Creativity in Music 

Students learn about creativity in music by exploring a range of techniques and strategies musicians use in the creative process. They make informed personal interpretations in performances, compositions and criticism to evoke responses from target audiences. Students make music to express their understanding of the world through interpretation, performance, production and composition in authentic contexts. 

Communicating Meaning in Music 

Students learn about how meaning is communicated in a variety of musical genres by analysing musical works and performances that have made a difference. They explore technical skills, stage craft and production elements for communicating their ideas to a target audience to shape response, provoke, inform, or entertain. Students apply techniques to communicate their understanding of themselves and the world through music. 

Music in Context 

Students explore the works of musicians from different times and places, to understand the way social, historical, political and/or cultural contexts have shaped music and impacted audiences. Students apply their knowledge and appreciation of techniques from a variety of contexts. They demonstrate empathy, ethics, and principles of intercultural understanding to the creation of their own music. 

Improvisation and Variation in Music 

Students learn about improvisation and variation through a range of musical genres. They explore how musicians adapt ideas, arrange, improvise and create variation in music. They consider regulatory and ethical issues associated with using the works of others. Students create music that explores a variety of interpretations of an idea, context, mood, or emotion. They develop skills in adaptability, resilience, critical analysis and versatility. 

Negotiated Study 

A negotiated 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. A negotiated study unit is decided upon by a class, group(s) or individual student in consultation with the teacher and with the Principal’s approval. The program of learning for a negotiated study unit must meet all the content descriptions as appears in the unit 

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. They 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. Students 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 and explore different pathways for participation in the industry. Students learn from the past about the ways that musicians have overcome obstacles and worked creatively within constraints. They 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 

Interdisciplinarity inquiry is an approach to studying and addressing complex problems or issues to explore new perspectives and advance critical thinking. Students learn about how music can be used to know and apply concepts and techniques from other disciplines. They explore examples of how music has been used as a means for communicating deep knowledge and interpretations of a range of contexts. They explore techniques for understanding, and synthesising knowledge from other disciplines to share perspectives. Students apply music as a way of knowing the world and sharing their insights.