Music Departmental Plan 2024-2025

On-going major concerns

1. To sustain a diverse and innovative curriculum (IGCSE, IAL, DSE, BTEC, APL, EITP) and assessment that offer multiple pathways to students to prepare them for entry into tertiary education either locally or abroad.

 

Every year students are encouraged to join Music Festival and international singing
competitions to broaden their opportunities to study Music in the future. They are give
extra credit for joining internal competition like Musical Talent Quest to observe each
other’s creativity and performance standards. Through intensive training students can
obtain brilliant musical qualification to study music as a degree in the future. But the 
Musical Talent Quest won’t be held this year due to the celebration of 170th anniversary.

2.  To prepare students for the fast-changing technological world through STEM/STEAM by
Fostering collaborative learning through an inter-disciplinary approach.
   
By introducing IT in music students are customized to make interesting presentations which 
    enable them to develop logical thinking through creating music from notations, lyrics writing and learning from musical framework. As AI will be very popular in the future students will be able to write lyrics with AI and transcribe them into songs. As a result, they will find it easier to write songs which is the fruition of collaborative learning.

1. To strengthen the implementation of the school theme SMART CITIES by focusing more on the entrepreneurial and innovative aspect.

More emphasis should be put on the financial report of the Catholic Choir and Music Society to keep balance of the accounts in order that no money will be wasted or lost due to bad keeping.

1. Address to EDB Key Performance Measures
2. Management & Organization

The school body has been holding meetings and issuing surveys for collection of ideas towards school policy.

1. Learning & Teaching

The school environment has offered lots of opportunities for teachers to learn and teach the students with utmost enthusiasm and expertise.

1. Student Performance

The students have not studied Music in the higher forms or attended any public exams in Music. However, they are strongly encouraged to join Music activities at Diversified Interest Period and attend mass practices after school.

1. Student Support and School Ethos

By applying the 7CS of our Christian Values namely charity, conscience, confidence, courage, creativity, competence, and commitment plus the 16 habits of mind, students are getting inspiration to be a better person and be willing to contribute to our community.

1. Address to EDB Key Learning Areas
2. National and Global Identity

At present, playing and singing the national anthem is common in schools. Schools would hold flag raising ceremony, play and sing the national anthem during the celebration of important days and special occasions, e.g., the National Day, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Establishment Day, graduation ceremony and sport event, while students learn to sing the national anthem in music lesson.

1. Breath of Knowledge

In order to enhance the learning effectiveness in Music, when arranging learning and teaching activities of the national anthem, teachers are advised to make reference to the Learning Objectives and suggested learning activities in the above-mentioned curriculum guide, thereby achieving the Learning Targets of Music.

1. Language proficiency

The learning and teaching of the national anthem can help students enhance singing skills and understand the context of music, including historical background and original ideas, to cultivate their music appreciation ability towards languages.

1. Generic Skills

Students discuss and explore topics of the national anthem from different aspects. Students discuss and explore topics of the national anthem from different perspectives of music through diverse learning strategies, e.g. listening, discussion and searching of information.

1. Information Literacy To know the composer and lyrics writer and understand the compositional background of the national anthem on iPad. To appreciate the musical features of the national anthem, discuss the lyrics setting, consolidate singing skills and realize the spirit behind.
2. Life Planning

Learn to sing the national anthem solemnly and to understand the national anthem as the symbol of the country, and to promote the attitude of respecting the national anthem. Senior secondary students continue to participate in Other Learning Experiences and life-wide learning activities, e.g. flag raising ceremony, national anthem playing and singing during the celebration of important days and special occasions, for sustaining the learning experience of the national anthem.

1. Healthy Lifestyle

Students sing the national anthem according to the expression markings. Teachers help students enhance singing skills and sing the national anthem solemnly with etiquette.

 

6. Address to five old main concerns
I. To sustain a diverse curriculum and offer multiple pathways to students to prepare them for successful entry into tertiary education
Students will learn music in many interesting ways in the future.  They can loop their voice with music app. They can write music on iPad. They can arrange music on digital drums and iPad keyboard. All these technologies allow them to show creativity at any moment they like.
ii.  To nurture global citizenship that embraces peace and environmental harmony as a way of life
Peace is essential in everyone’s life. In the future, students should investigate why peace can help people grow wisdom. Through meditation, we can focus our attention. We can develop peace and solitude in our minds.
iii. To empower students to develop their full potentials through mobile technology, global networking, scientific exploration and other innovative projects
When students can create music on iPad through apps, they can easily publish their music and send to others for appreciation.
iv. To continuously improve the infrastructure of the school campus that supports 21st Century teaching and learning
The keyboards on CAL lab have been connected for writing music during May. The software installed were Cakewalk, Band in a Box, Magic Composer, Muse score and Music maker 7. A new inventory handbook is kept in music room if further details have to be known.
7.Implementation of the Four Key Tasks in daily teaching and learning:
 I.      Civic and Moral education- Students must use pads during Music lessons. They have to
         observe rules of using them properly. The materials will be put on drop box for everyone to
         see. All materials are officially copyright protected. This year each student can have on
         iPad for learning in Music Room.
 
ii.       Project Learning- Creativity is the biggest asset of student ability.   Music projects can be divided into live performance, creative music, and student work. With the rise of iPad technology, students are now more creative than ever. They can search for more ideas from the internet. 
iii.      Reading to learn- Notes are drawn from encyclopedia most of the times. It is important to let them learn the definitions in a more interesting way.
iv.      IT in interactive learning (mobile learning and iPad) - From free apps
          we allow students to learn playing drums, guitar, and nature sound to
          create stories.

