Course Overview

Study the three interrelated components of Performance, Composition, and Appreciation. Students develop physical technical skills, explore the craft of choreography, and critically analyze dance as an artform across various eras and styles. 

Preliminary Course (Year 11)

• Unit 1: The Body and Dance Technique: Safe dance practice and foundational technical skills 

• Unit 2: Elements of Composition: Intro to creative process, exploring space, time, and dynamics 

• Unit 3: Dance History and Analysis: Investigating the development of dance as an artform 

HSC Course (Year 12)

• Core Study: Performance (interpreting a solo dance), Composition (choreographing for another student), and Appreciation (critical analysis of prescribed texts).

• Major Study: Students select one area above for in-depth specialisation. (Note: Performance is not mandatory)

• Revision & Exam Prep: Synthesis of practical repertoire and theoretical knowledge for external assessment.

Typical School-based Course Assessment

Preliminary Course (Year 11)

• Performance & Viva Voce

• Composition Portfolio

• End of Course Written Exam

HSC Course (Year 12)

• Mid-Course Performance & Composition

• Major Study Project/Performance

• Trial HSC Exam

HSC Exam

Duration: 1 hour 

Typical format: 2 extended response questions, around 3 written pages per question. 

Possible Vocational/Career Pathways

• Creative Arts: Professional Dancer, Choreographer, Artistic Director, Dance Teacher, Studio Owner.

• Related Fields: Physiotherapist, Arts Administrator, Community Arts Officer, Personal Trainer.

Tertiary prerequisite Possibilities

• Bachelor of Dance or Fine Arts (often requiring audition), 

• Bachelor of Education (Secondary), 

• Bachelor of Exercise Science. 

Past Student Challenges

• Physically demanding - maintaining physical fitness, injury prevention

• Balancing practical with written work

• Navigating "Major Study" workload in Year 12

• Mastering complex anatomical and analytical terminology

• Requires consistent rehearsal outside of class time

Students who do well in/Enjoy this subject

• Thrive in active, physically demanding environments

• Enjoy independent research and creative problem-solving.

• Are disciplined with regular rehearsal and studio time

• Interested in deconstructing the meaning behind movement

Course Overview

Students explore the human experience through Making, Performing, and Critically Studying diverse theatrical traditions and practices.

Preliminary Course (Year 11)

• Unit 1: Improvisation, Playbuilding, and Acting: narrative creation, acting skills & performance

• Unit 2: Theatrical Traditions: theatre movements, including group performance work

• Unit 3: Elements of Production: Technical study - visual and sensory components of a production.

HSC Course (Year 12)

• Unit 1 Contemporary Australian Theatre: Core study - themes in modern Australian drama 

• Unit 2 Studies in Drama and Theatre: In-depth investigation of Complicité

• Unit 3: Group Performance (Mandatory): Collaborative development of an original piece of theatre 

• Individual Project: A self-directed major work in one area (Performance, Critical Analysis, or Design) 

• Unit 4: Revision and Examination Preparation: synthesis of knowledge and practical skills 

Typical school-based Course Assessment

Preliminary Course (Year 11)

• Monologue Performance 

• Group Performance & Written Review 

• Final Theatre Design Analysis/Exam 

HSC Course (Year 12)

• Mid Course Performance and Essay

• Individual Project / Performance

• Group Performance 

• Trial Exam 

HSC Exam

Duration: 1.5 hours   

Typical format: Two extended response/essay questions and a short answer section with a specific focus on an unseen stimulus

Possible vocational/career pathways

• Creative Arts: Acting, Directing, Scriptwriting, Stage Management, Production Design, Theatre Director, Set/Lighting Designer, Drama Teacher.

• Other roles: Communications Specialist, Trial Consultant, Human Resources Trainer, Arts Administrator.

Tertiary prerequisite possibilities

• Bachelor of Performance: Subject knowledge in addition to auditions and interviews

• Bachelor of Creative Arts/Design: May require an individual Project (Design) portfolio for entrance consideration.

