NCFE Music Technology
Specification
Intent
Access to Music Technology resources has become infinitely easier over the past 5 years, with many apps and programs at the fingertips of the general public.
Released music has taken a more digital and sequenced route in its composition, veering away, in the mainstream, from traditional instrumental composition. The industry as a whole has embraced this digital progression and therefore it is important to ensure young musicians are able to be equipped with knowledge of this new avenue, a well as creating a new vein of sound engineers, producers and composers who find a clearly successful path solely in the digital realm aiding in the creation of music
Practical skills in the use of Digital Audio Workstations (DAWs) to facilitate familiarity in the studio environment, both in the creation and production of musical pieces.
Students are encouraged to reflect on the development of Music Technology and understand its implementation since its introduction (c. 1950s onwards) and how this has been integrated into new genres and modified existing genres.
Students learn how to carry out studio tasks to produce high quality recordings, linking to Real-World and employment related pathways – examining why tasks are carried out as they are and evaluating the reasons for this before creating work in this vein.
There are equal if not more employment opportunities in the world of music related to the production and recording than performing as a whole. Musicians are also able to gain a wider understanding and skillset to encompass both sides of the industry. It is a very wide field that without structure cannot be traversed as successfully therefore guidance in the area through an educational qualification can build a fluency at a younger age.
This opens different further & higher educational doors for those that are not as traditionally trained musically.
The syllabus is a module-based programme that covers five key areas of Music Technology foundations.
Unit 1 allows students to be introduced to Music business, gaining knowledge and understanding of the roles and responsibilities within the music business, the development of music technology in the music business. These areas are taught through class-based and practical delivery, introducing key concepts and building knowledge in context.
Unit 2 explores the software environment that is key to modern music production with opportunities to work with industry standard software packages and the related hardware equipment. Work in this unit is applied to a vocational brief to apply skills in a realistic manner.
Unit 3 is a unit that takes reflection of genres and their histories into a practical creation of original music. This allows some crossover with a traditional music approach, teaching some aspects of music theory and composition, aligned with a student’s personal tastes and interests.
Unit 4 looks at sound creation and manipulating sounds through effects, processes and original sound synthesis. This is researched by exploring use in different forms of media before being implemented through practical delivery and assessment.
Unit 5 aims to recreate the opportunities of a recording studio career, creating multi-track recordings of musicians to create a clear and high quality audio recording for mixing. This includes the hardware used, to the processes required for successful results and the editing that finishes the journey of a recording project.
Implementation
The units of work will be taught through a combination of teacher-led explanation followed by students exploration and skill-building tasks. Where possible, students will be taught to a high level in each area to facilitate a greater understanding beyond the qualification and to create stepping stones to Level 3 options of BTEC, NCFE and A Level.
Each unit opportunity for developed original work to solidify and build on learnt skills, utilising them in real-world scenarios to create a believable and tangible context for the tasks set.
Students will be encouraged to explore individual pathways of using the skills, guided by the teaching faculty to fulfil personal goals. .
The course sequence will be adapted to fit with each cohort to match their understanding and previous experience to maximise success in all areas of study.
Impact
Students will be equipped with many key industry skills that can be further honed with Level 3 Qualifications. They will learn how to view audio as a pliable material learn to manipulate, edit and enhance both creatively and evaluatively. They will have developed good routines and foundations that would create productive workflow in an employed situation, cementing the school’s aim for Dual-Career aspirations for all students. The course’s business centric unit also provides key roadmaps for future careers, preparing students on their journeys from an early stage.
They will gain confidence in both engineering and composing, and create a vision of how the two intertwine successfully to create musical results.
They will be able to link musical advancements to the technology innovations of the defined eras and also see how these have affected modern musical trends and decisions.