8.       Assessment for learning and assessment policy
Students will be given assessment forms to assess their ability by themselves. For example, the lyrics writing will be assessed by the powerful language, rhythm, expression, accuracy and rhymes to justify whether the lyrics are appropriate to our school theme or not. Then singing is judged on pitch, rhythm, diction, expression and so on. Through observing these assessment criteria students can become teachers of themselves in learning music. They can reflect on their learning when being asked to write their concert reports.

9.       School Self-evaluation for your own department
It can be divided into Music lessons and activities. During Music lessons students can learn lyrics writing skills through writing lyrics. They play music through studying music from textbooks. On the other hand, they enjoy the activities organized by Music Society and Catholic Choir. The school theme will be widely promoted in the school campus in making concerts at the student forum during Music Week in March. The DIP digital Music students will explore the maximum number of possible ways of learning music with the mobile technology.

10.  SWOT analysis of your department

Strengths Weaknesses Opportunities          Threats	Creativity comes first Too many practices Performances are more Higher expectations	More student interaction Easy to lose balance More success Bigger pressure	More work
Conclusion	More concentration	More planning	More stress

11.  Major Concern(s) of the department/Objectives of the Year: (align with school year theme and major concerns)

Time Scale	Strategies Month Aims	Success Criteria Method of Evaluation	Person Responsible	Resource Required HW/CW
September	Hymn Singing Syllabus National Anthem	Meaning of Lyrics Vocal Techniques Reference to National Law Education Orchestra	Miss N. Wu Mr. T. Tsui	HW/CW
October	Lyrics Writing Syllabus	Lyrics Writing Techniques DIP lessons Digital Music	Miss N. Wu	Notes eBooks And mp3s Music Editing
November	Textbook OBOR	Chapter 1-12	Miss N. Wu	Songs from Textbook
December	Christmas Carols	Performance	Miss N. Wu Miss R. Lau Mrs. A. Fong	Red Folders
January	Music Week	Lyrics Writing Competition	Miss N. Wu
February	Greater Bay Area	Concepts and Functions of Cities	Miss N. Wu
March	Music Festival	Lunchtime concerts	Miss N. Wu Miss R. Lau Miss A. Mok Harty Tam Mr. T. Tsui	Catholic Choir Junior Choir Symphony Orchestra
April	Interactive learning Platform	Melody Writing on Little Composers	Miss N. Wu	Notes
May	Music Exam	Theory lessons	Miss N. Wu	Theory exercise
June	Music Exam	Tests	Miss N. Wu	Quiz
July	Celebration of Success Show	Performances	Miss N. Wu	Practices

1. Any feedback from assessment: Dip digital music lessons will continue to teach students the latest music technology. The 16 habits of mind to create music are being taught.
2. The completion of a project e.g. Music Festival: The results will be obtained in July.
3. Feedbacks from colleagues, students, or parents: Their opinion is collected verbally after teaching or performance
4. Self-professional evaluation or observation: Some EDB course would have teachers to watch my teaching practice. Some principals from other countries may observe my lessons too.
5. Video feedback/HOD and/or coordinators and/or TA: The Teacher assistant has assisted to take videos on concerts and music lessons.
6. Financial implication or technical support or TA support: Mrs. Sarah Leung and Mr. Sherman Mak helped Music Panel with technical support on managing the computers in Music Rm and CAL Lab.

12. Effective use of Friday afternoon/other time slots for:  Teaching DIP
I.        Preparation of iPad teaching and learning resources:
Ms N Wu will continue writing new modules to cater the iPad learning in Form one and two Music Lessons.
ii.       Collaboration lesson preparation/observation; Two new apps will be used as a theme in the first term. They are Magic Composer and Little Composer offered by Octopus.
iii.      Professional dialogue and sharing on the use of iPad/iBook will continue beside the teaching of DIP Digital Music
iv.      Departmental staff development: Teacher Observation by Panels of other Departments Miss Jennifer Au and Mrs. A. Wong. The Teaching and Learning Expo in each year helped a lot in giving ideas in music teaching.
7.       Departmental Financial Plan 2024-2025

AreaAmount

Expenditure	10,000
Music Scores and Entry Fees for Music Festival	2,000
Music Equipment And Maintenance	15,000
Buying Instruments	100,000
Total	127,000