The goal of the Academic Music Department is to assist students in becoming informed, imaginative and enquiring musicians. It aims to provide a wide range of musical skills and to enable students to use these skills creatively.
In addition to musicianship and composition classes, all students in Years 7 to 9 study a series of set works. These form the basis of creative and analytical projects designed to expand their general musical knowledge and inform their practical instrumental studies. Students follow the IGCSE Music syllabus in Year 10, and in Year 11 they complete an in-depth study of larger scale works in preparation for A Level. At this level, many students also take additional classes in Music Theory, Music Technology and Commercial Music and Jazz History.
In the Sixth Form, students work towards the OCR A Level Music qualification and have lessons in analysis, music history, harmony, composition and aural. They are coached in preparation for Music College entry tests, and Upper 6th students who intend to go to university are given a series of lessons to prepare them for entrance examinations and interviews. Each year a number of students go on to read Music at university, including Oxford, Cambridge, Durham and King’s College, London.
The School was awarded the ISM Gold Certificate in Music for GCSE attainment, and were confirmed as ranking top in the UK’s Academic Music results.
