Course Outlines - Year 9 & 10 Music

Year 9 & 10
Music

Back to Year 9 & 10

Te toi whakairo, ka ihiihi, ka wehiwehi, ka aweawe te ao katoa.

Artistic excellence makes the world sit up in wonder.

KAUPAPA:

Music is a rich part of the diverse cultures of Aotearoa New Zealand. It is a vital part of life for many communities and is an art form that can be used to express histories, knowledge bases, local contexts, language, and aspirations.
The Year 9/10 Music course at JMC has a main focus on practical performance and composition skills. You will be introduced to a number of instruments, technologies and styles, and will be encouraged to try new things as you begin to find your interests and strengths within the subject area. You will also learn and apply creative and technical skills to begin composing and recording your own music, and discover the joy of creating original music.
Through your practical work, you will also develop your understanding of music as a language. This will enable you to become a well-rounded musician that is able to engage and communicate with the wider musical community.

In the Year 9 Music course, students will explore the contrasting styles of Blues and Electronic music, focusing on the conventions of each genre and the skills required to play/create it.
In the Blues topic, students will learn about AAB lyrical structures, playing with swing feel, the 12 Bar Blues pattern, the blues scale, and walking basslines, while having a go at playing a variety of instruments. They will then apply this knowledge and skills to write a perform a Blues song collaboratively in a band.
In the Electronic music topic, students will learn about synthesizers and drum sequencers, using Soundtrap and MIDI controllers, composing simple chord progressions and melodies. They will then apply this knowledge and skills to recreate and/or compose a song in Soundtrap.
Throughout the course, students will develop their musical literacy and learn to represent and interpret musical concepts through a variety of notation systems.

The Year 10 music course builds upon the skills taught at Y7-9, encouraging students to apply their understanding and skills to increasingly varied and self-directed musical contexts.
Students will develop knowledge and skills in using music technologies, sight-reading and technical control on chosen instruments, generating/developing/structuring musical ideas with stylistic control, and performance skills in solo and group contexts.
Students that opt to take music for a half-year rotation will study a set-work, exploring relevant musical concepts and skills before recreating and analyzing it. They will select, rehearse and present a solo performance to an audience on an instrument of their choice. Finally, they will apply their understanding of musical concepts to collaboratively compose and record/perform a piece of music with a group.
Students that opt to take music for a full-year rotation, in addition to the above, will develop skills with transcription and aurally interpreting music, present more substantial performances on their chosen instrument, and will individually compose and record/notate a piece of music.
This course leads into and prepares students for NCEA music. Students intending to study music to a senior level are strongly encouraged to take the full-year music option, and to also be learning an instrument with an itinerant/private tutor.

COSTS:

Note: iPads are not suitable for running the recording/notation software used in the music course. Some Mac computers are available to use in the classroom if required, but it is strongly encouraged that students have their own MacBook/mid-range Windows laptop.
Students can sign-up for lessons with an itinerant/private instrumental tutor here.

FUTURE STUDIES / CAREER OPTIONS:

Studying music opens up pathways for a wide range of careers in the music industry, including but not limited to:

Performance music (i.e. live performance, session musicians, busking, etc.)
Composer and arranger (i.e. songwriting, media composition, orchestral arranger, etc.)
Studio Production (e.g. audio engineering, mixing, mastering, etc.)
Live Sound and Event Management (e.g. event sound/lighting/rigging, stage management, etc.)
Music Education (e.g. classroom teaching, academia, private/itinerant teaching, etc.)
and much more!

The skills you develop as a musician are also highly transferable. Regardless of your chosen field, employers are looking for:

Creative skills: communicating concepts through artistic mediums, finding novel solutions to problems
Technical skills: using specialist software/hardware to create and distribute digital content
Time Management and Discipline

There are a large number of tertiary institutions that offer courses of study in music, including:

PATHWAYS @ JMC:

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