ABOUT THIS COURSE

This course will explore how you can turn the challenges of teaching Music at KS3 into an opportunity for positive change. The course aims to guide teachers in designing a well-structured, flexible and cohesive curriculum which also works as a vibrant and stimulating course of study, developing the essential knowledge, understanding and skills students need to go into GCSE. The course will also provide a range of teaching ideas, methods and approaches for KS3 music learning and teaching, which are designed to secure the best possible outcomes at KS3 to prepare pupils to flourish and excel GCSE and beyond Finally, teachers will also leave feeling empowered to enhance their assessment, marking and feedback practices, having gained a deeper understanding of the assessment criteria and go on to develop further their assessment and feedback techniques.

---

BENEFITS OF ATTENDING

• Gain ways to put the Wow factor into KS3 music l Explore a diverse range of music to incorporate into your diverse, culturally rich KS3 curriculum
• Take away effective practices to build in and develop cohesive, structured pathways to developing the essential skills and concepts at KS3
• Build into your teaching rigorous assessment and feedback techniques to make for rapid progress l Achieve the right balance of breadth and depth in your KS3 programme
• Take away techniques and strategies to raise the attainment of middle to lower achieving students

---

PROGRAMME

Planning a brilliant KS3 music curriculum – challenges and opportunities

10.00 – 10.45am

• What makes a brilliant KS3 music curriculum: identifying what is important
• Key messages from Ofsted
• How does what you value appear in your KS3 curriculum?
• How far does your KS3 curriculum engage with, and match your diverse music classes?

---

Morning break

10.15-11.00am

---

Putting the Wow Factor into your KS3 Music Lessons

11.00 – 12.30pm

• Ensuring the excitement, enjoyment and stimulation of music learning is an essential in your learning sequences
• What constitutes an excellent, enriching programme of wider music at KS3? Creating a co-curricular programme for your context
• Does your curriculum ensure that a good breadth and appropriate depth? How do you measure for this?
• Does your KS3 curriculum reflect the diverse music interests and traditions of your KS3 groups?
• Empowering students with effective musicianship, analytical and critical thinking development at KS3
• To what extent is historical, social, and cultural context built into your teaching plans?
• Examples, practical strategies and ideas for students to make progress in their music learning, including an initial project for Year 7, Hamilton, and ideas for wider listening.

---

Lunch

12.30 – 1.30pm

---

Practical Composition Session: How to teach brilliant Composition lessons at KS3

1.30 – 2.30pm

• Strategies and ideas to start off teaching composition at KS3
• Building composition skills – introducing students to the compositional process, arming them with skills and the confidence to work on their own and in groups
• Picking the stimulus – tips on which works you should choose for the needs of your students
• Choosing stimuli that drives student creativity, imagination and motivation using a choice of musical styles
• The techniques – the elements and developing the skills with Year 7 – 9

 

---

Afternoon Break

2.30 – 2.40pm  

---

Taking Risks, Extending Boundaries

2.40 – 3.10pm

• Practical approaches and strategies that achieve exceptional standards of music learning in high attaining pupils
• Ways to extend student thinking and understanding beyond the musical elements and skills
• Developing the breadth and depth of musical understanding to ensure critical appreciation
• Creating enriching opportunities l Creating an inspirational classroom setting for inspired learning
• Cross-curricular learning – how to draw upon the support of other subjects to deliver engaging activities

---

Getting Assessment and Feedback Right

3.00 – 3.45pm

•  Who are we assessing for? Balancing the needs of school systems, parents, students and yourself
• Deciding what is important enough to assess?
• Practical approaches to creating a system that works in your context
• Whole class marking and rubrics
• Giving effective feedback to students for rapid progress and curriculum planning