Welcome to the Music department at Bridgewater School. Here, huge value is placed on the importance of music to the all-round development of our students and we take great pride in nurturing their talents and abilities to the full.
We have a fantastic range of weekly extra-curricular activities including vocal groups, instrumental ensemble and our ukulele ensemble, which rehearse weekly and take part in concert performances throughout the academic year including an annual tour to Disneyland Paris to perform as part of the Disney Performing Arts Onstage programme. Our ensembles are regularly taken out into the local community to perform in hospices and local shopping centres for charity events, and instrumental lessons are available on all orchestral instruments . We also have a large number of pupils taking lessons in classical and electric / acoustic guitar and vocals.
The aim of the Music department is for all pupils at Key Stage 3 to broaden their musical experience through the study of a variety of musical genres. Throughout the Key Stage, pupils will have the opportunity to perform, compose, listen and appraise their work, focusing on a specific musical genre each term. In Years 8 and 9 there is also an exploration of music technology using a variety of software which gives each pupil an insight into what resources are available to the modern musician.
GCSE Music
From Year 10 students can opt to take the two-year GCSE Music course and we currently enter pupils for the WJEC Eduqas specification. This specification encourages an integrated approach to the three disciplines of performing, composing and appraising through four interrelated areas of study. The four areas of study are designed to develop knowledge and understanding of music through the study of a variety of genres and styles in a wider context. The Western Classical Tradition forms the basis of Musical Forms and Devices (area of study 1), and learners should take the opportunity to explore these forms and devices further in the other three areas of study. Music for Ensemble (area of study 2) allows learners to look more closely at texture and sonority. Film Music (area of study 3) and Popular Music (area of study 4) provide an opportunity to look at contrasting styles and genres of music.
It is compulsory for students to have instrumental / voice lessons on their principle instrument during the GCSE course and practise regularly as 30% is performance based. Grade 3 standard or equivalent is recommended when starting the course.
