Music

Music inspires students to explore, create and perform. Through listening, composing and practical music-making, students develop their musical skills while discovering how music reflects cultures, tells stories and shapes our understanding of the world.

Across Middle School, students build confidence as performers and composers, learning to express themselves creatively while developing technical skills, musical understanding and an appreciation of a wide range of musical traditions and styles.

What Students Experience

Students encounter music from across history and around the world, exploring how composers and performers use melody, rhythm, harmony, texture and timbre to communicate ideas and emotions. They study music from the Medieval, Baroque, Classical and Romantic periods before investigating twentieth- and twenty-first-century music, including film scores, minimalism and experimental composition.

Alongside classical repertoire, students explore contemporary genres including blues, rock 'n' roll, reggae and hip-hop, while examining music's role in film, advertising and video games. Through these diverse musical experiences, they discover how music both reflects and influences culture, technology and society.

How Students Learn

Music is a highly practical subject. Students perform individually and collaboratively, compose original pieces and use music technology to experiment with sound and develop their own musical ideas. As they listen critically, analyse professional works and refine their own performances, they gain confidence, creativity and technical fluency.

Learning is rooted in exploration. Whether composing music for a film scene, improvising over a blues progression, experimenting with minimalist techniques or developing a portfolio of original compositions, students are encouraged to take creative risks and develop their own musical voice.

Beyond the Classroom

Music comes to life through experiences beyond the classroom. Through visits to concerts, performances and cultural institutions, students experience music in new contexts, broadening their appreciation of different genres, traditions and cultures while connecting classroom learning to London's rich cultural landscape.