Music - Farnborough Hill

Music Department

Music is a central part of life at Farnborough Hill and is celebrated with great joy and enthusiasm. An eclectic mix of musical styles is studied and played, including classical, orchestral, church, jazz and pop. All girls in Years 7 and 8 follow a programme of curricular music and, having opted to do Music in Year 9, many continue to do GCSE and A level. Music Technology skills, including GarageBand, Sibelius and Cubase are integrated throughout the Curricular Music programme, as well as in Composition Club.

Curriculum

Years 7/8

Year 9

The Year 9 Music course is built around the three key disciplines of Performing, Composing and Listening. Through these, pupils will develop their understanding of the key musical elements introduced in the Lower School and will refine their skills in preparation for the specific requirements of the GCSE course.

By the end of the year, pupils will have recorded at least one performance (solo or ensemble) and completed one extended composition task, which will be formally assessed. They will also complete a short listening examination.

GCSE

At GCSE, the Music course is assessed by a Non-Examined Assessment in Performing and Composition and a written examination at the end of Year 11.

There are three components:

Understanding Music
Performing Music
Composing Music

Aside from providing the foundation for A level Music and / or Music Technology, this course cultivates a number of highly desirable transferable skills such as listening, analysis and essay writing as well as teamwork and both written and
verbal communication.

A Level

Facilities

The modern St Cecilia’s provides a central focus for music-making in the School, offering a stunning glass Choir Room, as well as a Music Technology teaching room (running Garage Band, Sibelius and Cubase on IMacs), a number of practice rooms, and a state-of-the-art recording studio. St Cecilia’s is deliberately situated adjacent to the Chapel which is also used for concerts and recordings, as are other historic rooms in the School, such as the Grand Salon. There are grand pianos in the Choir Room, the Hall and the Music Room, and the original pipe organ is regularly used for services and concerts in the Chapel.