Teacher of Music

The Music Department at
Westcliff High School for Boys (WHSB) has been a high performing Department for
many years. We have had consistently outstanding results in GCSE and Advanced
Level Music. Currently there are 12 students studying the subject in the Sixth
Form and 78 pupils studying the GCSE course in Years 10 and 11.

The School is extremely
proud of the Music Department’s extra-curricular provision. There are a large
number of clubs and ensembles that meet regularly, including the Concert Band,
Jazz Band, String Ensemble, Brass Ensemble and Treble Choir. The School
Calendar features many musical events, including termly Chamber Recitals and
the popular ‘Festival of Lessons and Carols’ featuring the large School Choir.
The Big Band performs jazz, funk and pop music at two popular annual events,
while the School’s symphony orchestra, the Westcliff Sinfonia, performs a full
concert of professional repertoire each term. A musical performance is given in Assembly
once a week, and hymns are also sung twice weekly in Assembly. The Department regularly runs trips to
see concerts, opera and musical theatre in London.

The Department’s programme of instrumental tuition
is popular and there are currently over 180 pupils taking lessons on
instruments from the bassoon to the organ. The department has a number of Music
Scholars, who are selected by audition each year.

CURRICULUM

In the Lower School (Years 7-9), the Music syllabus covers basic theory in Year 7, ensuring pupils have a firm understanding of rhythm, pitch, chords and the rules of melody writing. In Year 8 there is an expanded focus on analysis and composing/performing applied music, such as programme music. In Year 9, pupils develop their skills of analysis and evaluation and begin to consider how context can impact on style and genre.

The Edexcel Music GCSE curriculum follows on from the work that has been completed in the Lower School syllabus, both consolidating aspects that have previously been covered up to GCSE Level but also extending aspects so pupils can access the Grade 9 GCSE grade.

In the Sixth Form, students can choose to study Eduqas Advanced Level Music if they attained a Level 7, 8 or 9 in GCSE Music. The course offers flexibility regarding the topics covered, and we have chosen to focus on Musical Theatre, music of the early 20th century, and the development of the symphony. Students are taught how to write four-part harmony and other compositional techniques.

At all divisions (Lower, Middle and Sixth Form) in Music, the Department devotes time to the development of examination technique and regularly assesses students so they are best placed to succeed at examination time.

EXAMINATION RESULTS

The
Music department has a track record of examination success: 60% of the 2025
Music cohort achieved grades 8-9, while 80% of A-Level music students achieved
A*-B over the past four years. Students leaving the School to study Music at
university often do so at top institutions: six of the 2025 A Level cohort have
gone on to study Music in some form, one at Cambridge, and another at Berklee
in Boston, Massachusetts.