Curriculum

PERFORMING ARTS Music

The Academy’s Performing Arts curriculum gives pupils the opportunity to engage in creative self-expression through Music/Nasheed.

The Star Music curriculum for faith schools has been developed to stimulate young minds, provide an outlet for expression, and enhance pupils’ faith experience. The curriculum is designed to build character and real-life skills and abilities. The programmes of study are interwoven with lessons from the life of the Prophet Muhammad and key events in Islam, which are conveyed using musical expressions. The curriculum also incorporates the creative works of artists and composers from Western and World musical traditions.

We will keep these relevant and exciting to cater for pupils’ diverse needs. Music is a universal language which represents one of the highest levels of creativity, imagination, and inspiration, and utilises parts of the brain that enable students to grow to be healthier learners. We will assist pupils in developing an open-minded approach throughout this discipline so that they gain a deeper awareness of the diverse world around them. Pupils must develop a profound appreciation of history.

To this end, they will acquire an appreciation and understanding of the historical and cultural musical traditions, especially of the great composers, which will present them with not only how a historic period matured but will also stimulate them with potent ideas. Moreover, this cultivates a better tolerance and respect of the diverse cultures that shape the world we live in. Through the study of music, we intend to create a vibrant environment for pupils to cultivate a strong love of school life, develop logical intelligence and interpersonal skills; confidence, self-esteem, communication, problem-solving and team-building skills.

Our schemes are embedded with engaging musical exploration and opportunities to discover and enhance these skills. The music curriculum aims to inspire and develop pupils’ interests in composing, performing, listening and appraising music, where they will expand awareness of different genres and cultures and have opportunities for independent and teamwork.

Our vision for Music

The vision for Islamic Faith Music education at Star is to profoundly develop pupils’ Muslim faith experience and musicality by offering devotional nasheed experiences that resonate with their faith and cultural contexts. As a result, pupils’ experiences in music will provide them with narratives that reverberate with them as lifelong experiences, enabling some to thrive as promising musicians whilst instilling in all a deeper appreciation of nasheed and the music they and others encounter.

 

Our vision is ambitious and designed to submerge pupils in devotional faith musical experiences both within and outside the classroom setting, where pupils:

  • Perform, listen to, review and evaluate nasheed across a range of historical periods.
  • Have extensive and rich opportunities to develop their singing talents and use their voices to create and compose music independently and with others.
  • Learn to play a drum proficiently, other musical instruments, use technology appropriately and progress to the next level of musical excellence.
  • Understand and explore how music is created, produced and communicated.

 

The whole-school curriculum operates at three levels and addresses pupils’ academic, personal, faith and social development. The three individual learning elements provide a different component to every pupil’s education. The goals of these structured learning layers at the school are intellectual, personal, faith and social maturity.

 

There are three guiding elements which are brought to life in the Islamic Faith Music curriculum:

  • Educational excellence: music teachers enable pupils to play and perform confidently in a range of solo and ensemble contexts using their voice, playing instruments musically, fluently and with accuracy and expression. In addition, they can improvise and compose, extend and develop musical ideas by drawing on a range of musical structures, styles, genres and traditions.
  • Character development: teachers emphasise that the music they love will be part of the narrative of their lives and bring colour to the faith experiences that shape them. Islamic Faith Music will provide comfort through difficult times and help them manage their emotional and spiritual well-being.
  • Service to communities: Music education enables pupils to become more aware of cultures and social contexts at both micro and macro levels. Pupils learn that music is a powerful means to communicate and raise awareness of ideas and peoples’ contexts throughout history. In addition, musical performances lend to developing community cohesion, lifting the spirit, and improving mental and emotional well-being, supporting those at a disadvantage.

Key Stage 3 Intent

In Year 7, pupils build upon musical knowledge they have from a primary level and develop a strong understanding of melody, rhythm and musical structures. In addition, pupils get to know Allah ﷻ and the importance of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ in Islam and utilise their musical creativity for composing and performing nasheed about Allah ﷻ and Prophet Muhammad ﷺ. In Year 8, pupils build on previous years’ knowledge of the elements of Music such as, melody and rhythm, through various composing, performing and listening tasks. In addition, pupils develop a richer appreciation of nasheed related to specific cultures by exploring some of the fundamental beliefs of Islam. In Year 9, pupils develop knowledge of  musical features and devices that are connected to  time and place. They use their musical knowledge to compose, perform, listen to and appraise nasheed based on specific cultural and social musical contexts, with an awareness of some critical Islamic concepts.

 

Key Stage 3 Implementation

LEARNING JOURNEYS

Key Stage 3 Impact

Procedural knowledge components are used to assess fluency of declarative knowledge. Pupils display mastery of knowledge such as, melody, rhythm, elements of music, musical structures polyrhythms and texture, chords and harmony through Fluency Composites. Fluency composites are completed after numerous mini check points to assess mastery of the topic. Gaps or misconceptions that have been identified upon the completion of fluency composites are re-visited and re-assessed in the fluency composite that follows after a period of time in order to compel pupils to recall.

Enrichment and Careers

Pupils attend Nasheed and drum club to develop singing and drumming performances, partnerships with Music Hub and peripatetic music instrument teachers provides individual and small ensemble tuition in instruments of pupils’ choice through the pupil’s voice, enrichment days focused on whole school musical activities, where community musicians and small ensembles are invited to perform their music to pupils and pupils visit musical performances at performance venues.