Music Department Vision
St Ronan’s College Music Department instils a love of music and develops the musical abilities and interests of all pupils through a range of high quality learning experiences, both inside and outside the classroom.
Department Staff
Mr B Greene (Director of Music)
Miss G Morgan
Mr C McErlane
Mr R Sharkey
Miss O McAlinden
Key Stage 3
Pupils have two 35-minute music periods every week. There are three dedicated music rooms, equipped with keyboards and a range of percussion instruments. Music class is made up of listening, composing and performing activities. Pupils work individually and in groups on a range of music making activities.
Key Stage 4
We currently offer two course available to students.
CCEA GCSE Music course. The course is broken down into:
Performing and appraising- One solo and one ensemble performance. This is worth 35%.
Composition One free choice composition is completed in year 11 and one composition in response to a given stimulus is completed in year 12. This is worth 30%
Listening and appraising Pupils study 4 areas of study. This is worth 35%. The four areas of study are
- Western Classical Music
- Film Music
- Musical traditions in Ireland
- Popular Music 1980-present.
BTEC Level 2 First Award
In this course students study four units. Two units are mandatory and two are optional.
The optional units 3-7 will be decided depending on the strengths of the current cohort.
Post 16
We currently offer BTEC Level 3 National Extended Certificate in Music Performance. Pupils will cover four units across Year 13 and 14. Three units are mandatory, one internal and two external, and the fourth is selected from optional units. Pupils currently study unit 6: Solo Performance.
Mandatory Units
Unit 1: Practical Music Theory and Harmony
Unit 2: Professional Practice in the Music Industry
Unit 3: Ensemble Music Performance
Optional unit
Unit 6: Solo Performance
Music Society
St Ronan s College Music Society is a student led extra-curricular group which provides opportunities to make music together, both in school and in the community. Two Year 14 pupils lead a team of representatives from each year group on our Music society.
Extracurricular Activities
At St. Ronan s College there is a wide variety of extracurricular activities. Pupils are encouraged to participate in any of the following:
Senior Choir
Junior Choir
String Ensemble
Traditional Group
Wind Band
Theory (grades 1-5, grades 6-8)
Any pupil receiving instrumental lesson either at school or privately are encouraged to attend theory classes.
At rehearsals, pupils prepare for performances at:
- The Christmas Carol Service
- Prize Nights
- Open Night
- The Spring Concert
- The Passion Service
- The Bi-annual School Show
Music plays an important role in both school and the local community with a number of performances and recitals throughout the year. Pupils are encouraged to perform at assemblies, masses, festivals and competitions, carol singing in nursing homes and shopping centres as well as be actively involved in music groups and choirs in the community.