Music plays important roles in the social, cultural, aesthetic and spiritual lives of people.

At an individual level, music is a medium of personal expression. It enables the sharing of ideas, feelings and experiences. The nature of musical study also allows students to develop their capacity to manage their own learning, engage in problem-solving, work collaboratively and engage in activity that reflects the real-world practice of performers, composers and audiences.

In both the Mandatory and Elective courses, students study the concepts of music (duration, pitch, dynamics and expressive techniques, tone, colour, texture and structure) through the learning experiences of performing, composing and listening, within the context of a range of styles, periods and genres.

The Mandatory course requires students to work in a broad range of musical contexts, including exposure to art music and music that represents the diversity of Australian culture. The Elective course requires the study of the compulsory topic Australian Music, as well as a number of optional topics that represent a broad range of musical styles, periods and genres.

In Music, students learn to perform music in a range of musical contexts, compose music that represents the topics they have studied and listen with discrimination, meaning and appreciation to a broad range of musical styles.

The study of the concepts of music underpin the development of skills in performing, composing and listening.

The study of music’s forms, styles and ideas, enables young people to develop an interest in appreciation and enjoyment of music. Through critical reflection and acquiring understanding, knowledge and skills, students respond by creatively developing their own musical ideas, compositions and performances.

The study of music’s forms, styles and ideas, enables young people to develop an interest in appreciation and enjoyment of music. Through critical reflection and acquiring understanding, knowledge and skills, students respond by creatively developing their own musical ideas, compositions and performances.

The study of drama enables young people to develop an interest in and enjoyment of investigating and enacting a wide range of theatrical forms, styles and acting methods. Through critical reflection and acquiring understanding, knowledge and skills, students respond to the ideas and dramatic works of others by creatively and collaboratively developing their own ideas into dramatic action for performance.

This course provides students with the opportunity to study the concepts of music through the learning experiences of performance, composition, musicology and aural within the context of a range of styles, periods and genres. Students nominate three electives made up of any combination of performance, composition and/or musicology which reflect the three topics studied in the HSC course.