Creating Music

Students develop and extend their practical music‑making skills through performing and/or composing works for instrument(s) and/or voice. They apply their musical understanding, skills, and techniques in developing, refining, and presenting their works.

Students:

• understand the characteristics of musical styles, structures, and techniques to inform the process of creating their performance and/or composition
• apply their musical literacy skills, including aural perception and notation, in developing and refining their own works
• interpret musical works and manipulate musical elements
• reflect on the appropriateness of a performance, composition, and/or arrangement to the intended purpose and context.

Students create and present music for a range of purposes and contexts, and may choose instruments (which may include technology and found sounds) and notation as appropriate to the focus of their learning. They may perform, write, or record works for solo instruments, including voice, and small or larger ensembles. Students may create and present music using standard and/or graphic notation or digital audio and MIDI recordings as appropriate.

Students experiment with the manipulation of rhythm, pitch, dynamics and expression, form and structure, timbre and texture, to create imaginative and individual performances, compositions, and/or arrangements, using musical elements appropriate to the instrumentation and style chosen.

In creating performances, students extend their specific technical and performance‑related skills on their chosen instrument(s), and apply this contextual learning to refine their musical expression.

In creating compositions and/or arrangements, students explore and apply different techniques, structures, and styles, and consider the application of pitch, rhythm, harmony, and other elements as appropriate.

As students develop and refine their performances, compositions, and/or arrangements (their creative works), they synthesise their musical understanding, skills, and techniques. They reflect on their learning, integrate and express their musical ideas, and make refinements to their creative works throughout the development process.