Senior Music

Year 11 Music

Year 11 Music is largely based on interpretation (through listening, theoretical and analysis) of musical works and practical application in performance and composition. Students will have the opportunity to think about, and debate, ideas and issues about how music is created and functions in different contexts.

Through this course, students will learn to:

• Investigate and communicate musical knowledge and understanding through performance and writing

• Interpret complex musical resources (scores and recordings)

• Manage your learning across both creative and analytical tasks

• Interact with others and contribute to the wider learning community through ensemble performance

• You will gain knowledge, skills, and experience to understand the impact of Māori and Pasifika music on New Zealand society and appreciate that people’s perspectives and uses of music differ greatly across cultures and time periods

• The integrated focus on Aural Skills and Theoretical Knowledge will provide you with musical literacy for better understanding of any genre

Prerequisites for entry to Level 2 Music in Year 12 

• Achieve three of the five Units of Learning, including the examination.

Level 2 Music

Students taking this course will design their own programme best suited to their strengths in consultation with their Music teacher, to build on the skills learned for NCEA Level 1. The programmes will usually consist of various academic and practical standards, to ensure students are provided with a thorough grounding to continue towards NCEA Level 3 and NZ Scholarship Music. 

The standards are offered to students taking NCEA Level 2 Music:

• Perform two pieces of music as a featured soloist

• Perform a piece of music as a featured soloist on a second instrument

• Demonstrate ensemble skills through performing a piece of music as a member of a group

• Compose two original pieces of music

• Devise an instrumentation for an ensemble

• Demonstrate aural and theoretical skills through transcription

• Demonstrate knowledge of conventions used in music scores

• Investigate an aspect of New Zealand music

Level 3 Music

The NCEA Level 3 Music course offers a wide range of Making Music and Music Studies standards. Students have the freedom to design and personalise their own programme to best suit their strengths in consultation with their Music teacher. Students enrolled in Level 3 Music may also attempt NZ Scholarship in Performance Music, Music Composition or Musicology. 

Students will need to obtain at least 14 credits at Level 3 Music to ensure they have enough credits to pass NCEA Level 3 and obtain University Entrance. 

To gain entry to this course, students must gain at least 14 credits in NCEA Level 2 Music. Other students may gain entry at the discretion of the Music teacher.

The standards are offered to students taking NCEA Level 3 Music:

• Perform two programmes of music as a featured soloist 

• Perform a programme of music as a featured soloist on a second instrument

• Demonstrate ensemble skills by performing two substantial pieces of music as a member of a group

• Communicate musical intention by composing three original pieces of music OR Compose three original songs that express imaginative thinking

• Create two arrangements for an ensemble

• Demonstrate understanding of harmonic and tonal conventions in a range of music scores

• Research a music topic