Music is valued very highly at Wallington County Grammar School, recognising the intellectual benefits, as well as opportunities for working in a team and nurturing independence and respect for others and the environment.

The Music Department comprises two main work rooms; one equipped with 21 computers offering Sibelius 4 and Cubase and the other 15 full-sized keyboards. IT is a requirement for all subjects and as well as being an attractive option for the students, also greatly enhances the process of creative music writing. Sibelius is designed for composing using formal music notation and Cubase caters for those wishing to create music of a more informal nature with the scope for encompassing electronic sounds. There are 20 pupils in each Key Stage 3 class which enables practical work to be engaging for all.

As well as offering a modern working environment, the Music Department offers opportunities for all pupils to develop the key skill areas across all genres. These include composing, performing, listening and appraising. The curriculum places an emphasis on creative music-making through performing and composing with these being further nurtured and developed by listening to a range of different music including popular and world music as well as classical and film music.

Extra-curricular activities include one evening concert and two lunchtime prom concerts each term and there are a number of ensembles which meet up once each week either at lunchtime or after school: orchestra, chamber choir, upper voice choir, string ensemble, jazz ensemble, percussion group, brass group and wind group. This year we took 49 pupils from the choir to perform at the O2 Arena as part of the Young Voices choir which was an experience they will never forget! We also took the choir on a concert tour to Ghent, Belgium. There are eight peripatetic instrumental teachers teaching a full range of instruments during school time on rotating timetables so that missing particular lessons is kept to a minimum.

The Edexcel GCSE Music course is divided into three areas – listening and appraising, composition, and performing. Listening and appraising carries 40% of the total marks, the other two areas 30% each. The composition and performing papers are both on-going coursework modules; the listening paper is sat during the examination period in the summer.

The listening paper is the only written examination. It involves listening to short extracts of music, and then answering questions on the three set works in each of the four Areas of Study. These cover popular music, classical music and music from around the world. Pupils will be introduced to musical styles from the seventeenth century to the present day in the Western European tradition, traditional and contemporary folk music, varied popular styles of the last hundred years and music from other cultures and traditions.

At AS and A2 level students continue following the Edexcel specification. It is useful to have taken music at GCSE level, but this is not essential as long as you can already play a musical instrument to grade 5 standard and are able to read music fluently. Music can lead to further study in music or performing arts in higher education at degree level, and may lead on to a career in the music industry. Performing, composing, listening and analytical skills are required in almost equal measure. You will improve your skills in performing and composing in a range of styles, and you will listen to a wide variety of music and develop a more informed appreciation of how and why it was written and/or performed.