Planning, programming and assessing music 7–10 (2024)
Resources to support teaching of the Music 7–10 Syllabus (2024) including units and scope and sequences for Stages 4 and 5.
Go to Planning, programming and assessing music 7–10 (2003) for resources related to the 2003 syllabus.
Syllabus
The Music 7–10 Syllabus (2024) is to be implemented from 2026.
- 2024 and 2025 – Plan and prepare to teach the new syllabus
- 2026 – Start teaching new syllabus
About our resources
These resources:
- can be used by music classroom teachers and, or school leaders to support teachers with effective syllabus implementation
- have been developed to assist teachers to create learning that is contextualised to their classroom
- can be used as a basis for the teacher’s own programs, assessment, or scope and sequences
- may be adjusted by teachers to meet the strengths and needs of their students.
Scope and sequences
All NSW public schools need to plan curriculum and develop teaching programs consistent with the Education Act 1990 (NSW) and the NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA) syllabuses and credentialing requirements.
Scope and sequences form part of the ongoing documentation or evidence schools maintain to comply with the department’s policy, policy standards and registration requirements.
Sample scope and sequences provide an overview of how to structure teaching and learning programs for music in Stages 4 and 5. Knowledge, understanding and skills are developed through the interrelated focus areas of performing, listening and composing.
Developing a robust scope and sequence has many benefits and may help teachers and schools to:
- promote high expectations for student learning
- identify opportunities for explicit teaching
- create opportunities for students to receive feedback on their learning
- systematically plan for and undertake assessment
- collect and use data to monitor achievements and identify gaps in learning
- differentiate curriculum delivery to meet the needs of students at different levels of achievement
- collaborate with other teachers to plan for quality teaching and learning.
Stage 4 units and teaching resources
The Stage 4 music sample unit ‘Beats and tunes’ builds student knowledge of music literacy through the development of skills in performing, composing and listening. Students will learn about the elements of duration and pitch through engaging with beat and rhythm notation, melody and basic score reading. Participation in class singing and performing activities on body, tuned and untuned percussion, and experimenting with different ways of combining and documenting musical ideas using notation, forms the foundation of learning activities. The unit is supported by two accompanying slide presentation resources, a score booklet, teacher resource booklet, teaching videos and a sample assessment task.
- Unit – Beats and tunes (DOCX 416 KB)
- Assessment task – Beats and tunes (DOCX 330 KB)
- Beats – Beats and tunes (PPTX 28.3 MB)
- Tunes – Beats and tunes (PPTX 22.8 MB)
- Teacher resource booklet – Beats and tunes (DOCX 417 KB)
- Score booklet – Beats and tunes (PDF 720 KB)
- Teaching videos – Beats and Pieces
- Teaching videos – Good For-tunes
The Stage 4 music sample unit ‘Sound lab’ builds student understanding of layers of sound (texture) and performing media and timbre. Students investigate how composers use performing media and timbre, texture and expression to communicate musical ideas in art, popular and electronic music. They use a range of sound sources, sound production methods, timbres and digital technologies to improvise, generate, compose, manipulate, arrange, notate and record musical ideas. The unit is supported by an accompanying slide presentation resource, a score booklet, teacher resource booklet, and a sample assessment task.
Stage 5 units and teaching resources
The Stage 5 sample unit ‘Music of our solar system’ builds student understanding of art music through the study of the work of Holst, Mozart and Macens and music of Australia through the work of Macens.
Students will perform from a range of musical scores and apply terminology to rehearse, refine and perform. Through listening activities, students interpret and analyse musical scores relevant to the genre and style and explain how these are characterised and represented through musical features and conventions. Students experiment with different compositional techniques and structures to develop and refine musical material in their own compositions.
The unit is supported by an accompanying slide presentation resource, a score booklet, teacher resource booklet and a sample assessment task.
- Unit – Music of our solar system (DOCX 5.3 MB)
- Assessment task – Music of our solar system (DOCX 3.8 MB)
- Slide deck – Music of our solar system (PPTX 41.7 MB)
- Teacher resource booklet – Music of our solar system (DOCX 7.2 MB)
- Score booklet – Music of our solar system (PDF 13.2 MB)
- Podcast – Creative cast: Re-formed – music: Perspective through eternity
Music posters and infographics
Elements of music posters are available to print and display in your classroom.
Infographics of various performing media groups to print and display in your classroom.
Contact us
Stay connected with the creative arts curriculum team by:
- Subscribing to the Creative arts curriculum network.
- Joining the Creative arts statewide staffroom
- Email creativearts7-12@det.nsw.edu.au