Arts

A Spooktacular Evening

Save the date for a spooktacular evening filled with music. Our Secondary musicians and tech crew are busy preparing a frightfully awesome evening of entertainment, Music Ensembles include; Secondary Choir, Chamber Choir, Orchestra, IGCSE Bands, Guitar Club and a performance from all of Year 8!

Wednesday 24 October, 7.30pm in the Nexus Auditorium.

IGCSE/IB Music Recording Evening

Phoebe, Udit and Noel will be performing a couple of items each in an informal recital within the music department on Thursday 27 September at 3.30pm. Please come along and support them, the recital promises to last no more than 40 minutes and the performances are being recorded as part of their IGCSE and IB coursework portfolios.

Rock and Indie Festival 2018 at La Salle College of Art, Saturday 8th September

Nexus School are delighted to have had two bands play at this festival. Featuring three live stages of mostly homegrown indie and rock bands, our two groups, Tears of Joy and Noise Nuisance played magnificent gigs. It was a pleasure to see the events unfold, from the initial tour of the venue, the soundcheck, the dressing room, to the performances. Well done to the following learners: Liam Boyreau (9G), Jack Foo (9B), Alex Klingeborn (9B), Tobey Martin, (9B), Kian O’Shea (7W), Victor Boulier (7G) and Claro Jacinto (6B). These Nexus learners are not only risk-takers and developing musicians, they also conducted themselves admirably: they were polite, calm, supportive of each other and excellent listeners.

Year 7

Year 7 have been learning to play the Ukulele, they can now decode TAB notation enabling them to play an array of chords, they are becoming more confident to play chord sequences and add complex strumming patterns. The material we have used this term so far comes from the music education company ‘Musical Futures’ who promote a ‘learn by doing’ approach to music teaching. The unit is filled with music making each lesson, inquiry learning and is really fun.

Learners are now beginning to utilise these skills to start a songwriting project based on chord sequences and the integrated unit ‘Symbols about me’.

Year 8

Year 8 have been making a lot of noise so far this term - they are learning all about Samba music from Brazil. Learners have tried out a range of percussion instruments and are gaining a deeper understanding of how the music fits together. This is achieved through a range of classroom activities as a whole class and in smaller groups. Learners collaborate and use their own ideas to create a Samba Festival which will be performed towards the end of the unit. Homelearning tasks include an investigation of the instruments, the rhythms, the history of Samba and the street festivals in Brazil.

Year 9

Music lessons in Year 9 begin with an exploration of the development of Popular music. Learners have delved deeply into the source of the Blues music genre and are now becoming confident at playing the 12 bar blues and improvising riffs and melodies using the Blues scale. Working individually, in pairs and small groups, learners use a range of instruments to explore this engaging genre, from keyboards, to guitars, to scat-singing and some even bring their own instruments. Homelearning tasks encourage the learners to deepen their understanding of the blues still further, with an investigation of Blues History, and the impact that it has had on modern music.