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Key Stage 3

Students will gain knowledge, skills and understanding in music by focusing on different ways music is created in Western, popular and World Music.  Through years 7 to 9, students are encouraged to use increasingly technical language when describing musical styles, genres and traditions and relating knowledge to new skills.

Year 7

•     Music rhythm cycles, including samba, gamelan and African drums;

•     Musical clichés, exploring how music is used in media like film, adverts and TV;

•     Soundscapes, including programme music, composing and digital music.

Year 8

•     The Blues, exploring how blues music influenced the progress of all American popular music;

•     Dance and Folk Music from around the world, as well as closer to home;

•     Hooks and Riffs, learning how to spot, notate and compose ‘catchy’ melodies and grooves.

Year 9

•     What makes a good song? identifying song structure, style and popular production values;

•     Music in the Media, performing film themes and composing to a storyboard;

•     Musicals, exploring the concepts, devices and conventions of musical theatre.


In particular, students acquire and apply knowledge and understanding of:

  • How music is constructed, eg the use of musical elements and devices.
  • How music is produced, eg the use of instruments, ICT, musical processes and procedures, including relevant symbols and notations.
  • How music is influenced by time and place, eg the effect of the occasion, purpose or venue.