Introduction to Department:  

The Music Department provides a broad, ambitious and inclusive curriculum that reflects the school’s strong musical and choral heritage. Provision is aligned with the school’s wider educational intent by nurturing disciplined, creative and culturally informed learners through a rich sequence of musical experiences.  

Learners are enabled to become confident performers, creative composers and critical listeners. They develop secure musical literacy, stylistic awareness and fluency using instruments, singing and music technology. They encounter a wide range of genres, traditions and cultural practices, enabling personal expression as well as cultural understanding. The curriculum intent emphasises ambition, coherence and equality of access for all students.  

Music is taught through a sequenced curriculum that revisits and deepens core strands of performing, composing and listening. Key Stage 3 includes wholeclass instrumental learning, structured lessons that move from listening and theory into practical performance, and the systematic integration of music technology using Logic Pro X and MIDIkeyboard workstations. Key Stage 4 and Key Stage 5 provide extended study time, higher technical expectations and opportunities for specialised performance, composition and analysis.  

The curriculum is complemented by daily musical experiences, partnerships with professional musicians, cathedral services, instrumental tuition and a broad cocurricular program.  

Results & Achievements:  

Bishops Singers – Runners up, Judges Distinction Award, Barnados Choir of the Year National Competition 2026 
Wind Quintet – Regional Finalists of the ProCorda Chamber Music National Festival 2025 

Martha Davies – ABRSM Diploma (flute) with Distinction 

Instrumental Exams, Grade 8 (with Distinction) 
Ronald Valdez (piano), James Phillips (piano), Oscar Hind (French horn), Gio Galanza (piano), Olivia Kerr (singing), Samuel Fitzsimmons (music theatre), Xander Bridgett (drums), Tanay Vajramani (piano) 

Music Colleges 
Guildhall School of Music & Drama – Tiger-Lilly Jonathan, Benny Taylor 
Royal Birmingham Conservatoire – Montgomerie Clark, Gianpiero Greatorex, Rosie Woodhouse 

Choral Scholarships 
Olivia Kerr – Worcester College, Oxford 
Shivam Padiyar –Girton College, Cambridge 
Tanay Vajramani – Gonville & Caius, Cambridge 
 
Benjamin Jacobs – Member of National Youth Brass Band and Regional Finalist Rotary Young Musician of the Year  
Michael Tao – South West of England Winner Rotary Young Musician of the Year 

Extra and Super-curricular:  

Pupils demonstrate confident performance skills using instruments and voice, creative independence in composition, fluency with music technology and developing analytical precision. Participation rates in instrumental tuition and ensembles are extremely strong, with over 315 pupils receiving instrumental lessons and more than 120 involved in regular ensemble activity. Students’ progress to GCSE and Alevel with secure foundational knowledge, and older musicians frequently participate in regional and national ensembles such as NYO, NYBBGB and NCO 

The department offers a highly active programme that enriches learning beyond the classroom. Activities include: 

• Choirs (Main Choir, Bishops Singers and Trebles), Orchestra, Big Band, Wind and Brass Ensembles, various chamber ensembles 
• Annual major events such as House Music and the 24Hour Musicathon 
• Regular cathedral services, assemblies and chapels accompanied by staff and student musicians 
• Trips to professional performances such as the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra and touring musicals.  
• National and regional ensemble participation (NYO, NYBBGB, NCO, etc) 
• Tours in the UK and abroad (e.g., Prague 2023, Belgium 2025, 2027 TBC) 

Recommended reading list:  

• 100 Things to Know About Music, Jerome Martin et. Al., KS3 
• A Year of Wonder: Classical Music for Every Day, Clemency Burton-Hill, KS4/5 
• AnotherYear of Wonder: Classical Music for Every Day, Clemency Burton-Hill, KS4/5 
• Big Bangs (the story of five discoveries that changed musical history), Howard Goodall, KS4/5 
• Musicophilia, Oliver Sacks, KS4/5 
• The History of Jazz, Ted Gioia, KS5 
• The History of Music in Fifty Instruments, Philip Wilkinson, KS3  
• The Oxford Illustrated History of Music, Various, KS5  
• The Rest Is Noise, Alex Ross, KS4/5  
• The Story of Music, Howard Goodall, KS3/4  
• The Symphony: From Mannheim to Mahler, Christopher Tarrant & Natalie Wild, KS5 
• This Is Your Brain on Music, Daniel Levitin, KS4/5 

Learning by Key Stage  

Key Stage 3 

• One hour of curriculum music is taught weekly.  
• Learning cycles integrate listening, theory, performance and composition. 
• Wholeclass instrumental tuition includes keyboards, ukuleles, guitars, bass and drums.  
• Singing is embedded across lessons, with all Year 7 lessons beginning with vocal warmups. 
• Music technology is fully incorporated using Logic Pro X and MIDI keyboards.  

Key Stage 4 (GCSE Music) 

• Taught for 2 hours and 30 minutes weekly.  
• Content is delivered through a spiral curriculum covering performance, composition and listening. 
• Music technology developed at KS3 directly supports GCSE composition requirements.  
• Exam board: Eduqas - Specification 

Key Stage 5 (AS and A-level Music) 

• Students receive 4 hours of weekly highlevel study.  
• Study includes detailed setwork analysis, historical and stylistic contexts and advanced composition techniques. 
• Partnerships with highereducation institutions, including seminar days at Wells Cathedral School, enhance delivery 
• Specification (Eduqas) links: AS Level and A-level 

Staff  

Head of Department: Lewis Edney – lde@bishopwordsworths.org.uk 

Teachers of Music: Paul Du Plessis-Smith – pps@bishopwordsworths.org.uk