Music syllabus, dot point by dot point
Every dot point in the NSW Music syllabus, in syllabus order, with a focused answer for each. Open any dot point for the answer, exam-style questions and links to related points.
Aural (core listening and analysis)
Module overview →How do you analyse an unfamiliar excerpt through the concepts of music and structure a high-scoring aural response?
How do you take down melody and rhythm accurately by ear, and what method gives you the best chance in dictation tasks?
How do you read and sing an unseen melody accurately, and how does aural musicianship underpin every part of the music course?
Composition and arranging (core and elective)
Module overview →How do you compose or arrange a piece that uses the concepts of music deliberately and meets the HSC submission requirements?
How do you present a submitted composition with a score, recording and documentation that lets the marker hear and read every intention?
The Concepts of Music (core framework)
Module overview →How does the concept of duration organise time in music, and how do you identify metre, tempo and rhythmic devices by ear?
How do dynamics and expression shape the meaning of music, and what vocabulary do you need to describe volume and articulation precisely?
How does harmony work, and how do you recognise chords, progressions and cadences by ear and label them in scores?
How do you read and write standard notation accurately, and why does score literacy matter more in Music 2 than in Music 1?
How do scales, intervals and chords organise pitch, and how do you identify them by ear and on the page?
How is music organised over time, and how do you recognise common forms and structural devices by ear and in scores?
How do the layers of sound combine to create texture, and how do you identify and describe density and texture types by ear?
What is tone colour, and how do you identify instruments, voices, playing techniques and production effects precisely by ear?
What are the concepts of music and how do they give you a shared language for performance, composition and musicology?
Music 1 Topics and Electives
Module overview →What does the Australian Music topic cover, and how do you study Australian repertoire through the concepts of music?
How is the Music 1 HSC course structured around topics and electives, and how do you build a coherent program from the list of topics?
How does music work in radio, film, television and multimedia, and how do you study and create music that serves a visual or narrative context?
How do you study popular music and jazz analytically through the concepts, beyond simply enjoying them?
Music 2 Mandatory Topic: Music of the Last 25 Years (Australian focus)
Module overview →How does the Music 2 mandatory topic, Music of the Last 25 Years with an Australian focus, shape performance, composition and musicology in the HSC course?
Music 2 Additional Topic and Core
Module overview →How does the Music 2 additional topic work alongside the mandatory topic and the compulsory core in all four learning experiences?
Musicology (core and elective)
Module overview →How do you compare works through the concepts of music, and how does a comparative study deepen a musicological argument?
How do you research and write about a style, period or genre through the concepts of music, and how does score analysis support your argument?
How do you present musicology as a viva voce or written report that argues from the concepts of music and stands up to questioning?
Performance (core and elective)
Module overview →How do you prepare and deliver an HSC performance that demonstrates control of the concepts of music and stylistic understanding?
How do you choose, structure and rehearse a performance program that meets the HSC requirements and shows you at your best?
What does the examination panel reward beyond accuracy, and how do you perform with the stylistic understanding and musicality that earn the top bands?