Music is central to life at Lucton and most students, in addition to the academic music curriculum, learn an instrument at some point in their school career, with some learning two or three. All students in years five and six receive free violin or cello lessons and are provided with a school instrument. There are hundreds of individual instrumental lessons given every term by a team of highly qualified instrumental staff in purpose-built instrumental rooms. Students are also able to take full advantage of an extensive range of music ensembles. There are currently two orchestras, three choirs, a trumpet club, a composition club, a rock band and a music theory club. The department provides regular concert and recital opportunities, and a music research room and specialist computer facilities are available to music scholars and GCSE and A-Level students.

The music programme at Lucton is designed both to support applications to university and college music courses and also to engender independent learning and research skills inherent to all further and higher education courses. The school has regular examination visits from the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music and follows the Oxford, Cambridge and Royal Schools of Arts programme for GCSE and A-Level. The department is committed to the development of music literacy skills as a means to understand the crafts of performance and composition. The music programme is intended to support the development of the individual, both musically and personally, and to allow every student to make a positive contribution to music in society.

All students have the opportunity to develop skills, knowledge and understanding in the following areas:
Instrumental and Vocal Performance (solo and ensemble)
General Musicianship and Aural Awareness
Music Literacy, Analysis and Compositional Techniques
Music History and Context

The Director of Music is always willing to meet with students interested in applying to Lucton
and to provide advice and guidance with their music preparation.
Music scholarships may be available to students who demonstrate exceptional ability.

Departmental staff
Director of Music
Mr Tom Edwards
M.Mus (Edin.), B.Mus (Hons.)

Head of Strings: Mrs Jane Crouch

Brass Teacher: Mr David Taylor

Woodwind Teacher: Mrs Lorna Ruth

Singing Teacher and
Director of the Senior Choir: Mr Michael Miller

Electric Guitar Teacher: Mr Dave Plowman

Acoustic Guitar Teacher: Mr Paul Wrightson

Percussion Teacher: Mr Dave Kirk

Piano Teacher: Mr Andrew Morris

Piano Teacher: Mr Geoff Ault

Piano Teacher: Mrs Ellie Targett

A-Level
The A-Level course is based on the Oxford, Cambridge and Royal School of Arts (OCR) specification and provides both an academic and practical grounding for higher education and professional music opportunities. As advanced musicians, A-Level students at Lucton are required to develop their performing, composing, listening and analysing skills, to increase their knowledge of the history of musics and to cultivate a wider understanding of the nature of music as an artistic discipline. Students are taught in small tutorial groups and are challenged to improve their own craftsmanship by a study of good practice and encouraged to develop their independent learning and research skills as a basis for higher education and professional opportunities. A considerable number of recital opportunities are available both within the school and the wider area and professional musicians are available to give advice and support as required.
The course is divided into equal sections of performance, composition and historical/analytical studies and students are able to access advanced facilities, including a range of research materials, instruments and computer sequencing and publishing programmes. Students are required to develop a certain level of music literacy as part of the course and are encouraged to take a leading role in the music life of the school. For entrance to this course, students are expected to have a minimum of Grade 5 performance (or equivalent) and a similar degree of theoretical understanding.

GCSE
This is an accessible course, designed to extend the skills developed up to Year 9. As well as cultivating instrumental, compositional and aural skills, students are able to pursue individual projects and to access music from a range of sources. The development of instrumental and compositional techniques is fundamental to this course and is supported by step-by-step training in the structural and expressive formation of musical works. Students are taught in small groups and there is considerable opportunity for individual guidance and support as well as ample provision for independent learning.
This course is enhanced by visits to live performances, both within the school and without, and students are provided with a wide range of performance opportunities throughout. Although this course is examined externally, a large proportion is prepared as coursework, which not only allows the student to demonstrate the full range of their talents, but also to begin to cultivate their research skills in preparation for further education courses. As a guideline, students beginning this course should aim to have achieved a minimum of Grade 3 performance (or equivalent) and a similar degree of theoretical understanding.

Middle School
In Years 6, 7, and 8, students are taught in small classes and are challenged to develop their general musicianship through tasks that support development at their own pace. Students are challenged to hold high personal expectations and individual progress targets are continuously negotiated with students in response to specific need. The development of musical skills is supported by the study of a wide variety of musics and students begin to apply their understanding of the musical craft and its expressive context to their own work. Through a wide range of practical and theoretical learning experiences, students develop music literacy skills which support the refinement of compositional practice and the better understanding of the constitution of existing musics. All students are given a foundation in the development of instrumental techniques and are encouraged to apply these techniques to music-making outside of the classroom. This development is supported both by tailor-made exercises and the application of rudimentary analytical processes to examples of good practice and the translation of these practices to student composition.