MUSIC

Course Code

Course Name

Description

YEAR 9

Music Performance Foundation

The Music Performance Foundation unit will provide students with the skills to excel on their chosen instrument or voice.  The classes will cover aural skills training, an overview of music history and development of basic performance skills.  Students will be required to participate in a minimum of two performance workshops throughout the semester, complete a review of a professional concert outside the College, and perform at the final recital at the conclusion of the semester.

Music Creation Foundation

Music Creation offers students the opportunity to develop skills in composing, creating and arranging music.  Students will become familiar with the musical elements and music composition software and hardware. The unit will also include a necessary component of music theory training, with the option to complete an AMEB or Trinity College qualification throughout the course.  Students will complete one minor task using Sibelius notation software and one minor task using Protools software.  The final task will be a major composition using one or both of these programs.

Sound Technology Foundation

This unit provides students with the opportunity to develop skills in sound technology and recording.  Through working with studio equipment, students will become familiar with concepts such as: acoustics, production, staging, foldback, decibels, reverberation, quantising, amplitude, balance, mixing and direct input.  Students will be required to complete two in-studio tasks to demonstrate their knowledge of these concepts, and produce an individual recording at the conclusion of the semester.

YEAR 10

Music Performance II

Music Performance 2 will continue to build on the necessary skills that students require to excel on their chosen instrument or voice.  The classes will cover aural skills training, an overview of music history and development of basic performance skills.  Through visiting professionals working on Alexander Technique, mental preparation, musical preparation and performance practice skills, students will gain a more thorough understanding of the rigours of high-level performance.  Students will be required to participate in a minimum of two performance workshops throughout the semester, complete a review of a professional concert outside the College and perform at the final recital at the conclusion of the semester.

MUSIC

Course Code

Course Name

Description

Music Creation II

Music Creation 2 allows students to continue to develop skills in composing, creating and arranging music.  Students will begin to use the musical elements and music composition software and hardware with confidence and creativity.  The unit will also include a necessary component of music theory training, with the option to complete an AMEB or Trinity College qualification throughout the course.  Students will complete a composition folio throughout the semester, which will include artefacts of the skills covered in the course.  They will be required to submit works for use in workshops and participate as performers to further their understanding of composition.  The unit will culminate in the production of a major work.

Sound Technology II

Students will continue to build on skills learned in the first semester unit of Sound Technology.  This unit will cover the intricacies of recording sound and students will learn to operate technology such as: sound mixing desk, synthesiser, multi-track recorder, digital recorder, microphone, headset, Protools.  Students will be required to experiment with collecting and creating their own sounds to compile a portfolio of ideas from which they will create an experimental recording for their final project.

YEAR 11

This is a project based year where students will be given a brief to complete at the start of the year.  This brief will eventuate into their personal multimedia portfolio by the end of the year.  All tasks will be per semester and are building tasks for the final outcome which is the year long recording project.

Composition Workshop

Students will learn, through working with professional composers, about the specific techniques required to compose effectively in a variety of genres and styles.  Students will compile a portfolio of samples of the skills learned which will assist them in the second semester of Year 11 for their culminating task.  This unit will also be a springboard for those who wish to pursue Music Extension (Composition) as part of their Year 12 ASTA studies.

Musicology Workshop

Students will learn, through working with professional radio broadcasters, historians and other music professionals, about the varied fields that Musicology can offer as a career path.  For students who have an interest in another field aside from music, the opportunity to marry the two may be an ideal option.  Fields such as Music Therapy, Sound Engineering, Audiology and Radio Presenting are a sample of these careers.  Students will gain an in-depth understanding about the way that music has evolved through time and how sound works.  Students will have the opportunity to complete a research project in a field of their choice, as well as creating their own timeline of historical development in Western Music.  This unit will be an ideal preview for students who are interested in pursuing Music Extension (Musicology) as part of their Year 12 ASTA studies.

Performance Practice

This unit will consolidate the skills learned in Years 9 and 10, with a specific focus on performance preparation and production.  Students will learn to plan and prepare a performance, with a view to managing their own performance production in Semester Two.  Students will be required to participate in a minimum of two performance workshops throughout the semester, complete a review of a professional concert outside the College, and perform at the final recital at the conclusion of the semester.  This unit is considered a prerequisite for students intending to study Music Extension (Performance) as part of their Year 12 ASTA studies.

MUSIC

Course Code

Course Name

Description

Sound Technology Workshop

Students will become familiar with critical listening, recording, dubbing and editing music sources and develop skills and techniques such as: identifying basic principles of acoustics, rehearsing, recording, mixing and editing sound, packaging and marketing, managing sound for an indoor event, assembling and connecting sound equipment and programming recorded music.  This unit will consist of two in-studio skill tests, and culminate with students demonstrating a mock-recording situation. This unit directly prepares students for their major project in Semester Two.

Combined Task

Students will use the skills learned in Semester One to create their own class Compact Disc.  They will be required to assign roles to each student in the cohort and prepare a professionally composed, performed and recorded disc that can be marketed to the general public.  Students will need to prepare rehearsal schedules, compose music in a short space of time, design the packaging and marketing for the disc, and organise recording and editing time for the recording to be ready for the end of the semester.

YEAR 12

Auditioning

In this unit, students will learn the skills necessary to ensure that they stand out in an audition situation.  Throughout the unit, students will compose an audition folio that displays a variety of information for an intended employer in the entertainment industry. They will research their intended field (performance, composition or musicology), become familiar with all types of audition processes, attend talks by industry professionals who conduct auditions, participate in two mock auditions, observe other performers, learn about personal presentation and attend workshops to improve their auditioning skills. Students will graduate from the course with experience, confidence and an industry-specific press kit ready to go.

Sound Technology Industry Preparation

This unit will facilitate the development of each student’s individual portfolio package. Students will record each other’s compositions and performances and have the opportunity to create a sound technology portfolio if they have chosen to pursue Sound Engineering.

Music Management

Students will develop skills and techniques such as: financially managing a performance group, registering bands, identifying career pathways in band management, workplace health and safety issues, effective communication and organisational skills, public relations and knowledge of copyright laws.  This unit will equip students with the knowledge necessary to manage their own musical career, or to make a career from managing others.