Performing Arts
STAGE 4 Yr7-Music | STAGE 4-Yr8-Music | STAGE 5–Yrs9 and 10 | STAGE 6-Yr11 | STAGE 6–Yr12
STAGE 4 - Year 7 - Music
Performance: In Year 7 Music, each student learns to read music whilst learning to play simple melodies on either the electric keyboard or acoustic guitar (or may continue with another instrument if he/she is having music tuition).
Composition: Students learn to use a music software program to compose a pentatonic song which has at least four layers (one of which is improvised live as their computer music is heard).
Listening: Students study and listen to the instruments of the orchestra and voice types as well as the musical concepts (such as volume and speed) and how they are used to create pieces of music.
STAGE 4 - Year 8 - Music
Performance: The focus of year 8 performance pieces is on learning to play rock songs as an ensemble: learning to play the melody and accompanying chords on their instruments; and learning to play the basic rock beat on the drum kit.
Composition: Students use music software to compose a rock song on computer enabling each of them to hear the melody, chords, bass line and drum kit parts in the music they compose – this is mixed and recorded by the students, ready to burn to CD.
Listening: Students learn about the musical concepts, notation types and structures found in rock music as well as how chords and melodies are constructed.
STAGE 5 – Years 9 and 10
MUSIC - Additional Studies Course
MUSIC: Years 9 and 10 Elective Music: Students may elect to study Music throughout year 9 and 10. Music is studied in the context of a wide range of topics which include, but are not limited to, Australian music; Rock; Jazz; Music of the Baroque, Classical and Romantic Periods; Music for Film/Television; the Influence of Technology on Music.
In class, students have three equally weighted areas of learning:
Performing refers to participating in any form of practical music making in solo and/or ensemble situations. The development of performance skills is fostered by providing performance experience in a variety of styles and genres according to individual needs, interests, abilities and school resources, including various types of audio and music technology equipment. Students have opportunities to perform at assemblies and at concerts.
Composing refers to organising sound. The development of skills in composing results from continued involvement in a wide range of experiences in classroom activities, including both individual and group work. Students continue to develop knowledge and skills in the use of music software recording their compositions on computer or with audio equipment.
Listening refers to the ability to hear, understand and respond to a wide range of musical styles, periods and genres. Listening involves the ability to discriminate between sounds and to make judgements about their use in a range of repertoire. Additionally, it includes studying musical scores to understand how composers have used and manipulated the concepts of music in their works.
DRAMA - Additional Studies Course
DRAMA: Years 9 and 10 Elective Drama: Students may elect to study Drama throughout year 9 and 10. In studying Drama, students will develop knowledge, understanding and skills, individually and collaboratively, in the three practices of Making, Performing and Appreciating:
Making refers to participating in the creation of drama and theatre process work. Students develop and explore imagining and creating fictional situations in both dramatic and theatrical environments. Improvisation and playbuilding are key methods of making which involve a group of students collaborating to devise their own work.
Performing refers to students actively engaging in acting and performing drama and theatre for different audiences. They perform devised and scripted drama using a variety of performance techniques, dramatic forms and theatrical conventions to engage an audience
Appreciating refers to students responding to, inquiring into, investigating and studying a range of drama and theatre experiences. They investigate the meaning and function of drama and theatre in reflecting the personal social, cultural, aesthetic and political aspects of the human experience
STAGE 6 – Year 11
MUSIC 1: PRELIMINARY COURSE
The pre-requisite for this course is Mandatory Music from Years 7 & 8.
Contexts
Students choose 3 topics from a huge range: Music Technology; Religious Music; An Instrument and Its Repertoire; Rock and Popular Music; Music for Film, Television, Radio and Multimedia; Music in Education; Music of the 20th/21st Centuries; and a variety of Australian music (to name just some).
The Preliminary Course covers the following four learning areas each weighted equally:
Performance: Performance refers to participation in any form of practical music making. Students have a variety of experiences in performing: solo and as part of an ensemble; music of various genres, periods and styles; music representative of the contexts studied; performing compositions, arrangements and improvisations; with different types of audio and music technology.
Composition: Composition refers to the organisation of sounds. Composing includes experimenting; improvising; arranging; structuring; notating; using different types of audio and computer technology.
Musicology: Musicology refers to the study of musical styles and genres from a number of perspectives. These include the historical, the sociological, the notational and the analytical. Students have experiences in: identifying and commenting on the concepts of music; analysing; collecting information; using different types of technology; investigating some of the cultural contexts of music.
Aural: Aural refers to the ability to discriminate between sounds and to make judgements about their use in a wide range of musical styles, periods and genres. Students develop listening skills in order to recognise, analyse and comment on the concepts of music; the use of technology; music of various cultures; unity, contrast and style.
DRAMA: PRELIMINARY COURSE
The Preliminary Drama course comprises:
Improvisation, Playbuilding and Acting
In Improvisation, students learn how to work spontaneously to create characters and situations, explore ideas and issues, and use, and experiment with, dramatic elements and structures. When working with scripted material, students learn how to use improvisation to develop understanding of issues, themes, characters and dramatic forms and styles.
In Playbuilding, students learn to collaborate in devising original presentations using dramatic elements, structures and performance styles. Students learn to use production elements such as costume, sound and lighting.
