Music is at the heart of life at James Gillespie’s. Over 700 pupils take part in the annual Christmas Concert at the Usher Hall, and more than 300 receive instrumental tuition. Pupils explore a broad range of musical styles through their BGE and SQA courses, with attainment at National 5, Higher and Advanced Higher regularly exceeding national averages.
S1 – S2
All S1 and S2 pupils receive one hour of Music per week. The course covers three pillars of musical learning: listening, performing and composing — across a wide variety of genres including World Music, Popular Music, and Music for Film and Media.
Pupils develop skills on classroom instruments (keyboard, guitar, percussion, voice), learn different forms of musical notation, and build a musical vocabulary for describing and analysing what they hear. Composition activities explore the creative process and its connections with Music Technology.
S3 – S4
National 4
- Music Literacy
- Performing
- Composing
- Understanding Music
National 5
- Music Literacy
- Performing
- Composing
- Understanding Music
S5 – S6
Higher
- Performing
- Composing
- Understanding Music
Advanced Higher
- Performing
- Composing
- Analytical Study
Instrumental Instruction
Piano · Woodwind · Brass · Percussion · Clarsach · Cello · Upper Strings · Voice · Double Bass/Bass Guitar · Guitar · Pipe Band Drumming · Bagpipes
Teaching Staff: L Shearer (Curriculum Leader) · P Cooney (GME Performing Arts) · C Campbell-Welsh · A Brown