The Overture – This unit explains the role of introductions and their effects, and demonstrates how themes are used and linked by composers.  It provides the knowledge and understanding of composing a mini overture and a signature tune. 

Bhajan and Qawwali – This unit explores the key features of Indian music and in particular, bhajan and qawwali.  It explains the structure of Indian songs and the instruments used.  It provides the knowledge and understanding for performing and composing a raga and tala. 

Music and Media – This unit illustrates how music is used to convey different messages and emotions through a range of media. It explores the effect of music on the interpretation of visual images as well as the effect of musical devices.  It provides the knowledge and understanding for planning and organising a short advertising campaign.

The Concerto – This unit demonstrates how the concept of argument can be used to understand the concerto. It explores the ‘virtuoso’ concerto and the role of the cadenza, and shows how technological developments can be a stimulus for composing.  It provides the knowledge and understanding for composing and performing a concerto.
 
Song – This unit illustrates how song has been used across many different cultures for centuries. It explores the common features of popular songs and what effect technology is having on the music industry. The presentation 15C teaches students about the copyright issues associated with music.

Shanty Time – This unit explores the arrangement of tunes and how a tune can be used and developed.  It provides help with performing a sea shanty and explores harmonic structure.  It provides the knowledge ad understanding for composing an arrangement.

Variations – This unit explores variation form and how a simple melody can be altered.  It provides help with performing a partner song and discusses chord structures.  It provides the knowledge and understanding for composing variations.

Jazz Improvisation – This unit explains how improvisation is a musical skill and form of expression.  It provides help with performing the 12-bar blues, riffs, the blues scale, the boogie-woogie bass line, and seventh chords.  It shows how chords are often notated using Roman numerals.

Music for Dance – This unit explores the conventions of African dance music.  It looks in particular at rhythm and pitch and how mnemonics are used.  It investigates Gota music and provides the knowledge and understanding of composing music to accompany a Gota dance.

Hooks and Riffs – This unit explores the use of hooks and riffs in music and discusses simple pop song structures.  It provides the knowledge and understanding for performing and composing different hooks and riffs.

Year 7:                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           
Bridging Unit – This unit shows how music is composed from a variety of different stimuli and in particular, from images and sounds.  It also explains about rhythm, pulse, melody, pitch, staff notation and graphic scores.  It provides the knowledge and understanding for composing with a given stimulus.

Form and Structure – This unit explains about the importance of form and structure in music.  A variety of different structures are explored (verse and chorus, ostinato, ternary form, rondo form and call-and-response).  It provides the knowledge and understanding for composing using structures.

Soundscapes – This unit explains about acoustic and electronic sound and illustrates how electronic music developed.  It provides information about recording and sampling sounds as well as using MIDI to produce, store and reproduce sounds. It provides the knowledge and understanding for composing a soundscape.

Musical Cycles – This unit introduces cyclic patterns.  It demonstrates how cyclic patterns are a key feature of African, Gamelan and Indian music and enables pupils to perform a variety of different cyclic patterns.

Musical Clichés – This unit explores a number of different musical clichés and how they create a particular effect.  It also explains the use of conventions and provides the knowledge and understanding for composing using clichés.

At Key Stage 4, students are offered GCSE Music as an option subject.  They receive five 1-hour lessons per fortnight in both year 10 and year 11.

EXAM Board
Grades
Assessment
OCR
A* - G
60% Coursework, 15% Composition Exam, 25% Listening Exam.

The OCR GCSE Music course has been designed to allow candidates to show what they know, understand and can do in performing, composing, and listening and appraising. It builds on and develops the integrated approach to Music at Key Stage 3 of the National Curriculum. Areas of Study, encompassing music drawn from Western Classical Traditions, contemporary innovations and the music of other cultures, provides breadth of content and depth of focus:

Areas of Study
How to perform on your own instrument (focusing on one style of music)
Shared Music (Musical Relationships and Roles) looking at ways instruments/voices and different ensembles combine and work together
Dance Music (a variety of musical styles for paired, group and freestyle dances)
Descriptive Music (Symphonic programme music from 1820– and Film Music)
The course comprises a mixture of coursework (60%) and examination (40%). The coursework is divided into two sections, Integrated Coursework and Further Coursework.

Integrated Tasks: (30%)
Performance 1: Students study and perform a piece of music of their choice (15%)
Composition 1: Students compose a piece for their instrument showing an understanding of techniques and the style they have chosen (10%)
Commentary: Students write a commentary to support the performance and composition work (5%)
Further Coursework: (30%)

Performance 2: A group performance of any piece (15%)
Composition 2: A composition based on AOS 2, 3 or 4 (10%)
Log and Evaluation: A written brief for your composition and a record to track your compositional processes (5%)
Examinations (40%)

There are two examinations in this course:
Students are required to complete a Creative Task Exam where they will be given a stimulus and asked to compose a melody in 45 minutes (15%)
Students will also sit a listening exam covering topics studied in Areas of Study 2-4 (25%)

It is important to note that 30% of the coursework is based on performance so students should ideally be able to perform either on an instrument or vocally and that although it is not a requirement, students would benefit greatly if they had instrumental/singing tuition.