The Course Breakdown, Examination Board and Areas of Study Are As Follows

At KS4, students have the option of choosing 2 out the 3 ARTS subjects - Art, Music and Drama. They receive three lessons a week over the duration of the course. Each course will begin in Sept 2016 and terminate in the summer term of Year 11.

The course breakdown, examination board and areas of study are as follows:

Exam Board: OCR Music September 2016 Integrated Portfolio – 30% Performance on a solo instrument: Composition Practical Component – 30% Ensemble Performance: 30% Composition to a set OCR brief Listening and Appraising – 40%: A 1 hour 30 minute listening paper covering Music history and the areas of study

The new GCSE Music syllabus has 4 areas of study  AOS1: My Music - Students will study their own instrument and its uses in different genres of music.  AOS2: The concerto through time - Learners will look at the development of the concerto from the Baroque to the Romantic period  AOS3: Rhythms of the world - Music from all continents will be studied including Indian Classical music  AOS4: Film Music - This is a wide-ranging topic that covers music specifically written for a film as well as video games.

At KS4, students undertaking GCSE Music will need to have some knowledge of notation and be able to commit to practicing their instrument regularly. Attending study club is a vital necessity to students’ success at GCSE Music.

Next steps and post GCSE Music: Other Level 3 qualifications (including advanced GCE) in creative and media related subjects, A Level Music Technology, or employment within the music industry.

Art and Design Exam Board: EDEXCEL Sept 2016

KS4 Art Students begin their preparatory GCSE studies in Yr9 with an induction period which covers each of the 4 GCSE Assessment Objectives:  AO1 – Academic research of artists work and exploring the student’s own ideas from a variety of sources  AO2 – Experimenting with different processes, materials, techniques and refining of the students skills  AO3 – Recording in a variety of methods from primary observations; drawing, Photographing, notes and gathered images appropriate to the students ideas  AO4 – Developing the students’ research, experimentation and recording to create a Personal Outcome and original piece of work.

Yr.10/11 Students prepare Unit 1: ‘Their own Portfolio of work’, developing from a theme set by the school demonstrating AO1, AO2, AO3 & AO4. Unit 1 is followed by Unit 2 - a short twelve week course set by EDEXCEL Exam Board. Students develop and submit an independently prepared portfolio of work using all 4 Assessment Objectives which will culminate with a Two Day Exam when the student produces a ‘Personal Outcome’ – AO4.

There are opportunities for students to engage with learning at other institutions such as Museums, Galleries and Colleges. Students are encouraged to actively visit Exhibitions and Art Events are both within school and independently. Additional support throughout the academic year with after school classes, weekend Saturday classes and Holiday classes, is available.

Attending these extra study club sessions is a necessity for students’ success at GCSE Art & Design.

Next steps for post GCSE Art & Design:  sufficient skill base to provide entry to any of the Applied disciplines such as Architecture, Interior Design, Furniture, Graphics, Photography, Fashion, Textiles, Drama & Expressive Arts Production and more.

Drama: Exam Board: EDEXCEL GCSE Drama

Units of work:  Component 1: Devising (40%) - students will partake in the devising of a performance and/or design realisation. A portfolio covering the creating developing, analysis and evaluation of the devising process will be kept by the students.  Component 2: Performance from Text (20%) – Students will either perform in and/or design for two key extracts from a given performance text. Performer or designer routes available  Component 3: Theatre Makers in Practice: Written examination: 1 hour 30 minutes (40%) - Practical exploration and study of one complete performance text. Students will have a choice of eight performance texts to choose from. A Live theatre evaluation – free choice of production, will be a compulsory requirement for this component

Students will learn:  How to apply knowledge and understanding when making, performing and responding to drama  How to explore performance texts, understanding their social, cultural and historical context including the theatrical conventions of the period in which they were created  To develop a range of theatrical skills and apply them to create performances  The ability to recognise and understand the roles and responsibilities of performer, designer and director Finally: Students will gain a lot of experience of live theatre

Due to the practical nature of the course, attending study clubs and extra rehearsal sessions, and collaborating positively with peers is a necessity for student’s success at GCSE Drama.

Next steps for post GCSE Drama: • GCE in Drama and Theatre Studies • BTEC National Award in Performing Arts (Acting) • BTEC National Certificate in Performing Arts (Acting) • BTEC National Diploma in Performing Arts (Acting) • 14-19 Diploma in Creative Media (Level 3)

PERFORMING ARTS

Two new exciting courses are being offered to students at KS4 in the ARTS:  The NCFE Level 2 Certificate in Creative Studies: ‘Performance Skills’ – Drama  The NCFE Level 2 Certificate in Creative Studies: ‘Music Technology’ – Music

The NCFE Level 2 Certificate in Creative Studies: Performance Skills (Drama) has 2 compulsory units and 2 optional units. The areas of study for Performance Skills are:  Unit 01: Developing skills for performance  Unit 02: Prepare and perform  Unit 03: Performance production in practice  Unit 04: Performance design and technology in context

The students will learner and understand the importance of rehearsals, prepare for, and take part in and evaluating a performance, whilst consideration the needs of the audience. They will understand the practical and organisational processes that surround the successful staging of a performance, such as the work of a production team and have knowledge of how design and production skills contribute to an overall performance product, such as costume, prop and set, sound or lighting

Career pathways: Possible career opportunities are:  Animator  Lighting Technician  Stage Manager  Front of House Manager  Set Designer  Sound Technician  Actor (TV, Radio, Theatre )  Costume designer  Voice-over artist  Director  Make-up artist

The NCFE Level 2 Certificate in Creative Studies: Music Technology (Music) has 2 compulsory units and 2 optional units, out of a choice of 9 options. The students will have the option to learn how to set up and operate a digital workstation, creating music using digital audio workstation and recording multi-track audios; producing dance music. They will learn sound design and the techniques involving microphone usage in music production, as well as the workings behind the making of live sound.

Career pathways: Possible career opportunities are:  NCFE Level 3 Diploma in Managing a Music Business Enterprise  NCFE Level 3 Diploma in Radio  Other Level 3 qualifications (including advanced GCE) in creative and media related subjects  GCSEs in Music and Music Technology  A Level Music Technology  Or employment within the music industry.