The Music Department at Pen-Y-Dre consists of two teaching rooms, one of which is fully equipped with keyboards. There is one full time member of staff as well as six instrumental peripatetic staff who visit the school weekly. The peripatetic staff offer the pupils the chance to play a variety of musical instruments. At present we offer tuition in the following instruments :- Strings, Percussion, Brass, Voice, Guitar and Woodwind.
Pupils receive one 50 minute music lesson a week at Key Stage 3 and during this time they cover a wide variety of tasks through the three primary musical activities:
Performing, Composing and Listening and Appraising.
They study topics such as:- Welsh Music, Rap, Reggae, Blues and many more.
Music is offered at GCSE level and the Edexcel exam board is currently being used. The courses are, as is KS 3, based on the three primary musical activities -
Performing, Composing and Listening and Appraising. The course consists of 60% coursework and 40% final exam.
The GCSE course is based on Four topics:
Western Classical Music
20th Century Music
Popular Music
World Music
The department has a busy extra curricular timetable. We have the following
opportunities for pupils:-
Whole school choir rehearsals
Orchestra
Jazz Ensemble
Regular concerts
The choir has recently completed a fundraising 12 hour “Singathon” in which we recorded our school CD.
Weekly homework club
Lunchtime “theory” lessons for those instrumentalists who are reaching the higher grades.
There has also been a recent “Signathon” in aid of the “Afasic” charity in which the Children’s Commissioner for the Wales was in attendance.
