This page prints better in landscape format! Last updated 8 September 2009.
While we're planning a site section like S3–6 Course here sometime, this single-page summary should hopefully still be a useful start.
Department/Course Aims
To encompass the aims of the school — and those of the curriculum — in departmental policy and work.
To provide all pupils with the opportunity to:
- Play musical instruments* and give them the support they need to develop their practical skills.
- Invent, listen and respond to music.
- Develop knowledge and understanding of musical concepts, and encourage them to apply this to their own creative work.
- Realise their full musical potential.
- To provide a broad range of new musical experiences and encourage an open-minded approach to these.
- To encourage participation in musical activities both in and out of the school, and help to develop the pupils' awareness that music is there to be enjoyed for life.
To operate a policy of equal opportunity, regardless of race, gender or ability.
*Instruments always includes the human voice in this context.
Music Department Rules
No doubt we can find a better place than this for the Rules but, since they were written down (having been more-or-less understood for years) for the new S1 in June 2009, S1–2 Course seems good enough for now. They're common sense really, and try to say do rather than don't (we prefer encouragement to restriction!), but some don'ts are unfortunately still necessary...Please knock on the door if you arrive for your lesson and you can't see the teacher. Don't just stand there!
Because the Music Department is full of expensive and delicate equipment, please:
- Treat everything with care and move carefully at all times.
- Move things carefully or ask the teacher to move them if they're in your way. But don't sit or try to work where you don't have space!
- Only move stools by carrying them (not by dragging them behind you).
- Keep water bottles away from musical instruments and anything electronic.
Learn where to find things, get them out when you need them and put them back when you're finished with them. But don't touch anything you haven't been told you can use.
Remember that Music is a noisy subject, so only make necessary noise!
NB There's a smiley face after the last rule (about 'necessary noise') in the printed versions displayed at school. :-)
S1–2 Music Course
Some things seem to need constant adaptation to meet changing needs, and our S1–2 Course is one of them! Historically, we had one period per week for each S1–2 class, then gained a second period for S2 over several years. A second period for S1 followed from Session 2007–8, but timetabling constraints have now resulted in our 2009–10 S2 being allocated three periods on an on-off rota basis effectively equivalent to one-and-a-half periods per week year round. So what we can get done varies from year to year, but what we're trying to achieve over the two-year span remains fairly constant if increasingly ambitious:
- Tuned percussion ensemble work building on primary school experience, which has been our S1 'starter' for many years.
- Music reading and writing skills up to the (quite straightforward) Intermediate 1 Literacy requirements, with creative/composing work progressing though 'word tunes' and unpitched rhythms to phrases/tunes combining pitch and rhythm.
- Listening work related where possible to things we're performing/composing in class, but traditionally including an introduction to the Orchestra in S1 and ultimately aiming (not quite there yet!) to cover all Access 3 Listening Concepts with appropriate additions from higher levels by the end of S2.
- Introduction to keyboard playing (traditionally after the October holiday for S1) aiming to get everyone playing with tidy right hand fingering, left hand (usually 'single finger') chords and rhythm.
- Introduction to guitar (traditionally starting in the Easter term for S1) covering posture, holding the guitar, tuning (with meters), chord windows, simple chord shapes (eg Em, E, Am, Dm, C, G7, A & D, many of which are interrelated) and 'circular' chord sequences (eg Am Dm Am E, Am C Am E, A D A E or C Am Dm G7), with TAB and basic fingerpicking also making it into S1 when things are going well.
- Composing projects making increasing use of Heinemann Composing Matters (purchased for the new school, 2008), but also related to/inspired by current performing work where possible.
- Planned re-establishment of singing through Heinemann Singing Matters (purchased for the new school, 2008) and other appropriate material.
- Introduction to bass guitar (traditionally S2, but now sometimes later in S1) covering tuning (with meters), positional work, rest strokes, simple walking bass patterns, bass TAB etc.
- Introduction to drums (traditionally also S2, but now sometimes later in S1) covering 8, 4 and (sometimes) 16 beat rhythms + simple variations & fills as appropriate.
- Classic rock group performing (typically 'lite' versions of 1960s or 1970s hits) with electric guitar, bass, drums and sometimes keyboard, voice or other instruments. Something that's more likely to happen in S2, but sometimes makes it into the pre-summer 'new timetable' slot.
Overall, we hope that whatever variation of the above content we manage to achieve serves as both fulfilling experience for those subsequently choosing other subjects and thorough starter (not forgetting that the whole national course structure is scheduled for change again!) for those continuing with Music in S3 and beyond.
Full List of Access 3 Listening Concepts
| Compositional Techniques | Contexts | ||||
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| Melodic | Harmonic | Rhythmic | Structural | Timbre | Styles/Forms |
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Remember that we might also be looking at selected concepts from the Intermediate lists (which you can find on our S3–6 SQA Listening page). You might also find the online resources listed on our S3–6 Further Support page helpful for learning and revising concepts.
Intermediate 1 Literacy Content
| Melodic | Harmonic | Rhythmic | Timbre |
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