Music has the power to help young people develop a kaleidoscope of skills whilst increasing their creativity, imagination, confidence, independence, resilience, teamwork, self-discipline and sense of achievement. The Passmores Academy music curriculum aims to give students a lifelong love and appreciation of music as a performer, composer, and listener. Focusing on the interdisciplinary skills of performing, composing, listening and appraising, we have created a music curriculum that is openly engaging, inspiring, diverse and challenging for all. Students will experience playing a wide variety of instruments, music technology, singing, composing, improvising, listening, evaluating their own work and those of others. They will be exposed to many different musical genres to help them gain an understanding of the value and importance of music, both for themselves and in world culture. Students will also have opportunities to extend their learning and enjoyment of music beyond the classroom by participating in the extra-curricular music programme and Passmores Academy music school. 

Topics covered in year 7 are Atmosphere Composition, Performing Together, African Music, Chromaticism, Arranging Music & Film Music.  

Topics covered in year 8 are Baroque Music, Reggae, Blues & Jazz, Horror Film Music, Bruno Mars & Contemporary Musical Styles.  

Topics covered in year 9 are Musical Structures, Film Music & Popular Music. 

By the end of KS3, we aim to ensure that all students can: 

• perform in both solo and ensemble contexts, playing instruments with a sense of musicality, fluency and with accuracy, expression and confidence  

• use their imagination and creativity to compose and improvise, extending and developing their musical ideas by drawing on a range of musical structures, styles, genres, and traditions 

• understand and explore how music is created and communicated through the inter-related elements of music: pitch, duration, dynamics, tempo, timbre, texture, structure and appropriate musical notations 

• identify and use the elements of musical expressively, including the use of tonalities, types of scale and musical devices 

• listen discriminately to a wide range of music from great composers and musicians 

• develop a deepening understanding of the music that they perform and to which they listen, and its history 

Students sitting final exams in 2024 will study Edexcel GCSE Music

Students sitting final exams in 2025 will study Eduqas GCSE Music

By the end of KS4, we aim to ensure that all students can: 

• perform in both solo and ensemble contexts with secure technical control, making expressive use of phrasing and dynamics appropriate to the style and mood of the music 

• make use of musical elements, techniques and resources to interpret and communicate musical ideas in a performance with technical control and expression 

• Area of Study 1 - Musical Forms and Devices, Area of Study 2 -Music for Ensemble, Area of Study 3 - Film Music, Area of Study 4 - Popular Music.

• critically appraise familiar and unfamiliar pieces of music in terms of their stylistic features, musical elements, structure and context using appropriate musical vocabulary 

• recognise contrasting genres, styles and traditions of music, and develop some awareness of musical chronology 

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• use musical elements, techniques and resources to create and develop musical ideas in a composition with technical control and coherence 

• compose music that develops musical ideas, uses musical conventions, and explores the potential of musical structures and resources 

• demonstrate and apply musical knowledge from the areas of study: