Curriculum
Curriculum
“Music washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life” (Berthold Auerbach)
In order to achieve this, we need to free our students from the constraints that lack of skills and knowledge or low self-esteem, bring. In our lessons and enrichment activities we aim to provide an encouraging environment that inspires confidence, creativity and perseverance. Our state of the art recording studio has iMac music workstations for every pupil and both CD and vinyl DJ decks. The large performance area is well-resourced with a variety of instruments, including a digital piano, drum kits, guitars, keyboards, and various percussion, brass, woodwind and string instruments from around the world. We have full sets of instruments for African drumming, a Samba band and a Steel band.
Classes have a 70 minute music lesson each week. Most units allow achievement of an AQA Unit Award.
Units include:
Students may opt to follow a 120 Guided Learning Hour (GLH) Edexcel BTEC Level 1/ Level 2 First Award in Music. Students have achieved excellent results in this course, recently.
Students follow the core units:
1. The Music Industry (assessed by an exam)
2. Managing a Music Product (such as putting on a show or creating a CD)
And choose two optional units from:
1. Introducing Live Sound
2. Introducing Music Composition
3. Introducing Music Performance
4. Introducing Music Recording
5. Introducing Music Sequencing
We also offer the 60 GLH Edexcel BTEC Level 1 Award in Performing Arts to students opting for a 1 year course or who prefer to develop backstage or technical skills.
Student Led Learning groups run for an hour each week. Here students can practice individually or in small groups to develop their singing or playing skills. Some then form a band and learn or compose pieces for recording or performance. Others use music software to create their own pieces. Students and staff sometimes perform pieces in aid of events such as Children in Need and World Peace day. Students work towards achieving AQA Unit Awards tailored to their particular interests and skills.
Twice a week, for 20 minutes at the end of the day, students have the opportunity to continue to develop their instrumental or vocal skills.
At the end of terms 2, 4 and 6 we hold school concerts for students, staff, parents, carers, governors and other visitors. Many students enjoy taking part and the performances are usually amazing! We have an ever-growing production team with students running many of the technical aspects of the show, such as the staging, lighting, VJ’ing and live camera operation. All performers get a DVD of the show.
Many of the recordings made at Goldwyn are available to listen to on our YouTube Channel, GoldwynMusic. Besides our uploaded pieces, this channel has an ever-growing collection of more than 360 videos for use in music lessons and enrichment times. Please feel free to subscribe to this channel.
In conjuction with Andrew Parry Music, we are able to offer individual music tuition on drums, bass, guitar and keyboard. From time to time we can offer tuition on saxophone, ukulele, violin and vocals.
Students’ experiences are sometimes enhanced by attending workshops, such as African drumming or DJ’ing, and going on educational visits to see music performances, musicals and the opera. Performing artists are occasionally invited to perform and chat to students. Students are sometimes invited to perform at outsider events, such as a Christian Aid charity event or at the Kent County Show.
All Goldwyn, students have the opportunity to work towards an Arts Award at Bronze level. This programme encourages students to develop their interests and skills in arts activities of their own choice. Recent examples have included playing the keyboard, video-making, print-making, street dancing, drawing, singing, photography, drumming and DJ’ing. Students have visited galleries and been to performances such as ‘Stomp’ then reviewed their experiences on the Goldwyn Arts Award Review website. The Arts Award enables students to develop their leadership qualities as they pass on their skills and enthusiasm to others.
