Renowned for its exceptional academic standards, Altrincham Grammar School for Girls consistently ranks among the top selective academies in the UK. While celebrated for traditional STEM excellence, the school also fosters creativity through the extensive extra-curricular programme and embedding creative development into its core curriculum and values.
A prime example is its vibrant music department. This case study explores how music staff at the school leverage the I Can Compose platform to support student composition. By integrating digital tools with classical training, they combine music theory with a creative approach.
Head of Music, Julia Mayall, started using the I Can Compose platform in 2019 and it is now firmly embedded in the department’s curriculum. Students use the Classroom Access Plan where they each have their own personal dashboards and can access all the composing courses on the site both in school and at home.
We caught up with Julia to discover more about her experience with I Can Compose, and how it’s been integrated into the school’s music curriculum.
What primary challenges did you face before using I Can Compose?
Before ICC, we were teaching composition at GCSE fairly well, but with a whole lot of different resources. There was never enough time to properly create lots of attractive resources that were detailed, student-friendly and easy to use. We really needed a resource that had everything for composing in one place and ICC was exactly what we were looking for!
How has the platform been embedded into your weekly teaching?
We have embedded many of the courses into our GCSE composing SOW and have also downloaded the workbooks [included in our Teacher Access Plan], which we now use weekly with students, sometimes in addition to our own content.
In what ways does it support your GCSE composition students?
The free inspiration pages are excellent – I really like the analysis for each one, as they give students individual ideas when they are deciding on their free compositions. With the set brief composition, the topics often link with an I Can Compose course e.g. film, tango or theme & variation and that saves us huge amounts of planning time.
The courses are so brilliantly set out, with detailed, but accessible and user-friendly drop down ‘next -steps’. The quality of the sound recordings is excellent, as are the visuals. I always get students to do the ‘How to Follow a Score’ course, before analysing the Beethoven set work for homework, which is such a good preparation.
As a resource, it has transformed our GCSE music teaching and has given so many students a love of listening and analysis, linked to composing.
What specific impact have you seen on student confidence?
There is always a course we can signpost a student to, if they need extra support, or a bespoke individual pathway. This individualised approach means that we can provide specific help in different areas and has had a noticeable effect on our students’ confidence levels.
Which particular features or courses do your students love most?
The eye-catching interface and easy to navigate, clear steps, are great for all students, and especially for SEND students. The inspiration pages are great.
Has the platform changed your own lesson planning workload?
Absolutely! We work out how best to integrate courses into our teaching for our students, and will often follow the course in a lesson, or set part of it for homework.
What advice would you give to departments introducing the platform?
Make it a priority to get ICC for all your GCSE classes. Showcase the site to your SLT. It’s invaluable to students both in the classroom and at home. It’s won the Music Teacher Outstanding Resource Award for a reason! The ICC team regularly update the courses and add new ones which keeps the content fresh.
What are your long-term goals for using these resources?
Continue to bid to subscribe to this platform each year for our GCSE cohort. Our teaching would be poorer without this
outstanding composing and music resource!
About Altrincham Girls’ Grammar School
- Location: Bowdon, Altrincham, Greater Manchester.
- Type: Academically selective girls’ academy converter.
- Age Range: 11–18 years.
- Number of students: 1,384 pupils, including approximately 360+ in the Sixth Form.
- Founded: 1910.
- Parent Trust: Part of the Bright Futures Educational Trust.
- Accolades: Ranked 9th nationally and named The Sunday Times State Secondary School of the Year in the Northwest for 2026.
Note: Image of music classroom is AI-generated, using the real school music classroom as a ‘base’.
