“Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination and life to everything.” ― Plato

The Music Department aims to enhance pupil knowledge and experience in the expressive arts. Pupils will develop skills and gain a deeper understanding of all aspects of Music through a wide variety of curricular and extra-curricular activities. Through a variety of practical and written activities, pupils will learn the necessary skills for future progression in music. These activities are designed to meet the experiences and outcomes outlined within Broad General Education and certificated qualifications.

BGE

Broad General Education courses in S1-3 help to establish basic musical knowledge that will be built upon in Senior Phase. From S1 pupils are given the opportunity to play keyboard, tuned percussion, guitar, bass guitar, ukulele and drum kit in which they learn how to read music. These enjoyable lessons pose a challenge to pupils in an exciting new context which facilitates a smooth transition into S2 music where they choose two of these instruments to focus on. Pupils also reflect on the work they carry out and set themselves targets to allow progression. As pupils progress through BGE music they are also given the opportunity to learn about a variety of genres of music in understanding lessons and use the concepts learned from this to compose their own music.

SENIOR PHASE

National 4/5, Higher and Advanced Higher allows candidates to extend their existing knowledge by studying musical concepts, performing and composing. Pupils learn how to identify level specific concepts while they listen and perform and create their own music. As well as this pupils are encouraged to self-reflect as they build a programme of music that they perform to a visiting examiner. By working hard and gaining confidence in performance, pupils develop a range of interpersonal skills which helps them as they progress in further studies or work.

CAREERS

There are a wide variety of opportunities for young people who want to pursue a career in music. From performing, to engineering, the selection is vast with varying skill sets required. In the music department we support pupils as they embark on their first steps into further education and work by offering a range of curricular and extra-curricular options. Hard work and dedication to pursuing any chosen career, along with the support of staff, will aid pupils to achieve anything they choose to do. Jobs include:
Music Therapist
Music Promoter
Music Teacher
DJ
Professional Musician (pop and classical)
Sound Engineer
Roadie
Radio Braodcaster
Instrument repairer
Stage Manager
Production Assisstant
Audio-Visual Technican
Broadcast engineer
Media Researcher
Music Journalist