Drama
Aims of the subject in Year 7
In Year 7, the key aims:
- To build upon the student’s imagination and help them to realise the extent of their creativity
- To develop their use of social and communication skills through challenging and engaging group work
- To build confidence through performing and sharing work with others
What will be studied in Year 7
Over the year, students will explore a different set of skills and stimuli each term. Currently, students use ‘Kensuke’s Kingdom’ by Michael Morpurgo to explore the story of Michael and his survival on an island. Then, students will use scripts from different versions of Alice in Wonderland to help develop their reading skills and to understand how a writer uses dialogue. Finally, students will work in set groups to create an original sitcom and develop an understanding of the rules and dynamics of comedy.
Aim of the subject in Year 8
In Year 8, the aims are:
- To develop an understanding of how voice and gesture can create an emotive atmosphere
- To explore how to interpret a scene from a script
- To learn the key terms of a stage and theatre
What will be studied in Year 8
At the start of Year 8, students delve into the haunted world of Darkwood Manor in order to explore how voice and gesture can create a tense atmosphere. Then, students will be introduced to the plays of Shakespeare by looking at the plot, characters, and situations of his most famous plays. Finally, students will look at the play Sparkleshark by Philip Ridley.
Aims of the subject in Year 9:
In Year 9, the key aims are:
- To read a variety of modern scripts that reflect different styles of Theatre
- To analyse a play from the point of view of a Director, Actor, and Designer
- To understand the social and historical context of the plays
What will be studied in Year 9
To explore naturalism, students will read the play DNA by Dennis Kelly and consider the dilemmas that the characters face. The plays The Trial adapted by Splendid Theatre and Dr Korczak’s Example by David Grieg will be used to explore Brechtian techniques. A Monster Calls by Sally Cookson will showcase the use of an ensemble and physical theatre.
DRAMA – GCSE
Exam Board
EDUQAS
In Year 10, students will begin by understanding the building blocks of drama; developing characters, staging a scene, directing others, designing set and costume, writing scripts.
They will then look at the theories and techniques underpinning a variety of contemporary theatre styles. As preparation for Year 11, they will examine a play script and prepare their own directorial and design concepts for staging a production of it. The current set text is ‘Refugee Boy’ by Benjamin Zephaniah adapted by Lemn Sissay
In Year 11, students will begin the externally assessed work.
Component 1 (40%) requires students to work in groups to devise a play inspired by a stimulus set by the exam board. The play must be influenced by the concepts of a theatre practitioner or company. Students are required to write a portfolio to show how the play was made, perform or design, and write an evaluation of the final performance.
Component 2 (20%) requires students to work in small groups to present an extract from a published play. This focuses on their ability to bring a character to life. Students can be assessed on their performance of a role or on their presentation of design ideas (costume/set/lights/sound).
Component 3 (40%) is a 1 ½ hour written exam. Students will study a published play and will be asked to answer questions from the viewpoint of an actor, director and designer. They will also have to answer a question on a live theatre performance that they have seen.
Further information from Mr C Harrison
Music
Aims of the subject
- To reach high standards of musicianship
- To provide opportunities for students to perform as soloists and as part of a group
- To use industry standard music technology creatively and imaginatively
- To appreciate different musical genres and traditions and to be able to appraise all music critically
- To be able to perform and compose with an awareness of structure and style
What will be studied in Year 7
In Year 7, students study the elements of music and explore them through composing, performing and listening to a range of musical styles and traditions. They will learn how to read western music notation to gather an understanding of pulse, rhythm and pitch. Students use these skills and transfer them onto different instruments, such as percussion and the keyboard. Students will also have the opportunity to compose in group settings.
What will be studied in Year 8
In Year 8, students continue to build upon and develop skills they learnt in Year 7 through studying a range of music from around the world such as Blues and Reggae. They will learn more advanced pieces of music, gain a basic understanding of Music Technology software through independent composition, and will have opportunities to perform within small groups.
What will be studied in Year 9
In Year 9, students will further develop their performance skills in lessons, and will be given the opportunity to learn new instruments. They will look at more contemporary genres and will compose their own piece of music, using either live instrumentation or music technology. They will listen to even more genres of music such as Folk and World music, and continue to develop their use of technology by creating music for Films or Video Games.
MUSIC – GCSE
Exam Board
EDUQAS
Currently for Year 10, we will be following the GCSE Music 9-1 Eduqas (Spec. 2016), 2-year course. Pupils cover three main areas over the two years ‘Performing’, ‘Composing’ and ‘Appraising’. Much of the KS4 curriculum is an extension and challenge from the KS3 foundation. In year 10 (first year of study), pupils explore forms and devices, film music, music for ensemble, composing using forms and devices, composing for film music and analysing groups from different eras. Through these topics, pupils will learn about music theory in greater depth, and will learn to play an instrument/sing at Grade 3 level as well as developing their aural skills with set works.
For the second year of study, pupils develop a deeper understanding of film music, focusing specifically on techniques and responding to a brief. This will predominantly be coursework that will be submitted as part of their GCSE grade. Pupils will also use their knowledge of forms and devices to perform their chosen Grade 3 or above piece of music on their chosen instrument, which will be assessed.
The final area of study will be music for ensemble, where pupils will need to work as part of a group to perform a chosen piece together.
For the GCSE Music course, pupils will have ample opportunity for retrieval practice of all key areas of study required for the highest level of challenge and outcome. Pupils will be supported through individual interventions and will have the opportunity for extracurricular revision sessions. Pupils will be assessed in line with the Eduqas Assessment framework, which gives greater clarity to track their progress. They will have the opportunity to complete at least 2 Mock exams, both for theory and practical performances, to best prepare them for the assessment process and increase their individual confidence.
Further information from Mr Figliola