Skills for Life: Music, Dance and Drama
Music, Dance and Drama is a Skills for Life unit in which learners explore elements, techniques and styles in one or more of music, dance or drama, plan a performance, perform it with others to an audience, and reflect on what worked. It is one 20 hour unit that learners combine with others into a Skills for Life or Skills for Work Award, Certificate or Diploma, from Entry 1 to Level 2. Digital demand is low because the criteria are practical and none requires technology. Digital work sits in making a written or storyboard plan, recording performances on video to watch back and evaluate, and optional tools such as BandLab.
- Awarding body
- WJEC
- Level
- Entry Level 1 to Level 2
- Guided learning hours
- 20
- First taught
- September 2027
- Amount of digital work
- Low
How this unit is assessed
- Entry Level (Entry 1, Entry 2, Entry 3): Four learning outcomes covering basic elements of music, dance or drama, planning a simple performance, taking part in a simple performance, and reflecting on it. Evidence goes in a portfolio, internally assessed by the centre and externally quality assured by WJEC. 20 guided learning hours.
- Level 1 and Level 2: Four learning outcomes covering elements, techniques and styles, planning and developing a performance, performing effectively, and reflecting on and evaluating performances. Evidence goes in a portfolio, internally assessed by the centre and externally quality assured by WJEC. 20 guided learning hours.
Skills that use Creating digital content
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Creating music digitally with BandLab
The pack lists BandLab for Education, a browser based digital audio workstation, as a resource that learners can use for music creation and songwriting. It is only a suggested resource and learners can meet every criterion without it.
Getting pupils ready
- Year 7
- Pupils build an eight bar drum loop in BandLab using ready made loops.
- Year 8
- Pupils layer a drum loop, bass line and chords in BandLab and change the tempo and volume of each track.
- Year 9
- Pupils compose a short backing track in BandLab for their group's dance or drama piece, with a clear structure that matches the performance plan.
Show the specification wording and the DCF statements
Where it is in the specification: Resources available to support delivery, page 15
“A free music creation and collaboration platform for schools”
Progression step 3
I can use a range of software to select, produce and edit a range of multimedia components for a purpose, such as:
- text and images, e.g. format text (bold, underline, italics, highlight); insert and edit text boxes; columns; use refine tools (spellchecker, find and replace); word wrap; crop; alter size and shape; alter images; add effects; trim and split sound and video clips; transitions; onion skin
- presentation, e.g. page orientation; animations; transitions; remove and alter images; use background; use action buttons to create hyperlink; embed objects.
Progression step 4
I can select and use a variety of appropriate software, tools and techniques to create, modify and combine multimedia components for a range of audiences and purposes, such as:
- text and images, e.g. explore and use effectively image manipulation techniques; explore and use appropriately the many aspects of document layout; use animation, video and audio effects such as echo, tempo, envelope, layering, frame rate, key frames
- presentation, e.g. use design tools; adapt themes and colours to suit the purpose; create master templates.
Good to know
- The unit codes are S619E1, S619E2, S619E3, S619L1 and S619L2, and the overview lists "GLH 20" (Unit overview, page 3).
- Centres "may require access to a studio or hall, instruments or playback, and optional props/costumes and simple recording tools" (Resources required for delivery, page 15).
- Performances are usually evidenced on camera: sources of evidence include "photographs or video clips of learners performing music, dance, or drama pieces" (Sources of evidence, page 14), and the portfolio "is not limited to paper-based materials" (Skills for Life and Work specification, section 4.1, page 18).
- Suggested assessment tasks "are not mandatory", and teachers may adapt them or devise their own (Skills for Life and Work specification, section 4.1, page 18).
- AI tools may be used only if acknowledged: "Copying or paraphrasing sections of AI-generated content" so the work is no longer the learner's own is malpractice (Skills for Life and Work specification, section 4.6, page 21).
Links with other qualifications
Music, Dance and Drama links directly to GCSE Music, GCSE Dance and GCSE Drama, and the pack names the VCSE in Performing Arts and the VCSE and Foundation qualifications in Creative and Media Production and Technology as related WJEC qualifications. Recording and editing performances links to GCSE Digital Media and Film. Within the Skills Suite the pack names Arts and crafts, Digital film and media, Exercise for all, Mental health and wellbeing, and Interview and confidence techniques as units that can be delivered alongside it.
Source: WJEC Music, dance and drama unit delivery and assessment pack, read with the WJEC Entry 1 to Level 2 Skills for Life and Skills for Work specification, approved by Qualifications Wales, teaching from September 2027 (© WJEC CBAC Ltd 2026).