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Music
The Music Department provides a friendly, enthusiastic and stimulating environment in which musical excellence is encouraged and celebrated. We help our students develop their musical potential and respond to a variety of musical challenges. Students are given the opportunity to perform individually and in ensembles - irrespective of age or musical ability.
The Music Department aims to:
develop the musical skills of each student;
provide the student with a suitably challenging and stimulating course of study;
ensure that the student progresses and that improvement is monitored;
provide co-curricular musical activity for each pupil regardless of age or musical ability;
manage an excellent team of visiting members of staff;
monitor the quality of teaching by regular review;
provide performing opportunities for individuals and ensembles.
KS3
The curriculum followed is designed to give the student a basic grounding in musical notation and standard nomenclature and enable them to develop sufficient compositional and performing skills to be able to consider taking music at GCSE or A Level should they wish to. Our schemes are based around the three basic concepts of listening and appraising; composition and performance; historical context: each project incorporates elements of each. The work covered from Years 7 to 9 builds logically on the experience gained during the previous year. The eventual aim is that all students should feel equally confident and at home with musical notation irrespective of the level at which they joined the school. At the end of Year 9, students should have developed some basic keyboard skills and will have listened to a variety of music from different genres and cultures. They will also have experienced Music ICT, such as sequencing, sampling and multi-track recording.
Channing's Autumn Concert is always a highlight of the term
KS4
The GCSE syllabus is designed to offer candidates structured opportunities to develop their knowledge, understanding and skills in performing, composing and listening and appraising. It encourages them to become:
- more informed performers through study of their instrument and pieces written for it;
- more skilled composers through study of compositional techniques and styles;
- understanding listeners through study of a range of different types of music and the backgrounds to them. Students will have to submit a portfolio of compositions at the end of the course. This is internally marked.
Students will have to perform two pieces. One should involve another person - such as a duet, an accompanied song or small ensemble. This is also internally marked.
Students will have one written examination in which extracts of music will be played and short questions asked. This is externally marked.
The examination board is OCR. The examination is worth 33% and coursework is worth 67%.
KS5
- The aims of the A Level courses are to encourage candidates to:
- Extend the skills, knowledge and understanding needed to communicate through music and to take part in music-making;
- Engage in and extend their appreciation of the diverse and dynamic heritage of music;
- Develop particular strengths and interests encouraging lifelong learning and providing access to music related careers;
- Broaden experience, develop imagination, foster creativity and promote personal and social development.
Entry Requirements
It is expected that candidates will have taken Music GCSE and achieved at least a B grade. However, grade six on any instrument and a merit in grade five theory would also suffice. The examination board is OCR
Outside the classroom
Channing School has a great variety of extra-curricular music that takes place throughout the year. Music is all-inclusive and girls have the opportunity to take part in many musical activities whether or not they are studying Music as an academic subject.
