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 stimulating and motivating courses available to secondary school students. It is a highly rigorous and creative exploration of, and commitment to, one’s chosen craft. The Music course is assessed equally across Written and Practical components; fifty percent of the course assessment coming from practical performance (study of an instrument 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 
  • Composition: the development of skills for music writing 
  • Music Literacy: the development of aural and theory skills 
  • Musical Analysis: the detailed analysis of musical works and the historical context of these works 

Within the latter learning area, students will complete Units across Years 11 and 12 ATAR Music that include designated works representative of different styles, from Joseph Haydn (Western Art Music) to Duke Ellington (Jazz) and Queen (Contemporary) and everything inbetween. 

 The study of these works is linked with the following concepts: 

Year 11 

Unit 1: Elements; How do the elements of music (melody, harmony, form etc) shape and create music?  

Unit 2: Narratives; What stories (personal, historical etc) does music tell us? 

Year 12 

Unit 3: Identities – What does music tell us about people? 

Unit 4: Innovations – What drives a composer to create something truly unique? 

 Each student chooses to specialise in either music performance (playing an instrument) or composition (writing music).  

There are four defined styles in the Music course for the performance option: 

  • 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

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. Students develop a greater awareness of the stylistic considerations that inform the music they analyse, compose and perform, and the interrelationships that exist between these music elements.

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. They apply critical listening and thinking skills and develop aesthetic understanding through comparing and analysing musical works.

Three designated works will be studied in each unit that are significant exemplars of the thematic organiser (Unit 1 – Elements, Unit 2 – Narratives). One designated work will be drawn from each of the Contemporary, Jazz and Western Art Music styles for each unit.

Unit 1

The music analysis theme for this unit is Elements. Students respond to music as they explore the creative application of music elements across time, place and culture. They gain greater familiarity with how and why music is created, by engaging with a range of designated works, developing their understanding and use of music elements.

 

Unit 2

The music analysis theme for this unit is Narratives. Students understand that music elements can be manipulated to expressively communicate narrative. Through the combination of music and narrative, composers can provoke strong emotional responses from audiences. This unit aims to develop a more sophisticated understanding of how music elements have been manipulated for specific storytelling purposes.

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

Unit 3

The music analysis theme for this unit is Identities. Through the journey of critically considering how music can be used as a powerful form of expression, students explore the potential for music to communicate identity.

Students analyse and understand ways in which the elements and characteristics of music can be applied to express:

  • personal identity – developing and expressing the artist’s own personal and/or musical identity
  • socio-political identity – a vehicle to express societal and political views and values
  • cultural identity – reflecting the shared characteristics of a group of people in a given place and time.

Unit 4

The music analysis theme for this unit is Innovations. Innovation within music is a result of ideas driven by personal experience, and socio-political and cultural influences. Students analyse and understand music that demonstrates innovative use of music elements and concepts, responding to how this challenged, further developed or reimagined music traditions to create new ideas, and communicate new meanings.

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%)