In Year 3 Music, students are involved in a year-long recorder program. Students experience and come to know music through playing – they come to know of music, and not just about it – and this was enjoyed immensely by the students last year. This provides an excellent connection to the Year 4 Music Instrumental Immersion Program, where students learn a string or band instrument as part of their academic program, and form class-based ensembles. There are strong links from here to our Co-curricular Music Program, headed by Mr Andrew Eunson, which allows an exciting synergy between the classroom and co-curricular experiences.

In the Secondary School, the one-to-one laptop program and our 20 Mac workstations in I15 provide access to ways of working with music that are accessible and meaningful. Students in these year levels have access to professional industry-standard recording and editing software, and notation programs, which can bring the music they create to ‘life’. This year will see this technology more fully integrated into our program, which is exciting for us all! The Year 8 Music students will continue to work within a program based on an action research project undertaken in 2011, which returned context-specific data based on conversations with students about meaningful musical experiences. These findings continue to inform our teaching and learning in Secondary classrooms.

It is also exciting to see an additional subject come online in 2013, Year 11 Music Extension. This program is designed as a lead-in to the rigorous Year 12 Music Extension course, which has enjoyed much success in the past few years. Students in these courses engage in a ‘specialisation’ – performing, composing or musicology – and research into an area of music that aligns with their chosen musical pathway. In addition to this, all students in the Secondary School can access composition competitions and enter their creative work. Several excursions will also complement what we investigate in the classroom.

Common to success all of these aspects, is the ability to ‘think in sound’ (audiate). An excellent way to develop this skill is through singing. Class singing features as an experience in all year levels from Prep to Year 12, with students working to develop the ability to ‘think in sound’. Not only is this an excellent performance experience, such activities will also assist students with other aspects of their class work. In addition, for students completing external music examinations (such as Trinity or AMEB), these activities will be of great benefit in preparation for aural tests and general musicianship.   To this end, I would like to encourage all students to consider joining one of the College vocal ensembles to reinforce and further develop skills introduced in class. These ensembles sing a variety of musical genres and styles and, along with developing students’ vocal and aural ability, are great fun. These ensembles will be involved with several performances, excursions and activities over the year.

This year promises to be an exciting one, and I look forward to continuing to investigate opportunities for students to make their musical experiences personally meaningful and powerful. Should you have any questions regarding the contents of this letter, or would like more information on the Music curriculum, please feel free to contact me on 5471 5586 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

I look forward to a successful year for classroom Music.


Please visit the following pages for specific information and events relating to the P - 12 Music curriculum. 

If you have any questions about the Music curriculum, please contact:

Mr Cade Bonar