Music 1
Syllabus
Music 1 is one of 3 Stage 6 music courses. The syllabus intends to develop the knowledge and skills of students who are interested in pursuing employment in the contemporary music industry through the study of a broad range of musical styles. Designed to build on the learning in the mandatory 7-10 course, students of varying musical ability and knowledge of musical notation are encouraged to select the subject for the HSC.
Music 1 students will expand on their prior knowledge of the concepts of music through the learning experiences of performance, composition, musicology and aural within a range of musical styles, periods and genres.
- Performance music 1 syllabus
- Composition music 1 syllabus
- Musicology music 1 syllabus
- Aural music 1 syllabus
Students will develop knowledge of skills and understanding when performing:
- as a solo or ensemble member
- music of various genres, periods and styles
- music representative of the contexts studied
- composing, arranging or improvising
- with different types of technology.
Music 1 Syllabus © NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA) for and on behalf of the Crown in right of the State of New South Wales, 2009.
Students will develop knowledge of skills and understanding in composition when:
- experimenting
- improvising
- arranging
- structuring
- notating
- using different types of technology.
Music 1 Syllabus © NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA) for and on behalf of the Crown in right of the State of New South Wales, 2009.
Students will develop knowledge of skills and understanding of musicology when:
- identifying and commenting on:
- duration
- pitch
- dynamics and expressive techniques
- tone colour
- texture
- structure
- analysing
- collecting information
- using different types of technology
- investigating some of the cultural contexts of music.
Music 1 Syllabus © NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA) for and on behalf of the Crown in right of the State of New South Wales, 2009.
Students will develop aural skills when recognising, analysing and commenting on:
- the concepts of music:
- duration
- pitch
- dynamics and expressive techniques
- tone colour
- texture
- structure.
- the use of technology
- music of various cultures
- unity, contrast and style.
Music 1 Syllabus © NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA) for and on behalf of the Crown in right of the State of New South Wales, 2009.
Concepts of music
Concepts of music posters are available to print and display in your classroom via the links below.
- Concepts of music large A3 summary poster
- Individual concepts of music A4 posters
Preliminary - resources
Music for small ensembles
This 10 week resource package addresses how small ensembles are used in a variety of different genres including medieval, classical, klezmer, 20th century, jazz, musical theatre, and funk fusion. The sequence of learning explores the relationships between the instruments, composition and ensemble techniques integrated by composers and artists.
Scope and sequence
This sample scope and sequence (DOCX 74.5KB) provides teachers with overviews for programming and assessment in music 1.
This assessment task can be adapted for students studying HSC Music 1. Students are required to research the music of a jazz band and discuss how they treat musical concepts and specific performance techniques as well as outlining the influences of jazz in the wider musical context.
Outcomes
Through activities in performance, composition, musicology and aural, a student:
P2 observes, reads, interprets and discusses simple music across characteristic of topics studies
P5 comments on and constructively discusses performances and compositions
P6 observes and discusses concepts of music in works representative of the topics studied
P7 understands the capabilities of performing media, explores and uses current technologies as appropriate to the topics studied.
Music 1 Syllabus © NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA) for and on behalf of the Crown in right of the State of New South Wales, 2009.
Task description
Research the music of a jazz band. Refer to at least two works to outline the distinctive characteristics of the band’s style.
- Discuss the band's treatment of the musical concepts, including specific performance techniques.
- Place the group in a wider musical context by outlining influences evident in its music.
This task is to be a class presentation. Students are required to illustrate points with musical examples. These may include sheet music, videos, and/or live demonstration of relevant excerpts.
Assessment criteria
Students will be assessed through:
- use of appropriate musical examples
- identification of stylistic characteristics
- understanding of the treatment of musical concepts
- knowledge of stylistic influences.
HSC - resources
This assessment task can be adapted for students studying HSC Music 1. Students are required to research the music of a jazz band and discuss how they treat musical concepts and specific performance techniques as well as outlining the influences of jazz in the wider musical context.
Outcomes
Through activities in performance, composition, musicology and aural, a student:
P2 observes, reads, interprets and discusses simple music across characteristic of topics studies
P5 comments on and constructively discusses performances and compositions
P6 observes and discusses concepts of music in works representative of the topics studied
P7 understands the capabilities of performing media, explores and uses current technologies as appropriate to the topics studied.
Music 1 Syllabus © NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA) for and on behalf of the Crown in right of the State of New South Wales, 2009.
Task description
Research the music of a jazz band. Refer to at least two works to outline the distinctive characteristics of the band’s style.
- Discuss the band's treatment of the musical concepts, including specific performance techniques.
- Place the group in a wider musical context by outlining influences evident in its music.
This task is to be a class presentation. Students are required to illustrate points with musical examples. These may include sheet music, videos, and/or live demonstration of relevant excerpts.
Assessment criteria
Students will be assessed through:
- use of appropriate musical examples
- identification of stylistic characteristics
- understanding of the treatment of musical concepts
- knowledge of stylistic influences.
This resource (DOCX 84KB) is designed to guide students through the composition process for HSC Music 1 core and elective composition. The portfolio provides students with opportunities for long term planning and reflection, a process log, background listening analysis, notes and journal entries, composition in progress and rehearsal reflections.
Additional resources
Other Voices
Other Voices is a performance, recording and education project based on three new electroacoustic works for flute and electronics by Australian composer/educators Cat Hope, Tristan Coelho and Fiona Hill. It provides access points for young composers, performers and their teachers to explore the potential for combining electronic music with instruments and voice.
This resource includes a digital education kit and three PDF learning packages. They contain detailed lesson plans and resource materials for Stages 4, 5 and 6 (including Music 1 and Music 2). The activities in the kit draw together the key learning areas of composition, musicology, performance and aural skills. The content utilises a range of musical genres from pop to art music, to assist students in their understanding of the electronic genre, and to provide a stepping stone into the art music of today.
Introduction to Other Voices (00:01:43)
The collaborative process (00:09:26)
Accompanying booklets
Please note - Imago contains sensitive material that is most suited to Stage 6. Stage 4 and 5 lessons plans have been provided, however, teachers are advised to listen to the music, sensor where appropriate, and express professional judgement when issuing the relevant work to their cohort.
Learning from home resources
Student guided online learning sequences to support learning from home or in the classroom
This online resource contains a self-guided project and two units of work on Baroque rocks and the Australian composition Eliza Aria. Baroque rocks allows Music 1 or Music 2 students to complete a group or individual project on Baroque music that could take from 2-4 weeks. Eliza Aria allows Music 1 or Music 2 students to complete online work for the topic of Australian Music or for Music 2 mandatory topic Music of the Last 25 years (Australian focus). This also could take 2-4 weeks to complete. An Eliza Aria Answers (DOCX 70.91KB) is an accompanying teacher resources that provides answers to various questions asked in this unit. The final module is a self-guided project for students undertaking the Music 1 Stage 6 syllabus topic of An instrument and its repertoire.
The NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA) Music 1 page contains the syllabus and helpful materials including a sample assessment schedule, HSC advice, specimen exams, HSC marking guidelines, standards materials, past papers additional support information.
If you need further assistance with accessibility for any of these resources, please get in touch with us at SecondaryEducationUnit@det.nsw.edu.au