7–10Music 7–10 Syllabus (2024)

The Music 7–10 Syllabus contains both mandatory and elective courses.

Mandatory course

Students must complete the mandatory Music course before starting the Stage 5 elective courses. The mandatory course can also be completed through Music 7–10 Life Skills outcomes and content for eligible students.

Elective courses

There are 4 elective courses:

• Music 200-hour elective
• Music 100-hour elective
• Music Life Skills 200-hour elective
• Music Life Skills 100-hour elective.

Focus of learning

The Music 7–10 Syllabus develops students' knowledge, understanding and skills by focusing on the practices of performing, listening to and composing music. Students engage with a range of musical repertoires to enhance their knowledge, understanding and experience of music.

The syllabus enables students to explore and communicate musical ideas by considering the elements of music, as relevant to the selected repertoire, that provide a common language to express their understanding and develop their musical expression and creativity.

What students learn

Students develop knowledge and understanding about music as a form of personal and cultural expression that holds a significant place in global cultures and histories.

Students learn to engage with the elements of music through performing, listening and composing a range of musical repertoire with stylistic awareness and musical expression. They develop musical knowledge, understanding and skills as they sing, play instruments, improvise, compose, interpret notations, record, analyse and appreciate music, enabling the development of aural and theoretical skills.

Safety and risk management

Schools are required to ensure they follow safety and risk management in delivering the Music 7–10 Syllabus.

Repertoire requirements

Engaging with repertoire is central to the study of Music in Years 7–10. Repertoire refers to a body of music and is not limited to a single piece of music. Teachers select repertoire based on their understanding of students’ interests, strengths and needs. Well-chosen repertoire enables students to study features within and across pieces of music to enhance their knowledge, understanding and experience of music.

In each stage of learning, students must meaningfully engage with the following repertoire:

• Music of Australia, including music of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples
• Art music
• Jazz
• Popular music
• Global music culture.

The requirements indicate the scope of repertoire to be studied, ensuring students meaningfully engage with a range of music that reflects its significance across stylistic, cultural, historical and social contexts.

The repertoire requirements do not need to be represented proportionately in teaching and learning programs.

Teachers may select additional repertoire.

Elective course requirements

Depth study

Students are required to undertake a depth study in Stage 5 for the 200-hour course. Students draw on content studied in class, and apply knowledge, understanding and skills in an area of individual interest. Depth studies may be completed individually or collaboratively. Students may choose to specialise in one or more of the focus areas: Performing, Listening and Composing.

Guidelines for depth study:

• 8 to 10 hours of class time is recommended

A music depth study may include:

Performing

• a live performance and supporting material
• a recorded performance and supporting material
• leading or directing an ensemble and documenting the process of musical preparation
• an investigative presentation of a piece of music, incorporating live performance.

Listening

• a live or recorded presentation of a musical investigation
• a musical investigation presented as a viva voce
• a musical investigation presented in written and/or multimodal form.

Composing

• an arrangement of an existing song or piece and documentation of the development process
• an original composition and documentation of the process
• a collection of short compositions linked to the work of other songwriters or composers.

For Music Life Skills:

• Students are required to demonstrate achievement of one or more Music 7–10 Life Skills outcomes.
• Outcomes and content should be selected to meet the particular needs of individual students.
• The focus areas provide possible frameworks for addressing the Music 7–10 Life Skills outcomes and content and are suggestions only. Teachers have the flexibility to select, group and sequence outcomes and content to meet the needs, strengths, goals, interests and prior learning of their students.
• Students should have opportunities to engage with a range of repertoire when performing, listening to or composing music, as appropriate to their needs, interests and abilities.
• Depth studies provide students with an opportunity to pursue their interests and deepen their understanding of Music 7–10 Life Skills content and may be undertaken if appropriate to the needs, interests and abilities of students. Depth studies may be completed individually or collaboratively.