Music: Year 7
What will I be learning?
Year 7 Curriculum
For year 7 we start with the fundamentals of music, creating exciting sounds with instruments such as the Xylophone, Djembe and piano as well as through voice. At this level students will be able to confidently recall and demonstrate musical note values, pitches and elements whilst refining and reflecting on how music has an impact on different parts of our lives.
Carousel 1 (one half term)
Part 1 - Rhythm and pulse
The students will use body percussion, grid scores and drums to develop their understanding of rhythm and notation symbols. This will initially start with memory aides in the form of words (eg, ice cream = two crotchets). The students will continue exploring minims, quavers, semi-quavers, dotted minims and semibreves.
Part 2 - Pitch and notation
Students will build upon their initial understanding of rhythm and notation by exploring the stave and pitch. Students will primarily use xylophones and glockenspiels in their exploration of pitch, learning how to read notes on the stave with the treble clef. Students will explore memory aids and devices such as Every Good Boy Deserves Football and FACE to learn the pitches.
Part 3 - Musical elements
Building upon initial understandings of pitch and rhythm, students will explore how music can be expressive through the musical elements. Students will investigate, understand and learn key terms surrounding; dynamics, tempo, articulation, structure, texture, and timbre. Students will demonstrate their understanding through performance in singing, piano and xylophones and glockenspiels.
Carousel 2 (one half term)
Musical styles, genres and cultures
Students will explore a mixture of musical styles and approaches to composition consisting of Indian music, Chinese music, Gamelan Music, Samba music and Orchestral music. Students will recap and consolidate knowledge from earlier terms and explore group performance in detail.
Musical composition project
Students will create a composition in a style of their choice, the composition will be notated by students and subsequently marked by the teacher. For the summative assessment, students will then complete an individual performance of their composition which will then be marked.
Carousel 3 (one half term)
Ensemble Singing
Students will develop an understanding of phrasing, accurate pitching and dynamic contrast. Students will be Singing from an extended repertoire with a sense of ensemble and performance.
Musical Elements with a focus on Harmony and Texture.
Students will engage in group activities exploring different texture of music from solo singing, to duets to full ensembles. Students will practice singing in harmony and being able to keep a consistent harmony and pitch throughout their assessed performance.
Key resources
How do I develop my knowledge?
How can I expand my understanding beyond the curriculum?
Peripatetic lessons - learning an instrument from a peripatetic teacher. Speak to your music teacher to find out information on how you can sign up.
Choir - join the extracurricular activity of Choir on Thursdays if you enjoy singing and working with others.
What should I do if I have questions or still need help?
Contact Ms Sweeney-Ellis or Ms Tsoi (p.sweeney-ellis/ j.tsoi@westminsteracademy.org.uk)
Contact acting Director of Learning for Expressive Arts (Ms A Hall) at a.hall@westminsteracademy.org.uk