Music (Academic)
Head of Academic Music - Mr Michael Holiday
Music is taught to all boys until the end of the 2nd Form. It is a popular option in the 3rd Form and boys can then choose to continue to study music at GCSE and AS/A2 level.
Junior School
Taking the requirements of the National Curriculum as a starting point, our teaching combines from the outset the skills of performing, composing, and listening and appraising.
Boys are taught to sing, to play the keyboard as well as other instruments, and to use composing and sequencing software such as Sibelius, Cubasis and elogic, in order that they may be able to read and write music.
We aim to make our lessons as practical and creative as possible, with topic based projects and group work playing a large part in the delivery of the curriculum.
All Trinity boys play a musical instrument in their first year at the school as we offer free lessons to boys with no previous musical experience. Many continue to learn instruments throughout their school life and, inevitably, this supports their work in the classroom and personal development as young men.
GCSE
The Edexcel GCSE is a two year course with an even balance between performing, composing, listening and appraising. We study all genres of music, from the Baroque period to the popular music of today. The pupils then compose music in a variety of these styles and formats, and this gives them the sound understanding with which to perform these genres on their instruments to as high a standard as possible.
Regular GCSE concerts ensure the boys enjoy as much exposure as possible as performers, in addition to the many other performing opportunities they have.
Sixth Form
The Edexcel AS/A2 course combines musical analysis, harmony and counterpoint, composing, performing, and listening and appraising. Our sixth form music students tend to be of a high standard of ability on their instrument(s) or voice; choral specialists, orchestral and jazz musicians alike are able to express themselves fully within the specification.
Again, there are particular AS/A2 concerts in which students can perform as part of achieving their qualification.
Sixth form music students often take a leading role in the development of musicians lower down in the school, and are often able to inspire the next generation of outstanding musicians.
Our results in public examinations are consistently outstanding. Every year, students go on from Trinity to study Music at a higher level and, ultimately, to pursue Music as a career.
There is an enormous variety of instrumental music and singing which takes place outside the classroom, including a huge range of choirs, chamber groups and a number of international tours. More details can be found under the separate Music entry under "About the School".