Past Student challenges

• Energized by active work to meet physical and vocal demands 

• Navigating group work dynamics

• Keeping consistent and detailed logbook

• Balancing theory with rehearsing performances

• Individual/independant project work 

• Mastering the technical vocabulary and concepts

Students who do well in/enjoy this subject:

• Enjoy independent AND group project work

• Thrive in a large-group setting 

• Interested in deconstructing texts and movements

• Energized by active work to meet physical and vocal demands 

Typical weekly personal time investment:

• 3–5 hours minimum

• 8–10+ hours for refining high level skills

        Course Overview

Music 1 is a flexible, performance-based field of study, applying the six concepts across varying genres. 

Preliminary Course (Year 11)

• • Unit 1: Contexts of music - Explore the 6 elements of music across a range of styles and genres. 

  • Unit 2: Creative practice - Hands-on performance & composition, focus on sound and expression.

  • Unit 3: Music in focus - Deepen analytical and practical skills by investigating a specific musical topic or genre in detail, connecting theory to advanced aural and performance practice. 

HSC Course (Year 12)

• • Unit 1: Music of the last 25 years (Australian focus) - Perform, compose, listen, analyse and respond to Australian music of the last 25 years

  • Unit 2: Music across cultures, traditions and time - Study how music reflects and communicates cultural, historical and regional identities in ONE chosen context 

  • Unit 3: Music for screen, stage and story - Study how music serves a specific purpose within artistic, social or communicative contexts in ONE chosen style 

  • Unit 4: Revision and Trial Examination: Preparation for external HSC Aural & Performance exams.

Typical school-based Course Assessment

• Preliminary Course (Year 11)

• Performance & Viva Voce

• Elective Topic & Composition 

• Aural End of Course Exam 

HSC Course (Year 12)

• Composition & Core Performance 

• Mid-Course Viva Voce 

• Performance/Elective Task

• Trial HSC Exam

HSC Exam

Duration: 1 hour

Typical format: 4 short-answer questions, each based on 1–2 minute audio excerpt played four to six times. 

Possible vocational/career pathways

• Creative Arts: Professional musician, songwriter, media composer, Sound technician, lighting designer, festival production coordinator, private music tutor, community arts workshop leader.

• Related Fields: artist management, copyright administration, freelance creative roles, music journalist, critic, or audio engineer for multimedia, music therapy or secondary school teaching

Tertiary prerequisite possibilities

Undergraduate/Bachelor degrees in Music (auditions and entrance exams), Creative Industries ("Music Concepts" for arrangement), Arts [Music Major] (Music 1 is a baseline), Music Therapy (proficiency in performance and musical analysis).

Note: Adjustment Factors (Selection Rank Boost) - Music 1 is specifically recognized by many universities for "Subject Adjustments.

Past Student challenges

• Lack of prior learning - without prior formal lessons/tuition, Music 1 can be a very steep learning curve!

• Realising that it’s not all ‘prac’

• Committing to regular, consistent practice

• Balancing performance, composition, and theory work

• Not devoting time for individual study

Students who do well in/enjoy this subject:

• Enjoy performing, writing, or remixing.

• Curious about how different genres

• Prefer "learning by doing" 

• Interested in taking apart a piece of music

Typical weekly personal time investment:

• 3–5 hours minimum

• 7-10+ hours for mastery

Course Overview

Study artmaking, art criticism, and art history through the development of your own artworks and critical investigation of artists from diverse cultures and traditions. 

Preliminary Course (Year 11)

• Unit 1: Identity: Investigate the concept of identity through artmaking and historical/critical study, focusing on how personal and collective identities are represented.

• Unit 2: Cultural Commentary: Explore art as a vehicle for social and cultural critique, examining how artists respond to the world around them.

