Music plays important roles in the social, cultural, aesthetic and spiritual lives of people. At an individual level, music is a medium of personal expression. It enables the sharing of ideas, feelings and experiences.
Students will be provided with the opportunity to acquire the knowledge, understanding and skills necessary for active engagement and enjoyment in performing, composing and listening, and to allow a range of music to have a continuing role in their lives.
Students are encouraged to be actively involved in seeking out performance opportunities at school assemblies, the CAPA Showcase Evening in Term 4 and through the school musical. Students are also encouraged to enter external competitions run through the school to increase their musical experience and to develop their skills in a fun and creative environment.
Learning music
Music is studied as a mandatory subject in Year 7 and 8. Students undertake a variety of learning experiences in performing, composing and listening activities.
Stage 4
Stage 5
Stage 6
Students will study the concepts of music through the learning experiences of composing, performing and listening within the context of a range of styles, periods and genres concentrating on Classical music and Blues and Jazz. Musical Notation is also studied.
Students compose their own rhythms and create original arrangements of short songs. They improvise rhythms and melodies in class performing tasks and start to explore the process of songwriting through simple composition exercises. If confident, students are encouraged to start to write their own full songs and to perform them in front of their peers in a supportive and structured environment.
Students learn a variety of short songs using guitars, keyboards, glockenspiels and the drum kit. Performing activities involve both individual and small ensemble tasks. Students practise their notation reading and writing skills and improvise short pieces of music. Students perform both set class songs as well as their own choice of repertoire.
Students learn about musical analysis through studying the use of the concepts of music in both popular and classical music styles. Students learn to express their own observations of the concepts of music and to extend their oral and written responses to develop their higher order thinking skills. Students complete research tasks of musical styles studied in class. Students are encouraged to explore musical styles of their choice when completing research tasks.
Music representation at Quakers Hill High School
