Courses

Music

Year 11 and 12 ATAR Pathway|Performing Arts

Music

Sarah Combes
Curriculum Leader - The Arts

Music

Conrad Hogg

The ATAR Music course is one of the most challenging, yet stimulating and motivating, courses available to secondary school students. It is a highly rigorous course that requires a dedicated commitment to one’s chosen craft. The Music course is split evenly with fifty percent of the course assessment coming from practical performance (study of an instrument, voice or composition) and fifty percent from written theory (music skills, aural development and historical analysis).

Classes are structured with specific focus on the four learning outcomes:

  • Performing: the growth and development of each student as a performer on his chosen instrument
  • Composing and Arranging: the development of skills for music writing
  • Listening and Responding: the development of aural and analysis skills
  • Culture and Historical Society: the detailed analysis of musical works and the historical context of these works

Each student chooses to major in either music performance (playing an instrument) or composition (writing music). The major can be taken in any one of four contexts:

  • Jazz
  • Contemporary
  • Musical Theatre
  • Western Art Music (classical)

Tuition Requirement

All students enrolled in the Music ATAR course must be receiving weekly one-on-one specialist tuition on their chosen major instrument or composition. This tuition can either be through the College Music Tuition programme (recommended), or externally through a private studio teacher.

Note: students must select a standard western instrument for their study in the ATAR music course, as stipulated by the School Curriculum and Standards Authority. Bagpipes are not considered a standard western instrument by the Authority.

Courses

Year 11 ATAR Course

Unit 1 and Unit 2

The written component for each unit is delivered through either a Western Art Music or Jazz Context, at the College’s discretion.

Practical

The primary focus of the Music course is the development of practical performance skill, with students encouraged to work toward their creative and expressive potential, developing skills and stylistic awareness to confidently perform or compose, both as individuals and collaboratively.

Written

Across the two units, students extend and apply their skills, knowledge and understanding of music to create, communicate and evaluate music ideas with increasing depth and complexity. They continue to develop and consolidate aural and music literacy skills, learning how the elements of music can be applied, combined and manipulated when listening, performing, composing and analysing music.

Students explore how social, cultural and historical factors shape music, developing an understanding of music conventions and practices in the specific context(s) selected for study. They apply critical listening and thinking skills and develop aesthetic understanding through comparing and analysing musical works.

Assessments
  • Practical
    50%

    Students have a school-based assessment requirement through a variety of performance tasks including public and private recitals, among other smaller tasks related to technical facility.

    There will be practical (performance) examinations at the end of each unit.

  • Written
    50%

    Students have a school-based assessment requirement through a variety of written tasks consisting of aural, theory, composition and cultural and historical analysis.

    There will be a written examination at the end of each unit.

Year 12 ATAR Course

Unit 3 and Unit 4

Practical

Again, the focus is the development of practical performance skill, with students encouraged to improve performance levels attained during the previous two units, and prepare for more extensive recital performance situations.

Written

The written component for Units 3 and 4 is a continuation of students’ study from Units 1 and 2. The same musical context will apply.

Assessments
  • School-Based Assessment
    50%

    Students have a school-based assessment requirement within the two key components:

    • Practical component (25%)
    • Written component (25%)
  • ATAR Examinations
    50%

    All students enrolled in Music ATAR Units 3 and 4 are required to sit the ATAR examinations:

    • Practical examination – late September (25%)
    • Written examination (25%)