Music
Music is a very important part of life at the Royal School. Our all through curriculum, from year 1 right through to year 13, allows students to explore and develop skills and knowledge across the breadth of music as a subject. We take pride in exploring a wide range of music from many cultures, styles and times in history through listening, performing and composing. Music also allows students to develop a huge range of different skills, including communication, teamwork, leadership and presentation whilst also working on their confidence!
Our extracurricular offer is incredibly popular with students. We are very proud of our collaboration with the Wolverhampton Music Service which sees nearly 300 pupils enjoying weekly instrumental or vocal lessons on one of 18 different offered instruments. Similarly, students are able to get involved in a range of different rehearsal opportunities within school. We offer ukulele club, Fame academy and our popular primary choir in the primary school. Meanwhile, senior students can choose to get involved in senior choir, chamber choir, senior orchestra, rock and pop night and our annual school production. We offer a busy calendar of performance opportunities throughout the school year.
At KS3 students develop their skills on a range of instruments, whilst also exploring a diverse range of different genres and styles.
In year 7 students begin by practicing their skills on keyboard instruments, working to develop their technique and performing a range of different classical pieces. Students also develop their singing voices, working in class rehearsals to produce vocal performances. Year 7 students work with our Djembe drums to explore the music of West Africa, performing as a class and working in small groups to develop their own compositions inspired by their listening work. Finally, year 7 students develop their understanding of popular music through exploring chords on both keyboards and ukuleles, working in bands to perform cover songs.
Year 8 students continue to work on deepening their knowledge of some key areas of music. First, they continue to work in bands to practise and extend their skills when playing chords. Students explore the Blues and practise performances which involve chords, basslines, melodies and improvisation. Next, students look to the world of film music, learning to describe music with more precision and also practising their composition skill, creating melodies which suit certain characters. Finally, students continue developing their understanding of melody through performing and composing pieces inspired by the folk music of the UK.
Students opting to continue their musical study at KS4 study the Edexcel GCSE course. This is an opportunity for students to really develop their deeper understanding of music from across history. The course also offers unique opportunities for students to develop their own personal musicianship through completing both performance and composition coursework projects. Students are challenged to showcase their individual skill and personal character through music.
The course asks students to perform on an instrument or voice of their choice, work with various softwares and instruments to produce their own compositions and also to listen to and analyse 8 set works. Students study instrumental music from 1600-1820, vocal music, music for stage and screen and musical fusions.