Year 9 Subject Selection Guide 2020

Subject Outline by Semester – continued: Unit Two: Exit, Stage Right

The musical is one of the most popular forms of theatrical entertainment today. In a ‘classic’ musical, with memorable songs, lively dance routines and lavish sets and costumes, an audience can always be sure of two to three hours of enjoyable escapism, taking their minds away from their day-to-day problems. No matter how many times people have seen a classic musical; they seem to come back for more. Although musicals can touch on serious issues, such as the Nazi takeover of Austria or the Vietnam War, these issues are usually wrapped in romance to lighten the mood and add to the enjoyment. In this unit, songs from a variety of musicals, from an early example in a traditional style to examples from the twenty-first century in rock style will by studied. Students will discover how well the form has adapted to changing musical tastes over the past eighty years. YEAR 9 - SEMESTER TWO TOPICS: Unit Three: Noise Pollution or Good Music (1)? Rock, a general term given to the youth-orientated popular music of today, has spread through all areas of the entertainment industry from radio and television to films and theatre. Little more than fifty years old, rock has a fascinating history. Unlike classical music, which in its early development moved progressively through a certain number of clearly defined periods, rock’s development is a kaleidoscope of differing styles and sub styles, many of which occurred simultaneously. In this unit, the major styles of the first two decades of rock, including rock ‘n’ roll, soul, heavy rock, progressive rock, reggae, commercial pop, disco and rap, paying particular attention to the ‘pioneers’ – those leading rock artists who were responsible for popularizing the particular styles are investigated. Some of the characteristics of the various styles studied will applied into rock compositions. Far from being old-fashioned and obsolete, the music of the rock pioneers still continues to influence modern popular music today. Many current rock artists and groups incorporate elements of the early styles into their albums, whether it is a particular rhythmic patter, chord progressions, instrumental timbre or singing style. Understanding the legacy of the pioneers of rock is therefore essential for fully appreciating the music of today. Unit Four: Monuments or Epitaphs? Western music, like art and literature, has been evolving for well over a thousand years through a number of eras, or periods, that have been given specific names. These are the medieval period (450-1450), the renaissance period (1450 – 1600), the baroque period (1600 – 1750), the classical period (1750 – 1825), the romantic period (1825 – 1900) and the twentieth century. (The dates of these periods are approximate and are given as a guide only, as the end of one period always overlaps the beginning of the next.) Music notated as it is today appeared in the baroque period and from this time composers wrote certain works that have proved to be masterpieces and that are still popular. In this unit some of these ‘classic hits’ are studied to discover the characteristics of the particular historical periods through the use of instruments and the treatment of musical elements. YEAR 10 - SEMESTER THREE TOPICS: Unit One: Why are the Blues So Sad? The creation of jazz by the African-Americans is one of the most important musical achievements of the twentieth century. Its influence can be heard in all kinds of modern music, popular as well as classical. Jazz is a difficult word to define, as there are a great number of different jazz styles. However, basic to all these styles is rhythmic vitality or, as some call it, ‘swing’. In this unit we investigate the development of jazz from its beginnings to the present day, noting the basic jazz characteristics such as typical timbres and performance techniques in the musical examples studied.

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