond to a choice of briefs   Continue developing your accuracy, fluency and expression performing on your chosen instrument as a soloist and as part of an ensemble.

Music is my favourite place in the school. The atmosphere is always kind and welcoming. I’m part of the choir and the keyboard club - I’m improving all the time.

Year 7 student

There is no way I would be the musician I am today if I wasn’t at Rye Hills. I don’t have a piano or keyboard at home but because of how many clubs there are I am able to practice all the time and I’m now getting my best grades in music.

Year 11 student