2 Music

A highly creative and practical course that involves students continuing to develop their solo and group performance skills and compositional techniques. Students work both individually and collaboratively to prepare for a series of performances and portfolio of original music works. Music study can help develop confidence in your own ability and has many other benefits to a student's holistic development. 

Music is a rich part of the diverse cultures of Aotearoa New Zealand. It is a vital part of life for many communities, as an art form that can be used to express histories, knowledge bases, local contexts, language, and aspirations.

Through music, ākonga can develop a deeper understanding of themselves, and explore different contexts and kaupapa. Music can be a waka for learners to connect with their whakapapa and engage with contexts, spirituality, emotions, and ideas of others. They can build confidence in their value as artists that bring their own experiences and culture to musical works, and explore how music relates to their sense of identity.

The experiences, knowledge bases, values, and worldviews of teachers and learners from Māori and Pacific cultural backgrounds are an integral part of developing understanding in this subject. In Music, it is anticipated that learners’ ways of being in the world are harnessed to shape teaching, learning, and assessment. This means that a wide range of music concepts, including whakapapa, aroha, wairua, will be drawn upon.

Learning about music enables ākonga to understand it as a sonic language born of context that communicates layered meaning. They can learn to express and interpret ideas within diverse creative, technological, and cultural frameworks. This can include exploring music concepts related to a music context. Ākonga may work both independently and collaboratively to construct meaning through music.

In this subject, ākonga can develop confidence in their ability to express themselves creatively and emotionally through making original music and performing to an audience. They can learn about music as a craft, with its own structures, elements, tikanga, and symbols.

Participating in music enhances personal wellbeing. An aspiration for music educators is to encourage ākonga to be active participants in music, rather than passive consumers of it. Ākonga can start to understand how learning music can contribute to future study and work pathways across a wide range of areas, including the arts and media, business, community services, education, social sciences, and technology.

Music is an expression of, and a way of connecting with, language, identity, and culture Music is a sonic language born of context Music communicates intent through the organisation of sound Music is a craft that enables people to construct meaning Music enables people to experience and express feelings

5 Key Competencies in Music:

1. Thinking

- reflect on the impact of decisions they made during the creative process and use this knowledge to inform their future decision-making in music

- think about how people’s diverse experiences and ideas enable the ongoing creation of rich and varied musical outputs across cultures

2. Using language, symbols and texts

- start to understand the symbols and signs within the language of music

- develop understanding of how music makers convey intent and meaning through the organisation and use of music symbols and language

3. Relating to others

- reflect on how making and listening to music elicits feelings and sensations from other people

- understand how other people create and experience music

- gain insight into how audiences engage with music and develop understanding of how listeners are a valuable part of musical experience

4. Managing self

- develop understanding of the impact music can have on their own feelings and wellbeing

- develop the ability to complete successful music projects

- build confidence in upholding the integrity of their musical output

- think about how they can engage with music-making in a way that enhances their own personal wellbeing.

5. Participating and contributing

- experience the creative process of music as an individual and in collaboration with others

- develop skills of the craft independently and in collaboration with others

- reflect on how music projects contribute to communities, depending on whether they are developed independently or in collaboration with others

- think about how they are engaging with the wider music community, including which aspects of learning about music are a personal experience and which may be shared experience.

Te toi whakairo, ka ihiihi, ka wehiwehi, ka aweawe te ao katoa - Artistic excellence makes the world sit up in wonder