Senior Phase: Music
National 3/4/5 Music
The purpose of the National 3/4/5 Music course is to provide candidates with a broad practical experience of performing, creating and understanding music. The course enables candidates to work independently or in collaboration with others and can help them to plan and organise, to make decisions and to take responsibility for their own learning. The course aims to enable candidates to:
- “broaden their knowledge and understanding of music and musical literacy by listening to music and identifying level-specific music concepts, signs and symbols”
- “create original music using compositional methods”
- “perform music”
Who is this course for?
This course is suitable for learners with an interest in developing their skills in music and general understanding of music. The course allows learners to consolidate and reinforce prior skills in music, and knowledge and understanding of music developed through other qualifications or experiences. It can also provide a pathway for those who want to progress to a higher level of study. The course takes into account the needs of different learners and can be contextualised a diverse range of learner needs, interests and aspirations.
There is considerable scope for personalisation and choice through the activities of performing, creating and listening to music.
In the course, candidates draw upon their understanding of music styles and concepts as they experiment with these in creative ways when performing and creating music. Candidates experiment with and use music concepts in creative ways, with a range of compositional methods, as they compose original music and self reflect on their creative choices.
Through listening, candidates develop their knowledge and understanding of a variety of music styles, level-specific concepts, signs and symbols used in music notation. Candidates develop their performing skills on two selected instruments through regular practice and self-reflection.
Higher and Advanced Higher Music
This course is practical and experiential in nature and includes flexibility in the contexts for learning. It helps learners to develop and extend their interest in music, and to develop performing skills on their two selected instruments.
The course also provides opportunities for learners to develop composing skills and broaden their understanding of music concepts and styles. The course enables learners to develop their skills and creative capabilities as a musician. Performing music, for example, demands skills of autonomy, interpretation and creativity as well as providing the opportunity to increase confidence and self esteem. The practice required to develop these skills can promote perseverance, among other things, as well as helping learners to learn how to learn. The skills that learners gain throughout the course will be hugely valuable for learning, life and work.
The aims of the course are to enable learners to:
- develop performing skills in solo and/or group settings on their selected instruments
- performing challenging music with sufficient accuracy while maintaining the musical flow
- create original music using compositional methods and music concepts creatively when composing, arranging or improvising
- broaden their knowledge and understanding of music and musical literacy by listening to music and identifying a range of music signs, symbols and music concepts.
- Critically reflect on and evaluate their own work and that of others
Who is the course for?
This course is a broad-based qualification. It is suitable for learners with an interest in developing and extending their applied musical skills and understanding of music, and for learners with a more specific interest in particular aspects of music. It could also provide a pathway for those who want to progress to higher levels of study. The course us practical and experiential and there is considerable scope for personalisation and choice through the activities of performing, creating and understanding music. This makes the course accessible as it takes account of the needs of different learners and can be contextualised to suit a diverse range of learner needs, interests and aspirations. On completing the course, learners will be able to: perform a programme of music with accuracy and maintaining musical flow; create their own music; self-reflect on and evaluate their own work and that of others; listen to music with awareness and understanding; and improve their musical creativity and performing skills by critically evaluating their own work and the work of others.
What Pupils Say:
We all get on well with the Music teachers and are always encouraged to try our best.
One of the best things about Music is that you get to play what you like.
I know I can always ask for help in Music.
