Music
Music is a senior Authority subject that may be included in a student’s assessment for an Overall Position. The Music program is designed to maximize the value of music as it exists in a student’s day-to-day living in a contemporary society.
WHY STUDY MUSIC?
Music is an integral part of everyday life serving self-expressive, celebratory, social, cultural, political and educational roles. A study of music helps students understand and heighten the enjoyment of the arts in their lives and the music heritage of a range of cultures. Studying Music fosters students’ confident expression of their creativity and individuality through composing and performing music to communicate feelings, thoughts and ideas, whether at home or in the wider community. Students become adaptable and innovative problem-solvers, making informed decisions and, as inquirers, develop their ability to deconstruct and critically evaluate. They are also encouraged to become adept in using various music-related technologies.
WHAT DO STUDENTS STUDY?
Students develop audiation which is the process by which the brain makes sense of what the ear hears, or the ability to think in sound. They apply their developing audiation through exploring the musical elements: duration, dynamics, harmony, melody, structure, texture and timbre, within a variety of contexts, genres and styles.
Students study music by:
- analysing and evaluating repertoire from a variety of social and cultural contexts
- creating music compositions in a variety of genres and styles; students are encouraged to move towards developing their own creative style
- performing musical repertoire by playing an instrument, singing or conducting; performing may include solo or ensemble experiences.
WHAT DO STUDENTS DO?
Students to:
- perform and compose music to demonstrate the music conventions of different cultures
- write idiomatically for specific instruments, voice (including word setting) and other sound sources
- interpret notation within context, style and genre to make decisions about the performance
- sing and play rhythms or melodies to help analyse repertoire
- create and notate rhythms, melodies and harmonic progressions
- use sight singing, sight playing and score reading to gain a fuller understanding of notated scores
- sing and play or conduct excerpts, themes and accompaniments from studied and unstudied works
- explore innovative music-making techniques and the manipulation of musical elements through electronic and new media
- experiment with alternative methods of representing sound
- collaborate in groups to manage tasks.
HOW ARE STUDENTS ASSESSED?
A wide range of assessment techniques are used to judge student achievement. These could include:
- extended writing
- formal examination
- oral, viva voce, seminar
- compositions (in any style) for instruments, voice, and combinations of these, compositions using non-Western instruments and groupings, compositions generated by electronic means and contemporary technologies, compositions that respond to particular stimuli, eg another composer’s work or a visual stimulus such as a film clip or advertisement
- performance (in any style) such as small ensemble, solo performance, performance of student compositions, improvisation, conducting, performance from the co-curricular vocal or instrumental program, accompaniment.
Achievement in Music is judged by matching a student’s achievement in the assessment tasks with the exit criteria of the subject. These criteria are: Composing, Performing and Analysing Repertoire.
HOW CAN PARENTS HELP?
Parents can help students by providing a supportive environment in the home and by showing an interest in what students are doing from day-to-day. They can:
- support and keep informed about the Music program in the school
- attend school and community music concerts and theatrical productions; view films and videos with students
- encourage students to attend live contemporary and traditional performances
- be considerate of the practical demands of the subject in terms of physical effort and time, especially the out-of-hours commitment sometimes required.
PREREQUISITES
The Music course is based on the assumption that students have been working with the skills and concepts of a “C” or higher of the music strand of the Years 1- 10 KLA Syllabus – The Arts. This experience could be gained in or out of school and may or may not be associated with a particular syllabus. It is recommended that students taking Music in Year 11 should have studied at least two units of Music to a “C+” standard.
Queensland Certificate of Education - 4 points
MUSIC EXTENSION
Music Extension is a senior Authority subject that may be included in a student’s assessment for an Overall Position. It is studied in Year 12 only.
WHAT IS MUSIC EXTENSION?
Music Extension is designed for students with specific abilities in music as an extension of the senior Music course. It is a more challenging course and the standards by which students are assessed are higher than in the parent course, Music.
WHY STUDY MUSIC EXTENSION?
This course offers specialisation in one of the three areas studied in the parent course, Music:
- Composition
- Performance
- Musicology
Students with an identified ability in one of these areas have the opportunity to develop personal potential beyond the scope of the parent course, Music. The musical insights and technical expertise gained through this study may act as a catalyst for further involvement with music beyond the school environment.
ENTRY REQUIREMENTS
The Music Extension course is based on the assumption that students entering the course have studied two semesters of Year 11 Music and have concurrent enrolment in Year 12 Music.
Entry to the Music Extension course is through a detailed consultation period with school staff. The student must be able to identify reasons for wishing to be considered for enrolment in the course, and must display commitment and self-discipline, since much of the work is self-directed.
Queensland Certificate of Education - 2 points
