| Year Group |
Course |
Description |
| S1-3 |
Music as part of the Broad General Education |
Learning the basics on a number of instruments including the keyboard, glockenspiel, guitar, ukulele, bass guitar, drum kit and voice. |
| Learning to read basic music notation. |
| Listening to and studying music from across history and from different styles and genres. |
| Composing original music using music technology and various compositional techniques. |
| S4-6 |
National 4 Music Qualification |
Performing: A focus on developing skills on two chosen instruments to grade 2 level. Pupils will prepare and record a programme of music lasting 8 minutes. |
| Understanding Music: Listening to a wide range of musical styles and genres and being able to identify features of the music. |
| Composition: Creating and refining original music using concepts and compositional devices learned throughout the course. Reading and writing simple music notation using musical symbols. |
| S4-6 |
National 5 Music Qualification |
Performing: A focus on developing skills on two chosen instruments to grade 3 level. Pupils will prepare a programme of music lasting a total of 8 minutes to be performed to a visiting examiner. |
| Understanding Music: Listening to a wide range of musical styles and genres and being able to identify features of the music. Pupils will undertake an Understanding Listening exam paper. |
| Composition: Creating and refining original music using concepts and compositional devices learned throughout the course. Reading and writing music notation using musical symbols. |
| S5-6 |
Higher Music Qualification |
Performing: A focus on developing skills on two chosen instruments to grade 4 level. Pupils will prepare a programme of 12 minutes of music to be performed in front of a visiting examiner. |
| Understanding Music: Listening to a wide range of musical styles and genres and being able to identify features of the music. Pupils will undertake an Understanding Listening exam paper. |
| Composition: Creating and refining original music using concepts and compositional devices learned throughout the course. Reading and writing music notation using musical symbols. Pupils will produce a folio of work to reflect their understanding in this area of the course. |
| S5-6 |
Advanced Higher Music Qualification |
Performing: A focus on developing skills on two chosen instruments to grade 5 level. |
| Understanding Music: Listening to a wide range of musical styles and genres and being able to identify features of the music. Pupils will undertake an Understanding Listening exam paper. Pupils will also complete an Analytical Commentary comparing two pieces of music and analysing them, in depth, with extracts of scores and musical examples. This dissertation will be between 1500-2000 words in length. |
| Composition: Creating and refining original music using concepts and compositional devices learned throughout the course. Reading and writing fairly complex music notation using musical symbols. Pupils will create a folio of work for this area of the course. |
Download the Higher Music Concepts Dictionary here. (PDF opens in a new window.) It includes material for Access 3 and Intermediate 1 & 2, as well.