Term

Topic

Specific Knowledge

Specific Skills

Autumn 1

Jazz, Blues, R&B and Hip Hop

·         Jazz as an American art form

·         The relationship of Jazz to Blues

·         Added note chords

·         Modes

·         Improvisation

·         How Jazz and Blues developed into later styles

·         How Hip-Hop samples a range of African American musical styles

·         Samples and their manipulation

·         Reading a chord chart

·         Playing 4-note (seventh) chord sequences

·         Improvising using a mode

·         Improvising using phrases and melodic shapes

·         Manipulating audio samples in Logic

·         Creating a collage for the backing track to a piece of Hip-Hop

·         Adding MIDI material to a Logic project

Autumn 2

Performing cover versions

·         Understanding chord charts

·         Recognising the texture of a standard pop song

·         Chords, rhythm, vocal melody, bass line, riff

·         Recognising musical features of specific popular styles

·         Rock, Reggae, R&B, Acoustic folk

·         How to alter musical material to create a different style

·         Following a chord chart on an appropriate instrument

·         Singing the main vocal line

·         Inputting musical material into Logic

·         Rearranging musical material into a different style by altering the musical features

·         Maintaining a part of the pop song texture in a performance with others

·         Altering your part using the same musical material to be part of a different style

·         Confident performance techniques

Spring 1

Film Music

·         Diegetic/non-diegetic, commercial music, foley, FX

·         Leitmotifs and character themes

·         Enhancing mood and drama

·         How technology can sync sound and image

·         Using melodic shape and tonality

·         Mickey-mousing and hit points

·         Examples from well-known films and composers

·         Creating moods using tonalities, chords and melodic shape

·         Selecting appropriate timbres and instruments

·         Matching sound to moving image

·         Using Logic Pro to compose to a film clip including:

·         A character theme

·         Tension-building music

·         Exciting fight scene music

Spring 2

Song Writing

·         Structure of pop songs

·         Texture/instruments used in pop songs

·         Commercial pop songs compared with other types of song

·         Conceptual lyric writing

·         Repetition and hooks

·         Storytelling in lyrics

·         Using chords in song writing (building on cover song work)

·         Bass lines, drum beats and other layers

·         Writing own lyrics using a central metaphor to construct

·         Selecting a suitable chord sequence for lyrics

·         Playing the lyrics rhythm/melody using tuned percussion/keyboard/other

·         Experimenting with lyrics spoken then sung to the chords

·         Adding layers to complete the texture in a group

·         Performing to an audience

Summer 1

Dance Music

·         What makes Dance music?

·         Dance Music from around the world and through time

·         Different percussion patterns for different styles:

·         Latin rhythms

·         EDM rhythms

·         Synthesisers

·         Arpeggiators

·         Samples and time stretching

·         Larger structure of Dance Music

·         Examples of builds and breakdowns

·         Inputting Latin rhythms using the pencil tool

·         Inputting drum and bass patterns using the pencil tool

·         Combining with breakbeats

·         Adding own musical material

·         Importing and time stretching vocal samples

·         Creating a longer structure using introduction, builds and breakdowns

Summer 2

Music and Identity

·         Music and national identity
(e.g. Folk music)

·         Music and cultural identity

·         Music and personal identity

·         Music and subculture

·         How we express ourselves through musical taste

·         How we express ourselves through our own music

·         Combining our musical identity with that of others

·         Fusions

·         Understanding musical features that contribute to music and identity

·         Understanding how music can contribute toward the construction of cultural and personal identities

·         Identifying and articulating own musical identity

·         Creating music that reflects your musical identity

·         Working with others to create a fusion of musical identities in a piece of performed or composed/produced music