Music in Sixth Form at King's Ely, a Private Day and Boarding Sixth Form near Cambridge, in Ely.

Music in Sixth Form at King's Ely, a Private Day and Boarding Sixth Form near Cambridge, in Ely.

Kings Ely sixth form

Academic

A-Level Academic Music

A significant percentage of the course is dedicated to solo or ensemble performance.

 

A-Level Music Student at King's Ely, a Private Day and Boarding Sixth Form School near Cambridge, in Ely.

"Music is a universal language, enjoyed and celebrated by all: without music, the world would be silent. At King’s we nurture student’s musical talent through key skills of performance, composition, and listening. As pupils gain musical experience, they become analytical, question musical norms, and perform to the highest level; learning to be expressive, communicative, self-reflective, and to critique. Music is a unique art form and one that is expressed and celebrated at the highest level here."

Helen Briggs, Head of Music

Studying Music in the Sixth Form gives you the opportunity to engage with a wide variety of music, including classical, popular, jazz, film, and music for the theatre.

Music Students Performing at King's Ely, a Private Day and Boarding Sixth Form near Cambridge, in Ely.
Music Students Performing at King's Ely, a Private Day and Boarding Sixth Form near Cambridge, in Ely.
Music Students Performing at King's Ely, a Private Day and Boarding Sixth Form near Cambridge, in Ely.
Music Students Performing at King's Ely, a Private Day and Boarding Sixth Form near Cambridge, in Ely.
Music Students Performing at King's Ely, a Private Day and Boarding Sixth Form near Cambridge, in Ely.
Music A Level Student Testimonial at King's Ely, a Private Day and Boarding Sixth Form near Cambridge, in Ely.
Music A Level Student Testimonial at King's Ely, a Private Day and Boarding Sixth Form near Cambridge, in Ely.
Music A Level Student Testimonial at King's Ely, a Private Day and Boarding Sixth Form near Cambridge, in Ely.
Music A Level Student Testimonial at King's Ely, a Private Day and Boarding Sixth Form near Cambridge, in Ely.

Specific set works from these musical genres are studied across the year, both from an analytical perspective and also in terms of wider musical and historical context.

You might learn about the building blocks of a successful musical, or why the shower scene in Hitchcock’s Psycho was made so effective by Bernard Herrmann’s score.  

You will gain a greater understanding of core Western Classical Music and the influence it has had over the centuries, with focus on genres such as Baroque concerto, comic opera, and Romantic piano repertoire.

A significant percentage of the course is dedicated to solo or ensemble performance, with a further unit focusing on composition or compositional techniques, and this broad range demonstrates a skill set that is always in great demand by employers and educational institutions.

Several previous pupils have also gone on to study Music at top conservatories and universitie, with many also being awareded a scholarship. 

Find out more at one of our open days!

Prerequisite

GCSE Music, grade 5 Theory, and an instrument/voice to at least grade 6.
Topic Overview
Appraising

A written examination paper sat in the Summer, containing questions that assess listening, analysing and essay-writing skills.

Performance

A portfolio of performances, including solo and/or ensemble, instrumental and/or vocal, lasting at least 10 minutes in total, is performed and recorded in school during the Spring and sent away to the exam board for external assessment.

Composition

Completion of a Composition Portfolio, which includes one free composition and one responding to a chosen Brief, which is set by the Board each year.  This is created and recorded in school and sent away to the exam board for external assessment.
Assessment
Appraising
  • 40% of the marks 
Performance 
  • 35% of the marks
Composition 
  • 25% of the marks 

Music A Level Exam Specification

Read about Polly's journey from Year 9 at King's Ely to studying Music at New College, Oxford

Polly is now studying Music at New College, Oxford, and was a former King's Ely student, a Private Day and Boarding Sixth Form School near Cambridge, in Ely.

POlly's KING'S ELY STORY

A-Level Music Trip Poster at King's Ely, a Private Day and Boarding Sixth Form School near Cambridge, in Ely.

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Meet the Director of music 

Neil Porter-Thaw

Neil Porter-Thaw, the Director of Music at King's Ely, a Private Day and Boarding Sixth Form near Cambridge, in Ely.

EMAIL NEIL PORTER-THAW

 
HEAD of ACADEMIC music 

Helen Briggs

Helen Briggs, Head of Academic Music at King's Ely, a Private Day and Boarding Sixth Form near Cambridge, in Ely.

EMAIL HELEN BRIGGS

 
 

 

 

 

 

 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“I’ve really enjoyed the comradeship of the group as the class has been small. I have also enjoyed it when we played the set works as a group. In addition, when analysing it was great to hear parts of the music which I wouldn’t have heard before and I’ve been able to transfer that when I listen to my own music”.
King's Ely Student 

 

eXPLORE Sixth Form Academic

A JOURNEY THAT IS

Uniquely King's

Admissions

Two King's Ely Scholars Playing Hoop Trundle Outside Ely Cathedral, King's Ely is a Private Day and Boarding School, for Children aged 2-18 Years Old, near Cambridge, in Ely.

Two King's Ely Scholars Playing Hoop Trundle Outside Ely Cathedral, King's Ely is a Private Day and Boarding School, for Children aged 2-18 Years Old, near Cambridge, in Ely.

  • PURPOSE
  • PRACTICE
  • PLACE
  • PEOPLE

To prepare each individual to live positive, productive, successful and fulfilled lives, for the betterment of themselves and the world around them.

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To ensure every child feels that they are known, and receives an excellent academic education that inspires curiosity and intellectual adventure. 

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To give a sense of place and belonging to all our pupils, and to celebrate our unique environment and make the most of its ecological, historical, artistic, spiritual and economic resources.

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To create a genuinely diverse community, outward and forward-looking and with a shared purpose. To bring into this community the best teachers, pastoral and support staff and students, and to be a source of friends for life. 

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