Music

Introduction

Music is offered in two forms:

Music as a subject – which includes band work as part of the curriculum.
Extra-Curricular Music – offered only to boys from Grade 10 upwards, who are not senior subject boys, but who wish to complete higher performance grade exams.  Extra-Curricular music can only be offered in instances where there is available teaching time.

Music tuition is not offered to boys who do not wish to participate in Grey Bands / Orchestras.

No tuition fees are charged for music whether Subject or Extra-Curricular.

An instrument hire fee applies.

Participation in Music Groups is compulsory.

Instrumental Tuition

Grey has five music teachers who offer tuition on Brass instruments, Woodwind instruments, Percussion, Strings, and Piano.  There are some part-time teachers as well.  There is not always a vacancy for a music subject percussionist each year.  Students who show the ability to handle the extra workload associated with learning a second instrument may be allowed by the Director of Music to do so, subject to available teaching time.  In order to extend the opportunity of participating in band to pianists, most of them learn another instrument, usually percussion.

Although the list of instruments taught at Grey is vast, there are some we do not offer eg: Guitar, Organ.  This does not prevent some students from taking subject music as parents may employ the services of a private teacher, who will be guided as necessary by our department re practical requirements.  It is even possible for the teacher to give lessons on the school premises if desired.  We are able to offer advice when seeking a suitable teacher.

Music as a Subject

Grade 8’s must take subject music to be accepted into the music department.  The training that musicians receive in their junior high school years places them in a position to make an informed choice about the possibility of continuing through to matric. Students who do not choose music in the senior phase will * have gained very good grounding and will be able to enjoy the reward of competency as Band and/or Orchestra members for the rest of their school career, and beyond.

The junior subject music class learns to understand the basic musical language in theory. They also receive aural training, which brings learned theoretical concepts into their hearing and listening skills, which in turn sharpens their interpretive skill to mature levels.  The benefits of music study on other disciplines (particularly mathematics results) are well documented the world over. Contemporary studies show that it takes a combination of 32 mental and physical actions to produce a single note of music, and it follows that a person who has formal musical training is greatly advantaged in many extra intellectual and co-ordination skills.

Music as an Extra-Curricular Study

Once all subject musicians have been catered for in teaching time allocations, time left may be allocated to non-subject musicians from grade 10 upwards. Extra-curricular musicians are accommodated on the basis that they, like all subject musicians, undertake to serve in the Grey bands/orchestras. Anyone taking extra-curricular lessons on an instrument, must produce one Examination Board exam result each year. The Director of Music reviews the progress of extra-curricular musicians bi-annually to ensure that allocated lesson time is being used fruitfully, and in a way that justifies continuance.

Practical Lessons

Lessons take place during school time using a special rotation system that ensures that the same classes are not missed consecutively. Special effort is made to avoid music lessons during mathematics times. As student’s progress to the senior grades their lesson times are predominantly in time slots that do not impinge on their other subjects. In the case of certain part time teachers, lessons take place in the afternoon.

Lesson frequency is once per week.

Practice Guidelines

There can be no doubt that it is better to practice more often in shorter sessions than to practice seldom in long sessions. A routine 20-minute session during which determined and focused work is done is guaranteed to produce a fine musician. Among the many benefits that music study teaches is that endeavour pays off, no matter how naturally talented you are at whatever you are doing. Parents may rest assured that a constant effort is being made by music teachers to discover the things that drive their boys and to help them to harness this to their benefit, but we cannot do this alone and we appeal to parents to assist their sons in planning and setting aside time to work and progress as an instrumentalist.

Subject Music in the Classroom

Due to the largely practical nature of the subject, a musician’s after hours “homework” tasks consist largely of his practice regimen on his instrument. In order to assist students in having time to practice, the music knowledge/ theoretical aspect of the subject is covered during music class time. There is ample time during school hours to cover this aspect of the music course and homework tasks are kept to a minimum. The content of this subject teaches understanding of music as a language in itself, as a medium of art, a medium of entertainment as part of an industry, and as a part of history and man’s social development. The most creative students will emerge capable of being able to compose music as well.

Musical Instrument Hire

Grey High School is well stocked in certain instruments only, mostly the large and costly type. The instruments we do have are available for hire.

Students who play an instrument from the following list, with few exceptions, have their own instruments:

• Trumpet
• Clarinet
• Flute
• Alto Sax
• Tenor Sax
• Violin

The Grey music staff is able to offer good advice to anyone wishing to buy an instrument.

External Examination

Music Examinations with External Examining Bodies

The Music Department prepares all candidates for Performance Grade Examinations offered by internationally recognized external examining bodies. Progress that attains the upper grades of these examinations result in the qualification for Colours Awards and the wearing of the coveted Grey Colours Blazer.
The Examining body most frequently used is Trinity College London.

Bands

The co-existent scheduling of cultural and sporting activities at Grey High School is carefully thought through, and these facets of the school do not clash with each other. There is time for everything.

Grey Music Groups

The unprecedented variety of bands offered by the Grey Music Department avails the luxury of being able to employ each band for occasions to which they are best suited and most appropriate, and every effort is made to accept engagements for each band along this general guideline.

As the Grey bands share sections of personnel, the attempt is made to pre-plan the spread of annual fixtures among the bands in order to avoid periods of over commitment which tend to produce below par results.

Each music group strives to maintain the highest possible standard of performance, and members are required to maintain their individual playing standard accordingly.   Band and Orchestra repertoire is chosen not only for its entertainment value but also to provide technical challenge and educational relevance.

Practical music tuition is not offered either as a subject or as an extra-mural basis to students who do not wish to serve in the school’s bands as required.

Read more…

Grade 8 and 9 Information

Grade 10, 11 and 12 Information

Grade 10, 11 and 12 Information
The music curriculum in the senior grades follows the same content headings each year, with concepts becoming increasingly more challenging.

The study of music is by no means restricted to that of the so-called classical styles. In addition to these particular attention is also paid to, inter alia, jazz, rock, ethnic styles.