In Acting, students learn to perform drama and theatre to an audience. Students learn how to use the voice and body, in conjunction with the mind and the imagination, to transform themselves as actor into a fictitious character.
Elements of Production in Performance
Students learn about rehearsal scheduling and processes including adapting to different performance spaces and venues when developing original or scripted material for performance. They learn about and use the technical terminology of the stage and theatre.
Students learn about the roles of the director and the designer through practice, research and writing about their experiences. They learn how the elements of production such as set, properties, costume, sound and lighting can enhance their production when transferring from developmental stages to performance. They learn about the roles of stage management and crew, front-of-house organisation and publicity. Practical skills in these roles will be gained from taking on various responsibilities during class performances throughout the course, to develop practical skills
As audience members, students learn to observe, comment on and write about directorial and design concepts, acting techniques and audience reactions. They will learn to apply their knowledge and experiences of theatrical styles and forms to analyse the social and cultural contexts of performances and the effectiveness of productions.
Theatrical Traditions and Performance Styles.
All performance, however old or new, occurs within an historical, social and cultural context. Students learn about the importance of these contexts and develop performance skills through exploring the differences in performance spaces, acting techniques, dramatic structures and theatrical conventions.
In studying Theatrical Traditions and Performance Styles, students learn experientially. This occurs through practical workshops using improvisation and playbuilding and a variety of texts, scripts or extracts from scripts. In this work they will use dramatic and theatrical techniques appropriate to the tradition and style.
STAGE 6 – Year 12
Music 1 - HSC Course
Music 1 is a fabulous Music course because it allows students of all abilities and interests to work along side each other at their own individual pace; and to specialize in their strengths and interests for their HSC examination.
Contexts
Students choose 3 topics from a huge range: Music Technology; Religious Music; An Instrument and Its Repertoire; Rock and Popular Music; Music for Film, Television, Radio and Multimedia; Music in Education; Music of the 20th/21st Centuries; and a variety of Australian music (to name just some).
The HSC Course assesses the following areas:
Internal Mark
Each student is assessed on a Core Composition and Core Musicology task (each worth 10%); Core Performance (10%); Aural (25%) and 3 Electives (each worth 15%). Each student ‘elects’ to complete any combination of the activities of composition, performance or a viva voce (discussion of an area of research).
External Mark
Each student continues to work and improve upon his/her
Aural skills (30%); Core Performance and 3 Electives (totalling 70%). This means keen performers can earn up to 70% of their external HSC mark for performance.
Explanation of the parts of the course:
Aural – is an activity that requires students to listen to and analyse music of a wide variety of styles.
Musicology – is the study of a particular style of music and musical theory. In senior Music, this knowledge might be presented in the form of a ‘viva voce’ – a 10 minute discussion with examiners on a chosen area of special research (along with a few recorded excerpts of music).
Composition – to create or arrange a piece of music either in a live improvised form or as a pre-composed computer notated format.
Performance – the performing of music as a soloist or ensemble member often in front of an audience.
Drama - HSC Course
The HSC course comprises:
Australian Drama and Theatre (Core component)
In Australian Drama and Theatre students learn about aspects of drama and theatre in Australian societies and cultures, past and present, through study of Contemporary Australian Theatre
Studies in Drama and Theatre
Studies in Drama and Theatre involves students learning about aspects of drama and theatre in societies and cultures, past and present. Productions and works for this topic may be drawn from Australian and non-Australian material. Students are to study ONE of seven topics selected by the teacher
In Australian Drama and Theatre and Studies in Drama and Theatre students learn through theoretical study about the themes and issues, the historical, social, cultural and political contexts of particular forms, styles, movements or traditions of theatre, or the work of a specific artist, practitioner, group or company. They learn about dramatic and theatrical structures, forms, styles and conventions and gain practical experience of them through workshops culminating in presentations and performances using relevant acting techniques, characterisation, performance styles and spaces.
Students learn to analyse, interpret and synthesise their research through discussion and debate, and through structuring their opinions in written responses.
The Group Performance (Core component)
Each student learns to collaborate with a group to devise and perform in a piece of original theatre. They learn how to work cooperatively in creating dramatic works, presenting their own opinions confidently and listening to the ideas of others. They develop their Group Performance using a variety of playbuilding techniques and approaches. They learn to structure their work using dramatic elements and theatrical conventions. They learn how to edit and refine their work through rehearsal, evaluation and editing. In their performance they use expressive skills that are appropriate to the chosen style or form. They learn how to realise and sustain a role and how to establish a relationship with the audience.
The Individual Project.
In the Individual Project students learn how to initiate and present a project in an area of interest developed during study in the Preliminary course. They use the knowledge, skills and experiences acquired in the Preliminary course to select an area in which to specialise.
The Individual Project will take one of the following forms:
• Critical Analysis (Director’s Folio, Theatrical Review, Applied Research)
• Design (Costume, Lighting, Set, Promotion)
• Performance
• Scriptwriting
• Video Drama.
The content for the Individual Projects in Critical Analysis (Director’s Folio) and Design (Set, Costume, Lighting, Publicity) will be based on one of the texts in a separately published list, which may change in total or in part every two years.
Individual Projects will be determined by negotiation between the student and the teacher at the beginning of the HSC course.