HSC Course (Year 12)

• The Body of Work (160 hours total): A year-long sustained artmaking practice where students develop a cohesive suite of artworks supported by a visual arts diary.

• Unit 1 Case Studies: "Women’s Work" and "The Body + The Object," with specific focus artists Judy Chicago and Janine Antoni.

• Unit 2 Case Studies: "Men’s Business" and "Cultural Connections," featuring depth studies on artists Ben Quilty and Jonathan Jones.

• Unit 3 Case Study: "Artist as Activist," primarily investigating the work of Ai Weiwei, with revisited connections to Warhol and Quilty.

• Unit 4 Case Study & Revision: Consolidation & exam preparation, focusing on artists Banksy, Andy Goldsworthy, and Anne Zahalka

Typical school-based Course Assessment

Preliminary Course (Year 11)

• Artmaking & Essay  

• Artmaking

• End of Course Exam

HSC Course (Year 12)

• Body of Work 

• Mid Course Exam & BOW 

• Trial HSC Exam 

• Body of Work 

HSC Exam

Duration: 1.5 hours

Typical format: three short-answer questions and extended essay responding to unseen stimulus artwork

Possible vocational/career pathways

• Creative Arts: Fine Arts, Graphic Design, Architecture, Art Education, Gallery Curation

• Related fields: Industrial Design, User Experience (UX) Design, Forensic Imaging, Set Design for Film/Television,

Tertiary prerequisite possibilities

• General Course Pathways: Bachelor of Visual Arts, Bachelor of Design, Bachelor of Fine Arts

• Competitive entry programs often require a digital portfolio or a Body of Work.

Past Student challenges

• Developing a cohesive Body of Work across a year-long project.

• Managing time effectively

• Engaging critically with art history and theory

• Balancing workload if also enrolled in other major project-based subjects

• Selecting artmaking forms that allow enough time for technical mastery

Students who do well in/enjoy this subject:

• Thrive when managing their own studio time, creative direction and independent research

• Capable of using sophisticated art terminology 

Typical weekly personal time investment:

• 3–5 hours minimum

• 8–12+ hours, particularly during the development of the Body of Work in Terms 1 through 3 of Year 12 

Course Overview

Explore the relationship between art and design by creating images and objects that balance aesthetic qualities, symbolic meanings, and function. Investigate the practices of graphic, wearable, product, and interior/exterior designers.

Preliminary Course (Year 11)

• Unit 01: Branding & Design: Focuses on brand identity and the creation of brand boards.

• Unit 02: Work Health and Safety: Essential safety protocols for design environments.

• Unit 03: Product Design & Development: Exploration of the design process and development of individual design projects.

Typical school-based Course Assessment

Preliminary Course Only

• Brand Board and Identity Design

• End of Course Exam 

• Individual Major Project and Journal

HSC Exam

No HSC course or external exam for this subject - all assessment is school based

Possible vocational/career pathways

• Design roles and careers: Graphic Design, Fashion/Wearable Design, Interior Design.

• Other pathways: Product Development, Advertising, Urban Planning, Visual Merchandising.

Tertiary prerequisite possibilities

• Your Individual Major Project and Journal can be used as a portfolio demonstrating your foundational skills, useful for TAFE applications

• While non-ATAR, many creative university courses offer alternative pathways that can draw on portfolios to support  applications

• The Work, Health & Safety unit  and branding projects can prepare you for entry-level "junior designer" roles or freelance gigs

Past Student challenges

• Finding a balance between aesthetic and functional design.

• Developing original ideas and acquiring technical skills.

• Time management regarding the Individual Major Project and Folio

Students who do well in/enjoy this subject:

• Enjoy playing with visual styles and want to see how professional designers create engaging work

• Like the challenge of balancing a great-looking idea with a design that actually works in the real world.

• Keen to get hands-on in the studio, taking an original idea from a rough sketch in your journal to a polished final product.

• Able to manage your time and your own "Major Project" to make your personal vision come to life.