Music

There are a wide variety of musical activities taking place at Bedford Free School; whether that is inside the classroom, extra curricular or elective activities. Currently all of our Key Stage 3 students are having instrumental music lessons in school, and around 15% enjoy lessons with teachers from Music for Bedford Borough.

We are proud to have a school orchestra and choir that perform at wide variety of events. Some of the musical events that our students have participated in recently include:

Gospel Vocal Workshop – with gospel singer Elaine Simpson
Upper Schools Mass Choir
‘Music for Youth’ Concert – with North Beds Youth Choir
Christmas Tree Festival – at St Pauls
Jazz Workshop – with trumpeter Tom Syson
Recording Session – at SoundGarage

Key Stage 3 – Curriculum Content

Year 7

Rhythm, Texture & Pentatyonic Scales
Instruments of the Orchestra
Graphic Scores
Protest Songs
Cartoon Music
Folk Music

Year 8

Theme and Variations
African Music
Rhythm & Blues
Reggae
Indian Music
Musical Theatre and song writing

Year 9

Horror Film Music
Chords & Accompaniments
Minimalism
Disco
Music in Advertising
Rock ‘n’ Roll

KS4 GCSE Music Content

As a department we have chosen to deliver the Edexcel GCSE Music syllabus. The Edexcel GCSE in Music enables students to engage actively in the study of music through many practical activities. It encourages them to develop their musical skills and interests, including the ability to make music individually and in ensembles. It also enables students to understand and appreciate a range of different kinds of music.

The course is structured using the following weightings:

Performance (1 Solo and 1 Ensemble) – 30%
Composition (2 Compositions or Arrangements) – 30%
Appraising / Analysing Music – 40%

As part of the appraising and analysing aspect of the course, students will study set works from the following genres and eras:

Western Classical
Music of the 20th Century
Popular Music in Context
World Music