Shell Guide to the Curriculum 2025 - 2026

OPTIONAL SUBJECTS

Music and Music Technology The Shell Music and Music Technology curriculum enables pupils to explore a wide range of musical styles and genres, looking at music from genres including classical music, jazz, theatre, film, pop and rock, as well as music technology, including learning to use our excellent studio facilities. This is a course which is perfect for those that already have musical skills – perhaps you are a

The course includes surveys of the history of classical and popular music styles, and it then focuses on music in the 20th and 21st centuries, including modules on minimalism and the links to EDM, the development of orchestral music, film composition, and studio techniques and remixes. There is a direct link between what you learn in Shells, and the courses offered in Fourth Form: you will find yourself well prepared for GCSE Music (which focuses on performing, composing and analysis) and for the Music and Music Technology Pathway (which focuses on DAW composition, recording, studio engineering and analysis).

performer with an interest in singing or instrumental skills, a composer who writes their own songs, or a music tech engineer that enjoys being in the studio. But it’s also a course for those that have never had the chance to study the subject properly, with opportunities to engage in all these areas and find individual strengths and talents. In analysing different tracks and researching various performers, there is a chance for all pupils to study music they are familiar with and music they have never heard before, gaining the skills to describe, understand, replicate and develop ideas creatively.

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GUIDE TO THE SHELL CURRICULUM 2025–2026