Key advice for teachers supporting students working at home

The Core composition and Major study components of the 2020 HSC examination has been altered for safety reasons. Details of this can be found on NESA’s website and a brief summary is listed below. Teachers should note:

• Students must dance their own choreography.
• External HSC exams for Major Study Composition and Dance and Technology Film and Video are cancelled.

NESA will provide support and additional resources to assist teachers with this process.

Year 11 students may use the time to develop a major study research appreciation task, specifically focusing on identifying their research topics and conducting research and collecting secondary data. In appreciating dance as an art form, you should study:

•  the historical perspective of dance
• specific dance styles
• seminal artists
•  dance analysis
• selected companies, choreographers and works
• writing and criticism.

Year 12 students can continue developing their practical core performance and composition from home. 

• This could be done through the continued study and refinement of their dance technique via video conferencing. Dance technique research could involve focussing on their understanding and practice of safe dance practice and execution.
• Students could continue refining their knowledge and understanding of their performance by completing exercises such as 'dance interview' panels with their peers and teacher by exchanging feedback through interview skills via web conferencing tools. Interview panel questions could be based on topics such as line quality, elements of dance or kinaesthetic awareness.
• Composition work can continue, as usual, however, if practical feedback is restricted, students could begin working on applying their knowledge of the compositional process when developing their rationales. This could involve a focus lesson on developing establishing a clear concept/intent in their writing.
• Keep abreast of NESA's website for any changes to the dance syllabus practical assessment practices for the HSC.

Key advice for teachers supporting students working at home

Teachers should support students to continue developing their Individual Projects, Australian Drama and Theatre and Studies in Drama and Theatre topics. 

Year 11

Use the time to work on their improvisation, playbuilding and acting skills, or conduct research in elements of production in performance or theatrical traditions and performance styles. Students could explore improvisation by:

• using their experiences and observations to building improvisations
•  experiment with and develop character and roles
• develop quick thinking and acting skills with other students
• analyse improvisations and the improvisations of others online.

Year 12

Teachers should not and inform their classes that the group performance and two individual project topics of the 2020 HSC examination have been altered for safety reasons. Details of this can be found on NESA’s website and a brief summary is listed below.

The group performance has been cancelled. The IP is now worth 50% and the written paper is worth 50%. You  may decide to issue an assessment on the Group performance. A group performance guide (DOCX 66KB) has been attached for download to assist with this.

• IP Portfolio of Theatre Criticism – students can now use filmed productions. Many theatre companies are broadcasting live productions online.
•  IP Video drama – final video won’t be examined. Students submit their rationale and support documents with their directorial vision, production and post-production decisions or intentions.

Examples of learning for year 12 students in isolation are:

• Students could continue to develop their extended response writing technique by completing previous HSC examination papers.
• IP work can continue with noted adjustments made from the above advice from NESA. When teacher feedback is required and web-conferencing is unavailable, students should develop their intentions, approaches, motivations, research, drafts, for their selected projects, outlining any issues encountered in their IP logbooks. Students will continue to develop their rationales in isolation.
• Keep abreast of NESA's website for any changes to the drama syllabus practical assessment practices for the HSC.

Key advice for teachers supporting students working at home

Teachers should support Year 11/12 students to continue work on studying the learning experiences of performance, composition, musicology and aural within a range of musical styles, period and genres.

Year 12

Students should note that performances in all courses, ensemble in music extension and Music 1 Viva voce’s in the 2020 HSC examination have been altered for safety reasons. Details of this can be found on NESA’s website and a brief summary is listed below.

•  No ensemble performances (more than two musicians). Accompanists will still be permitted if social distancing is practiced.
• Use pre-recorded accompaniment or change your repertoire if required.
• All music extension performances are cancelled.
• Viva Voce’s are to be done in line with social distancing requirements.

Teachers should encourage students to continue rehearsing and refining their performances, compositions, musicology or responses from home. A brief outline in each music course has been provided to assist:

• Music 1 – Students can continue to rehearse their performances for each of their electives. Students should continue to develop their solo components and focus on developing their technical skills. Compositions can continue to be developed through online music notation software and shared with their teacher for feedback and discussion. Viva voce’s can be written and rehearsed as usual.
• Music 2 – Students are encouraged to continue developing their performances and compositions. Students can continue developing their solo performance skills focussing on their technique, interpretation of repertoire and expression. Various websites are set up online such as Sight Singing that will enable students to practice their skills in this area remotely. Students undertaking the musicology elective should be able to proceed to research and refine their essays and submit to their teachers online for feedback.

Music Extension

• Music extension – Students will continue practising their solo performance or developing their compositions or musicology essays. Students can dedicate time to considering their musical technical skills, repertoire and expression of their performance.

Key advice for teachers supporting students working at home

Teachers should encourage artmaking to continue so that students are developing their body of work from home. Students might use the frames to complete research on a well-known artist whose use of materials, subject matter or style could influence their own artmaking practice and document this research in their VAPD.

Teachers can support students by linking online art-making tutorials concerning techniques and materials to increase their depth of understanding and skills to their preferred digital platform for students to access. Students might view several of the videos on successful HSC students and their body of work and summarise some of the key advice and strategies used by these students.

Art History, Criticism

Teacher should guide students to complete research and related tasks for their Case studies, extending their knowledge and understanding of the in-depth art historical/ critical work they have been completing in class by accessing resources provided by their teacher online via their class digital platform and uploading extended responses for peer and teacher feedback.

Teachers can also guide students to familiarise themselves with past HSC papers and complete practice questions using the frames, conceptual framework and practice to analyse and interpret artworks.

Past HSC papers sometimes do not have images printed for copyright reasons but students can google images by their title to respond to the questions. Short answer and extended responses can be uploaded to a digital platform for peer or teacher feedback.