Year 7

Year 7 students have a maximum of ten lessons (1 hour 20 minutes each) over a five week period. The focus is using SOLO Taxonomy to foster critical thinking skills and creativity, while further developing the five key competencies. Students have the opportunity to experience music within all four strands of the music curriculum.

Year 7 music students will learn to

• Investigate the role instrumental music plays in developing and improving cognitive function
• Play a variety of ukulele music reading chord charts and ukulele tablature
• Read and write music in the treble/bass clef
• Create original body percussion and instrumental percussion music
• Use Garage Band, Avid, iPad apps,computer code, and other available technologies to compose, edit, and record music
• Work collaboratively with other specialist arts classes on integrated projects and performances

Year 8

Year 8 have a maximum of 15 lessons (1 hour 45 minutes each) over a term. As with year 7, the focus is using SOLO Taxonomy to foster critical thinking skills and creativity, while further developing the five key competencies. In addition, year 8 music classes have the opportunity to work collaboratively with other year 8 specialist classes for several lessons a term on integrated projects. The year 8 program covers all four strands of the music curriculum.

Year 8 students will learn to

• Investigate and present a panel discussion on the specific positive effects music has on individual areas of the brain
• Explore links between literacy and music by writing and performing SLAM poetry and writing original song lyrics for a specific purpose
• Read guitar charts and guitar tablature and play guitar music individually and as part of a group
• Read basic drum notation and play simple drum patterns
• Use available technologies to record, edit, and store compositions