What is it to be a musician at Marriotts?

At Marriotts, we believe in the transformative power of music to inspire, engage, and develop every student. Our music curriculum is designed to encourage both performance and composition, allowing students to express themselves creatively and build confidence through hands-on experience. Our well-resourced department is equipped with a range of instruments, technology, and spaces that support a diverse and dynamic music education. 

We are more than just a department; we are a musical community. We foster a supportive environment where students, staff, and the wider school community come together to create, share, and celebrate music. Through concerts, collaborative projects, and extracurricular opportunities, Marriotts Music Department aims to cultivate a lifelong love of music and a deep appreciation for the role it plays in enriching our lives.  

Curriculum overview

KS3 (Years 7- 9) 

Music at Marriotts in Key Stage 3 comprises of 1 hour of music per week, taught in form groups. Topics are studied in a modular style throughout the year, with assessments conducted at the end of each module. Students are assessed with our whole school assessment policy: students will self-assess, peer-assess and have a teacher assessment once every half term. 

• Year 7: The Elements of Music, Keyboard Skills: BLinding Lights, Tonality: Whole Tone Scale, Keyboard Performance, Yellow, Garageband Composition (Loops).

• Year 8: Major Scale Composition, Performance: Pirates of the Carribean, Minor Scale Composition, Blues Performance, Reggae, Three Little Birds, Garageband: Genre. 

• Year 9: Music Technology (Production & Composition), Live Performance & Rehearsal Skills.  

YEAR 9

In this Year 9 music unit, students will explore the dynamic relationship between performance and composition. They will compose their own original pieces, incorporating various musical elements and techniques, while also learning how to effectively perform their compositions. Through practical workshops and group collaborations, students will refine their skills in both writing and interpreting music. By the end of the unit, students will have developed a deeper understanding of the creative process and gained confidence in presenting their work to an audience.

Module 1: Composition in music technology (DAW)

Module 2: Composition and performance (instruments)

GCSE Music

KS4 – Eduqas GCSE Music (Years 10 – 11)
The Eduqas GCSE Music course is designed for students who want to explore a broad range of musical skills and knowledge, blending both practical performance and academic study. The qualification assesses students through a combination of performance, composition, and a written exam focused on musical understanding.

Assessment Overview:
Component 1: Performing Music (30%)
Students will prepare and perform two pieces of music: one solo performance and one ensemble performance, with a combined duration of at least 4 minutes.

Component 2: Composing Music (30%)
Students will create two original compositions, one of which will be in response to a set brief provided by Eduqas. Together, the compositions must total a minimum of 3 minutes.

Component 3: Appraising Music (40%)
A written examination assessing students' understanding of musical elements, language, and context across a variety of genres and styles. This includes set works from four areas of study:

1. Musical Forms and Devices
2. Music for Ensemble
3. Film Music
4. Popular Music

Key Evidence May Include: Performance recordings, composition logs and audio files, score or notation drafts, and listening exercise practice.

Total Qualification Time: Guided Learning Hours: 120

Rock School – Level 3 Subsidiary Diploma in Music

Our RSL course has been designed with live performance and professional musicianship in mind. Students will undertake 6 modules during their two-year course. 

The modules focus specifically on live performance, rehearsal skills, progression at your instrument, pursuing a career in music, planning events, promoting your music and knowledge of the music industry over the last 75 years. This course is designed to give students a comprehensive experience of what it takes to be a professional musician. 

• MUSPRA 387E - Rehearsal Skills & Live Music Performance - This unit highlights the learner’s live performance skills and their capacity to take ownership of the entire performance process, including planning, rehearsals, performance, and evaluation.  

• MUSPRA 349 - Planning for a Career in Music - The aim of this unit is to familiarise learners with the processes associated with effective career planning and to align/link their career aims with their study for this qualification, defining the ways in which the learner engages with their learning.  

• MUSPRA 353 - Music Event Management - This unit looks to develop event management skills and can be applied to any kind of event or tour. The live music experience is increasingly important to performers and their business partners, and the ability to manage an event is an important skill for any practitioner, regardless of the genre, product or marketplace. By evaluating the process involved in staging a musical event and applying the required skills to an area of their own interest, learners will develop strategies for event management and promotion in a variety of areas.  

• MUSPRA 304 – Composing Music (Styles) – This unit aims to develop the learner’s knowledge and practical understanding of a range of compositional methods and techniques associated with different musical genres or styles. The purpose of this unit is to facilitate the development of compositions that are reflective of existing work in the chosen genre, style or sub-style. Through the research and analysis of compositional techniques involved in varied styles and genres, learners can assess and develop the tools needed to create music with the intention of assembling a coherent body of work.

• MUSPRA 318 - Listening to Music - This unit will develop and assess the learners’ listening skills, knowledge and awareness of music and ultimately inform their own creative development. The purpose of this unit is to introduce learners to the concept of perceptive listening and develop skills for application of listening skills to development of their own musical output.  

• MUSPRA 321 - Evolution of the Record Industry - This unit aims to look at how the UK popular music recording industry has changed since 1950, and how these changes have impacted upon artists and their audiences.  

Module Weighting

• MUSPRA 349 - Planning for a Career In Music 15

• MUSPRA 387E - Rehearsal Skills & Live Music Performance 30

• MUSPRA 353  -  Music Event Management 15

• MUSPRA 304 – Composing Music (Styles) 15

• MUSPRA 318 - Listening to Music 10

• MUSPRA 321 - Evolution of the Record Industry 5