“When words fail, music speaks.”
At Fearnhill, we believe in providing opportunities and experiences for all students to get involved with different styles and types of musics from around the world and through the ages.
YEAR 7
Units include Rock and Roll, Instruments of the Orchestra, Ukulele, Performance Masterclass, Film/Cartoon Music and Rhythms and Notes.
YEAR 8
Units include Blues, Reggae, West African Drumming, Ensemble skills, the Bass-ics (bassline and bass clef) and Protest music – power through music.
YEAR 9
Units include Film Music, Rap, Hip Hop and Dance music, Band Skills (popular music), Samba and Musicals.
YEAR 10 & 11
Do you enjoy performing music, on your own or in groups? Do you like making up your own music? Do you enjoy listening to different types of music? If you can answer ‘Yes!’ to these questions, then the GCSE Music course may be for you! We study the Edexcel syllabus which combines Performing (30%), Composing (30%) and Listening/Appraising (40%). For the exam we study 8 pieces including Killer Queen, Star Wars, Defying Gravity and Beethoven.
YEAR 12 & 13
There are two paths of study for music at Post 16. You can study A-level Music (Edexcel) which combines Performing (30%), Composing (30%) and Listening/Appraising (40%). We do not currently have an A-level cohort but if there are enough candidates then a class can be offered.
There is also the BTEC Performing Arts Level 3 option which combines music and drama. Students here explore what it means to be a performer, investigate a practitioner, create a group performance to a stimulus and deliver workshops and learn new performance skills.
ASSESSMENT
More details can be found below.
EXAM BOARD LINKS
CLUBS AND ACTIVITIES
Fearnhill Wind Band, Fearnhill Choir and Ukulele club are currently on offer as extra-curricular clubs. Students can also book practice rooms at break and lunch to rehearse their own music.
The music department is also heavily involved in the yearly School Production. The most recent shows include Back to the 80s, The Addams Family and School of Rock to name a few. We also put on a yearly Christmas concert which is a great community event. We look forward to introducing a spring musical event in 2025.
We are proud to offer students at Fearnhill the opportunity to experience various musical and theatrical shows with trips to both local and London based musicals and concerts for students to attend and broaden their musical experiences. Finally, for KS4 students, we have Musical Theory/Coursework Support running one lunchtime a week – to help you read music better, analyse scores and to generally improve your ability and confidence in the music exams.
FAQs
- Can I pay for instrumental lessons?
Yes – we provide instrumental lessons from Herts Music Service. Full and part funding is available for students on pupil premium. - Do GCSE music students get funded instrumental lessons?
Yes – students taking GCSE music currently receive school funding for 15 minute instrumental/vocal lesson.