Topic title: Popular Music
Year group: 9
When taught: September to end of December
What are we learning?
• The key features of the following popular styles of music: Rock n roll, Stadium Rock, Britpop, Grunge, Disco and EDM (Electronic dance music – within this is House, Techno, Drum n bass etc)
• Using musical vocabulary and listening skills to identify these key features.
• How to play full length pieces within an ensemble
Why is this important to know?
• Pupils need to be able to identify a style or genre of music from the features that identify music within each style. This is useful either going forward into GCSE but also when describing music within real world settings.
• Playing an instrument as part of an ensemble is a key musical skill, allowing pupils to play in bands and orchestra, and sing in choirs. This again is a skill that pupils must show as part of the GCSE performance unit, but is also how a large number of people interact with music within real world settings.
• Understanding the features of these style also allows pupils to understand how to build a successful piece when composing and the common features between popular music styles.
Where does this link into our past and future learning?
• During year 7 and 8 pupils have been learning to play in ensembles in a variety of styles, but with pieces only lasting one or two sections. The skills in this topic develop their abilities to perform for longer.
• Pupils have studied the Blues in year 8, which is one of the main origin styles that influenced popular music from 1950. This knowledge is key to many of the common stylists features in popular music.
• Pupils will continue to build on their use of the core music vocabulary (MADTSHIRT) and how to describe each of these elements of music within these specific styles. We have been using this acronym to support pupils vocabulary from year 7 onwards.
How will we be assessed on this topic?
• The topic is assessed with a performance as part of an ensemble, on one of the popular styles of music listed above.
• Pupils will complete a listening and appraising test covering pieces from each of the styles above, identifying key features or the styles, typical instruments and some of the music theory needed for them to have accessed playing these pieces.
What makes a strong piece of work in this topic? What are teachers hoping to see?
• Effective and focused group work
• Challenging yourself to play a more difficult part
• Playing in time with multiple other instrumentalists
• Being able to aurally identify tempos, instruments, stylists features (e.g. distorted guitars in Stadium rock) and using new musical vocabulary alongside your previous knowledge to answer listening questions.
What key words are there in this topic?
What can I try if I want to stretch and challenge myself on this topic?
• Try playing a part with more complexity, either in the rhythm, pitch range, complexity of the chords or on an instrument you need to develop on.
• Describe each element of music in detail – how does it change throughout a piece? Can you describe how it develops from one section of the structure to another.
What wider reading can be done on this topic?
On YouTube and BBC iPlayer there are numerous documentaries about each popular style of music.
In the resources drive; subjects; music; year 9; popular music. There are two documentaries on Britpop and Grunge.
It is advised that you listen widely to pieces within each style.
Supporting document/links:
• Popular music keywords and assessment sheet.
