Expressive Arts (Music) Year 8 – Autumn

Title of work – ‘Variations’

Students will be learning how to play and sing melodies and then form a variation of them by altering various aspects of them such as pitch, duration, tempo, dynamics, or even by changing the notes that form the melody.

Assessment Procedures

Assessment will be based on the learning and application of keywords in descriptive work.

Group variation work will be assessed.

Title of Work – ‘Jazz’

Students will learn how to improvise, or make music up ‘on the spot’ in the creation of our own jazz pieces. Students will also learn something about the ‘Blues’ and how it uses a special scale to create melodies.

Assessment procedures

·        Students will be asked to respond to what they hear in the music played to them.

·        They will also compose a piece that uses repeating patterns for assessment.

·        Rhythmic notation skills will be assessed.

The information learned during the first half of the term on ‘The Elements of Music’ will be used in the descriptive work this half term in order to revise what was done previously.

Homework

·        Homework is set once a week and is relevant to the work covered at the time in class.

·        Types of work set could include the learning of technical terms, written description of work or working at practical pieces for the keyboard.

Levelling Information

Variations

At the end of this unit most pupils will:

·        Explore lots of musical ideas and be able to improvise on the keyboard. They should be able to perform instrumentally and vocally with accuracy and confidence.

Some pupils will not have made so much progress and will:

·        Create and perform their ideas as part of a group performance.

Some pupils will have progressed further and will:

·        Be aware of performing in the appropriate style with an awareness of the chords and how melodies fit in with them. The would be able to record their work using relevant notation.

Jazz

At the end of this unit most pupils will:

·        Improvise motifs, patterns and riffs with confidence. They should recognise the different roles played by each other in group improvisation and be able to compare and analyse musical features being used.

Some pupils will not have made so much progress and will:

·        Play a simple part, either by singing or playing. They should be able to develop simple riffs and motifs with support.

Some pupils will have progressed further and will:

·        Improvise with confidence and be able to develop their ideas further, making expressive use of speed, volume, phrasing and sounds available to them.