Detail

Information

Academic year that this summary covers

2024/2025

Date this summary was published

July 2024

Date this summary will be reviewed

July 2025

Name of the school music lead

K. Collin

Name of school leadership team member with responsibility for music (if different)

R. Edson

Name of local music hub

Sheffield Music Hub

Great music education is a partnership between classroom teachers, instrumental teachers, professional performers and a host of other organisations from the performing arts and voluntary sectors. Many children will have their first experience of playing and creating music in educational settings. It is important that high quality music education is available to all. At Meadowhead School, we offer music across all key stages as part of a thriving Faculty of Performing Arts. We recognise the important role that music plays in children’s academic, personal and social development and we provide an enriching and well sequenced music curriculum.

All students study music for 1 hour per week in Years 7 and 8 before undertaking an equal rotation of music and drama in year 9. The music curriculum is modelled around the assessed areas of music learning: composition, performance, listening and appraisal.  It includes a variety of musical styles, instruments and genres. The curriculum is designed to develop learners’ instrumental skills and understanding of the elements of music.  The department embeds musical context and theory through the practical application of music in lessons. The curriculum currently covers topics such as Blues, Reggae, Western Classical Music, Film Music and African Music. The topics are rooted in the development of musical skills, both from an instrumental perspective and a music technology perspective.  The department intent is as follows:

At Meadowhead, we think and act as musicians

Listening is breathing in

Composing and performing are breathing out

Every lesson you will perform, compose and listen to different types of music

Your job is to showcase what you’ve learnt and respect others when they are doing the same

At KS4, Meadowhead offers GCSE Music currently on AQA (Y11) and Eduqas (Y10) exam boards.  There is also a vocational music pathway.  Currently, BTEC Music for Y11 and Eduqas for Y10.  At KS5, Meadowhead offers Edexcel A-Level Music. The curriculum is staffed by specialist, high calibre music teachers and is further supported by fully-funded instrumental lessons for learners studying courses at KS4 and KS5. Instrumental lessons are also offered at KS3 and staffed by visiting tutors from the Sheffield Music Hub.  

The department is well resourced with two purpose-built music classrooms and a number of smaller practice rooms which are frequently used in lessons. The department has access to a wide range of instruments, including pianos; keyboards; a large range of percussion instruments, such as full-sized drum kits; guitars; ukuleles; string and bass instruments. The school has a full suite of African and Latin American percussion instruments which are studied at all key stages. Music lessons include a range of whole class ensemble work and smaller group or solo performance work, encouraging learners to be creative and active in music. Within the faculty there are full suites of PCs which give students access to music composition programmes Sibelius and Studio One.

More detail about the music curriculum can be found here. 

Meadowhead school offers peripatetic music lessons across all key stages in partnership with Sheffield Music Hub. Visiting tutors offer tuition in singing, strings, woodwind, guitar, drums and piano. The school is proud to be in partnership with Sheffield Music Hub as it allows us to offer tuition in a wide variety of instruments.  We are responsive to student requests, planning the tuition offer with flexibility and foresight. The school also offers a Music Pathways project in Year 7 and 8. This is small group tutoring in a particular instrument with a view to encouraging young people to continue playing the instrument beyond the end of the project. The school has offered pathways in violin and would like to continue to build this provision.  

Meadowhead offers a range of music ensembles including a strings group, orchestra and choir. These groups meet weekly and are well attended by students. The school runs an annual trust choir concert which takes place in the summer term and offers Meadowhead’s choir the opportunity to sing and showcase their work to an audience at a yearly event. This concert is performed in collaboration with the school’s feeder primary schools and is a wonderful tool for promoting music across the year groups.  The trust choir concert has been established for many years at Meadowhead and is always well received.

Meadowhead also offers an annual school production led by the Performing Arts department. This production includes music, acting and dance and affords opportunities for performance in either/and all performing arts disciplines.  Singing (ensemble, duet, solo) and live band and/or instrumental groups are a proud part of our yearly school production.

In the 2024-2025 academic year, we plan to showcase ‘A Night at the Theatre’.  This is a school production which will include music, drama, dance and musical theatre.  The production will be open to all year groups and will afford opportunities for backstage technical roles where students will lead on sound and lighting.

Y9 learners have the opportunity to attend the musical ‘Little Shop of Horrors’ in January 2025 which is being performed at The Crucible, Sheffield; and we will run the annual Trust Choir Concert in July 2025. This choir is open to all year groups and is performed in conjunction with Y5 feeder school students.

We also offer the opportunity for the strings group and some choir members to perform at the local care home White Willows.

Music is part of an ever-evolving Performing Arts landscape and Meadowhead is proud to be moving forward with its music offer. Development areas include:

1. Increasing music peripatetic provision
2. Increasing opportunities for trips and visits to either see or perform music
3. Developing opportunities to play live music in front of audiences
4. Developing musical links with Sheffield Theatres
5. Develop Music Pathways project

More information about the Sheffield Music Hub can be found here:

https://www.sheffieldmusichub.org/

The Department for Education also publishes a guide for parents and young people on how they can get involved in music in and out of school, and where they can go to for support beyond the school.