The Beatles ‘Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band’ to feature on GCSE curriculum

Music students will also be taught how to DJ in new exam board shake-up

The Beatles‘s iconic 1967 album ‘Sgt. Pepper’s Lonley Hearts Club Band’ is to be taught to GCSE music students.

Britain’s biggest exam board, the AQA, has today outlined plans for all students to study three songs from the LP – ‘Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds’, ‘With A Little Bit Of Help From My Friends’ and ‘Within You Without You’ – as part of their education.

They will be asked to study the melody, harmony structure and rhythm – and the meaning of the lyrics which, in the case of ‘Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds’, have been debated by Beatles’ fans for years.

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Some have argued the title – which includes the letters ‘LSD’ – refers to drug-taking but Lennon always maintained it was based on a girl called Lucy who was a friend of his son, Julian.

The course will also give pupils the option to prove their DJ credentials for the first time as part of the performance section of the qualification, reports The Independent.

Students will also be asked to demonstrate their technical skills and show how they would prepare for a DJ-ing set at a club. Pupils can use a vinyl record, CDs or a laptop for their performance.

They will also be asked to sing or play a musical instrument as part of their performance which allows them to choose one of their favourite songs.

Meanwhile, a recent study focusing on musical trends and their impact recently found The Beatles and The Rolling Stones did not “revolutionise” music but instead followed patterns that had already existed.

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