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Music as a subject for prelims (1 Viewer)

Average Boreduser

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Hey Hey!! So I'm contemplating doing music as a subject for music. Just a question on this though:
I did not do Music as an elective in y9-10, does that render me more disadvantaged against students who did select it in yr9-10? If so, by how much?
On another note, how is the workload like? I really want to put more time into my instrument, but I manage to very frequently get caught up with other subjects and straight forget to practice sometimes--> With music, how frequent are prac lessons?

Thanks in adv ♥ 💪 🙏
 

nsw..wollongong

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nah yr 9 and 10 music is rlly diff to yr 1, as long as u can sight read and write well (analyse by ear -- altho ull learn this anyway), ull be okay. the workload is somewhat manageable, but the composing takes up a lot of ur time outside of school + practice for assessments and external exams in yr 12. prac lessons differ from school to school, some do it twice a week and others alternate by week a and week b
 

clive guo

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Hey Hey!! So I'm contemplating doing music as a subject for music. Just a question on this though:
I did not do Music as an elective in y9-10, does that render me more disadvantaged against students who did select it in yr9-10? If so, by how much?
On another note, how is the workload like? I really want to put more time into my instrument, but I manage to very frequently get caught up with other subjects and straight forget to practice sometimes--> With music, how frequent are prac lessons?

Thanks in adv ♥ 💪 🙏
do it do it do it do it do it (my brother will be very proud)
 

nsw..wollongong

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i managed to break him out of prison and we escaped to the uk so hes doing pretty well now hes trying to get work as a plumber and im teaching him food technology i also got into an arts college over here so all is well thanks for asking
It’s tru I was the prison bar
 

tangerines

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long post incoming, tldr at the end

are you thinking of doing music 1 or music 2? the courses require (in my opinion) different skills, with music 2 demanding a lot more with music theory. i did music 1 and my friend from another school did music 2, and for both courses there are some significant differences worth considering.

i believe both courses require a core performance, core composition and of course the aural skills written exams + your chosen electives (which includes the option of one or more viva voces). i was able to perform and compose for pop songs, theatre songs, etc (contemporary music) whereas my friend in music 2 had to perform and compose to more traditional styles of music eg. baroque. and as wollongong said earlier music 2 students are required to be able to sight read and notate unfamiliar music on the spot in the aural exam; in music 1 these skills are not assessed.

in my opinion, music 1 is great for contemporary singers, guitarists, bassists, and drummers in particular whereas music 2 might be more suited for those who play band/orchestral instruments or are traditional singers (though there are no restrictions on your instrument either way, we had several cello players in our music 1 class). piano players i would say could fit well into either course in the performance regard.

i’m aware that some schools only offer one of the two music courses, let alone music extension. from my experience, i did five major works and found music to be the one with the least demanding coursework. pick electives that suit your strengths (i did 3 elective performances) and as long as you practice with your music tutor at least once a week for the whole year you will be fine. to me, aural skills is not that difficult and there are hundreds of past paper questions you can do + the concepts are relatively simple as long as you can use the right terminology. i didnt do music as a class at all in year 9/10 and i was able to pick up the content of the course in year 11 just fine. the prelim course is very similar to the hsc course, with the only notable difference for me was that a viva voce task was required in year 11 whereas it was not in year 12 unless you choose that as your elective.

my opinion: do it! music is a fantastic course option for musicians of intermediate/advanced skill levels but be prepared for both performance and theory components. if you love music and are willing to commit time to preparing performances at a high quality and studying the theory, you will be fine. if you have any questions i am happy to help!!

tldr; decide which course (music 1 or 2) will be more suited for you, as music 2 is harder in terms of the skills you will need as a musician. i recommend music 1 for contemporary musicians and music 2 for traditional musicians, though this is only a suggestion based on my experiences. the coursework is not heavy as long as you commit in every class and have a music tutor to practice with every week. there are mandatory components of performance, composition and theory/analysis but if you arent the strongest in one or two of these areas the prelim course will teach you so dont worry too much. best of luck with your subject selection <3
 

clive guo

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long post incoming, tldr at the end

are you thinking of doing music 1 or music 2? the courses require (in my opinion) different skills, with music 2 demanding a lot more with music theory. i did music 1 and my friend from another school did music 2, and for both courses there are some significant differences worth considering.

i believe both courses require a core performance, core composition and of course the aural skills written exams + your chosen electives (which includes the option of one or more viva voces). i was able to perform and compose for pop songs, theatre songs, etc (contemporary music) whereas my friend in music 2 had to perform and compose to more traditional styles of music eg. baroque. and as wollongong said earlier music 2 students are required to be able to sight read and notate unfamiliar music on the spot in the aural exam; in music 1 these skills are not assessed.

in my opinion, music 1 is great for contemporary singers, guitarists, bassists, and drummers in particular whereas music 2 might be more suited for those who play band/orchestral instruments or are traditional singers (though there are no restrictions on your instrument either way, we had several cello players in our music 1 class). piano players i would say could fit well into either course in the performance regard.

i’m aware that some schools only offer one of the two music courses, let alone music extension. from my experience, i did five major works and found music to be the one with the least demanding coursework. pick electives that suit your strengths (i did 3 elective performances) and as long as you practice with your music tutor at least once a week for the whole year you will be fine. to me, aural skills is not that difficult and there are hundreds of past paper questions you can do + the concepts are relatively simple as long as you can use the right terminology. i didnt do music as a class at all in year 9/10 and i was able to pick up the content of the course in year 11 just fine. the prelim course is very similar to the hsc course, with the only notable difference for me was that a viva voce task was required in year 11 whereas it was not in year 12 unless you choose that as your elective.

my opinion: do it! music is a fantastic course option for musicians of intermediate/advanced skill levels but be prepared for both performance and theory components. if you love music and are willing to commit time to preparing performances at a high quality and studying the theory, you will be fine. if you have any questions i am happy to help!!

tldr; decide which course (music 1 or 2) will be more suited for you, as music 2 is harder in terms of the skills you will need as a musician. i recommend music 1 for contemporary musicians and music 2 for traditional musicians, though this is only a suggestion based on my experiences. the coursework is not heavy as long as you commit in every class and have a music tutor to practice with every week. there are mandatory components of performance, composition and theory/analysis but if you arent the strongest in one or two of these areas the prelim course will teach you so dont worry too much. best of luck with your subject selection <3
also if you do extension music it would be very cool but also very hard so beware
 

rainyday

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You will have prac lessons 2x a week, if you choose music 1 you will get more prac lessons than the theory... Doing music 1 without doing it in years 9 and 10 does not leave you at a considerable disadvantage theory-wise, but it would performance-wise since you'd be performing in front of others for the first time... The workload is much lighter than other classes, it probably will be the lightest out of all your classes, but you need to be practising... like every day or weekly.. to learn pieces for assignments. The theory is very capable and easy to pick up within one term, so please take it! Cause a lot of people regret not choosing music and exploring their inner-passions and not developing that artistic side of you...
 

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