Music flashcards

What this deck covers

• Aural (core listening and analysis) (6 cards, 3 dot points)

  • Aural analysis and the listening exam: HSC Music core (2)
  • Melodic and rhythmic dictation: HSC Music aural (2)
  • Sight-singing and aural musicianship: HSC Music 2 (2)
• Composition and arranging (core and elective) (4 cards, 2 dot points)

  • Composition and arranging: HSC Music (2)
  • Composition portfolio and documentation: HSC Music (2)
• The Concepts of Music (core framework) (18 cards, 9 dot points)

  • Duration, rhythm, metre and tempo: HSC Music concept (2)
  • Dynamics and expression in depth: HSC Music concept (2)
  • Harmony, cadences and progressions: HSC Music pitch (2)
  • Notation and score reading: HSC Music (2)
  • Pitch, scales, intervals and chords: HSC Music core (2)
  • Structure and form: HSC Music concept (2)
  • Texture from monophonic to polyphonic: HSC Music concept (2)
  • The concepts of music: HSC Music core framework (2)
  • Tone colour and instrumentation: HSC Music concept (2)
• Music 1 Topics and Electives (8 cards, 4 dot points)

  • Australian Music topic: HSC Music 1 (2)
  • Music 1 topics and electives overview: HSC Music (2)
  • Music for radio, film, television and multimedia: HSC Music 1 (2)
  • Popular music and jazz topics: HSC Music 1 (2)
• Music 2 Mandatory Topic: Music of the Last 25 Years (Australian focus) (2 cards, 1 dot point)

  • Music of the Last 25 Years mandatory topic: HSC Music 2 (2)
• Music 2 Additional Topic and Core (2 cards, 1 dot point)

  • Music 2 additional topic and core: HSC Music 2 (2)
• Musicology (core and elective) (6 cards, 3 dot points)

  • Comparative study and analysis: HSC Music musicology (2)
  • Musicology and score analysis: HSC Music (2)
  • The viva voce and research report: HSC Music musicology (2)
• Performance (core and elective) (6 cards, 3 dot points)

  • Performance core and elective: HSC Music (2)
  • Preparing the performance program: HSC Music (2)
  • Stylistic interpretation and the panel: HSC Music (2)

Sample cards from this deck

1. Key fact

   Aural analysis and the listening exam: HSC Music core

   Tell me about Listening through the concepts

   Train yourself to sweep all six concepts on every excerpt. On a first hearing, get the big picture: tempo and metre (duration), whether it is major, minor or modal (pitch), the overall texture, and the obvious tone colours.

2. Key fact

   Composition and arranging: HSC Music

   Tell me about Composition as a learning experience

   Composition is how you demonstrate that you can manipulate the concepts of music yourself, not just identify them in others' work. A successful composition shows control of pitch and harmony, rhythmic interest, varied texture, deliberate structure, and a clear sense of style.

3. Key fact

   Duration, rhythm, metre and tempo: HSC Music concept

   Tell me about Beat, pulse and tempo

   The beat or pulse is the steady underlying throb you would tap your foot to. Tempo is how fast that pulse moves, usually given as beats per minute or with an Italian character word.

4. Key fact

   Australian Music topic: HSC Music 1

   Tell me about Studying it through the concepts

   Whatever repertoire you choose, analyse it through the six concepts.

5. Key fact

   Music of the Last 25 Years mandatory topic: HSC Music 2

   Tell me about What "the last 25 years" means

   The topic covers recent art and concert music, with the Australian focus directing attention to contemporary Australian composers and their works.

6. Key fact

   Music 2 additional topic and core: HSC Music 2

   Tell me about The mandatory and additional topics

   Every Music 2 student studies the mandatory topic, Music of the Last 25 Years (Australian focus), which anchors the course in recent Australian art and concert music. Alongside it, students study an additional topic, which must be different from the topic studied in the Preliminary course.

7. Key fact

   Comparative study and analysis: HSC Music musicology

   Tell me about The Music 1 comparative requirement

   In Music 1, when you study a topic from the Preliminary course in greater depth in the HSC year, that study includes a comparative study with new repertoire. This is your chance to trace how a style, genre or topic uses the concepts across different works, composers, eras or contexts.

8. Key fact

   Performance core and elective: HSC Music

   Tell me about Core and elective performance

   Every Music 1 and Music 2 student performs as part of the core. Students may also nominate performance as one of their electives, which means they perform additional repertoire and are assessed in greater depth.

9. Key fact

   Melodic and rhythmic dictation: HSC Music aural

   Tell me about Rhythm first, then pitch

   The most reliable approach is to separate the two tasks. On early playings, lock in the rhythm: feel the pulse, count the metre, and notate the rhythmic pattern using a single line or the starting pitch.

10. Key fact

    Composition portfolio and documentation: HSC Music

    Tell me about The recording

    The recording is how the marker hears the piece, so it must represent your music fairly. It can be a live or studio recording, a sequenced or programmed realisation, or a mix of acoustic and electronic sources, depending on your style.