Music

In St Louis we aim to nurture an appreciation and a love of Music in every child. Music gives the pupils an opportunity to learn in a creative and stimulating environment, developing skills necessary for later life.

At Key Stage 3 all pupils take Music as a subject once each week. Years 8, 9 and 10 concentrate on the development of listening, performing and composing skills.

GCSE

Students study the CCEA GCSE Music curriculum. Over the past 7 years, we have maintained a 100% pass rate A*-C.

GCSE Music is broken into 3 sections:

Performing and Appraising (35%)

Students are assessed at the end of Year 12 and must perform 1 piece on their own and 1 piece within a group of 3 or more. The maximum level that they need to perform at is Grade 1.

Composing and Appraising (30%)

Students compose throughout Year 11 and 12 and submit their portfolio of compositions at the end of Year 12. They must compose 2 pieces which last together, between 3-5 minutes. Most students opt to compose using Logic Pro X.

Listening and Appraising (35%)

Students sit a number of pieces throughout Years 11 and 12 and are assessed in May of Year 12. This involves one listening paper covering their four areas of study:

a) Western Classical Music

b) Popular Music

c) Film Music

d) Musical Traditions in Ireland

AS and A2 students follow the CCEA Music course at their respective levels. We have also maintained a 100% pass rate in the past 7 years.