Music is unique as an aural art form that develops cognitive, kinaesthetic, empathetic, and aesthetic capacities in students. The study of music enables critical and creative thinking, the development of technical skills, and the opportunity to grow as artists and communicate their perspective on the world. Students in Specialised Music gain opportunities to refine their music skills in a variety of professional contexts. This course has been written with open expectations around prior technical skills. This is intended to increase access to students from a wide range of musical backgrounds, traditions, and experiences. Teachers will make judgements and form expectations in line with the achievement standards but apply them to a wide range of music making activities.

In Specialised Music, students learn as artists and develop specialised skills for creative and professional contexts by making, interpreting, and responding to music. They apply the creative process, elements of music, meta-language, symbols, theory, and aural skills to communicate their ideas and understanding to develop their overall musicianship. Students conduct in-depth creative inquiries into the concepts of innovation, leadership, entrepreneurship, and interdisciplinarity and apply their learning to their own music making.

Students apply the creative process to engage target audiences and communicate their ideas and concepts through music. In addition, they develop specialised skills in projecting their practice into the community.

They explore a wide variety of genres and learn about how musicians use a range of principles practices and approaches to create music for a specific purpose. Students develop an informed critical appreciation of music and the arts industry to enable them to communicate their own interpretation of the world.

Studying senior secondary Specialised Music provides students with a suite of skills and understandings that are valuable to a wide range of further study and careers. Studying Specialised Music enables students to become citizens who are better informed about the world around them and who have the critical skills to evaluate and communicate with an increasingly globalised and technology-driven society. It provides a foundation in music knowledge, understanding and skills for those students who wish to pursue further Music related studies. The transferable skills developed by the dynamic and collaborative processes of creativity assist students to follow pathways that engage with the broader community both in the arts and a wide range of professions.

The Specialised Music course is written under The ARTS Framework 2021: BSSS ARTS Framework

Achievement Standards for ARTS courses can be found within the Framework.

Through the study of the Arts, students learn to express their ideas, thoughts and opinions, as they discover and interpret an increasingly complex technological and interconnected world. The subjects in this Learning Area share common understandings and broad conceptual underpinnings and imperatives.

Innovation in Music

Students learn about innovative music practice, past and present, and employ techniques and forms to break with conventions, and to be inventive in their work. They explore innovations in technique, performance, production, and digital platforms. Students examine innovation in acoustic and digital music, barriers to innovation, how innovation occurs, reinvention of traditional notions and how innovation changes perceptions of music. They develop skills in inquiry, resourcefulness, sustainability, and curiosity. Students appraise works that have revolutionised music over time and challenged and redefined audience expectations.

Music Leadership

Students learn about leadership in the context of creating and presenting across a variety of music activities. They explore the possibilities for shaping and influencing others in music making by applying leadership techniques and methodologies. Students develop skills in risk taking, integrity, initiative, and confidence to share their vision. They draw on technical, pedagogical, production, communication, and collaboration skills to lead in music development in various roles, such as mentoring, conducting, teaching, and producing.

Entrepreneurship in Music

Students learn about the music landscape and the interface between music and business. They examine the tension between the creative and commercial. Students explore different pathways for participation in the industry and for pursuing artistic goals. They learn from the past about the ways that musicians have overcome obstacles and worked creatively within constraints. Students examine the opportunities and risks in projecting their practice into the commercial arena. They develop an enterprising mindset and apply their understanding of the industry to produce authentic or simulated music experiences for a range of audiences.

Interdisciplinary Inquiry in Music

Interdisciplinary inquiry is an approach to studying issues, presenting new perspectives, and advancing critical and creative thinking. Students learn about how music can establish a dialogue with other subjects to synthesise and interpret concepts and/or principles from other disciplinary areas. They explore examples of interdisciplinary music and experiment with techniques to present music that communicates their perspective. They apply music as a way of knowing the world and sharing their insights. This unit provides opportunities for collaboration across courses, or for students to explore their own interests.

Independent Study

An Independent Study unit has an important place in senior secondary courses. It is a valuable pedagogical approach that empowers students to make decisions about their own learning. An Independent Study unit can be proposed by an individual student for their own independent study and negotiated with their teacher. The program of learning for an Independent Study unit must meet the unit goals and content descriptions as they appear in the course. Students must have studied at least THREE standard 1.0 units from this course. A student can only study a maximum of one Independent study unit in each course. An Independent Study unit requires the principal’s written approval. Independent study units are only available to individual students in Year 12. Principal approval is also required for a student in Year 12 to enrol concurrently in an Independent unit and the third 1.0 unit in a course of study.

Specialised Music A/T/M/V  (794 KB)

Specialised Music A/T/M/V (341 KB)

The following courses are also available:

• Music
• Studies of Music