GCSE Music

GCSE Music helps students develop their understanding and appreciation of a range of different kinds of music. The course focuses on composing, performing and listening. Students have the opportunity to develop their own musical interests by performing and composing music in their own preferred styles. The range of options for composing and performing is very wide, with opportunities to use available music technology and even perform as a DJ.

Through studying GCSE Music, students develop knowledge and understanding of:

the use of musical elements (pitch, rhythm, metre, phrasing, articulation, dynamics, instrumental and vocal timbres, textures) devices such as sequence imitation, syncopation etc, tonalities and structures;
the use of resources, conventions, processes and relevant notations, including staff notation; and
the contextual influences that affect the way music is created, performed and heard, for example the effect of different intentions, uses, venues, occasions, available resources and the cultural environment.

GCSE Music encourages students to develop life skills including critical and creative thinking, aesthetic sensitivity and emotional and cultural development. It provides students with a suitable foundation for continued study of music at a more advanced level, for example Advanced Subsidiary and Advanced GCE and Advanced Vocational Certificate of Education qualifications. Many students who study GCSE Music go on to follow a music related career.