Level 1 Music
Course Description
Head of Faculty/Teacher in Charge: Mr B. Morrison.
Welcome to senior music at Kaiapoi High School!
For a lot of students, Level 1 Music in Year 11 is where the rubber really hits the road. This course is designed to extend the musical skills and knowledge developed in the junior music program. Level 1 Music allows students to get more serious about music, find their musical identities, and engage with music in their own unique ways.
Level 1 Music provides well-rounded exposure to many different concepts within music. The course is versatile enough to allow all students to engage with it in ways that make sense to them, while structured enough to provide an in-depth musical education.
Kaiapoi High School has a large range of itinerant instrument lessons available free of charge to students. Music students have priority over these lessons, so the best way to secure one of these lessons is to take music!
Course Overview
What is taught in courses varies from year to year. This course could include:
At Year 11 students will engage with the four NCEA Level 1 Music standards:
1.1 - Beats Recreation
Students will use a range of music skills to recreate a segment of a song using music creation software (DAW), in keeping with its music style.
Throughout this unit, students develop their aural skills to be able to hear what is happening within a piece of music and develop their skills with music software to recreate the sound of a popular song as accurately as possible.
This unit is designed to work hand-in-hand with the songwriting standard (1.4), as it develops useful and valuable skills for composition.
1.2 - Performance
Students are required to perform on their chosen instrument, in front of an audience. We provide multiple opportunities for students to perform throughout the year. Foremost are our concerts held at the end of terms 1-3. We also provide opportunities to perform around the school, and in class. Students who already perform outside of school can use these performances for their assessment as well.
1.3 - Music Context
Students will engage with music from multiple differing contexts, including Māori music, and learn to make sense of the culture surrounding those pieces by looking into the relevant social and historical contexts.
1.4 - Composition
Students will develop their songwriting knowledge and skills through a series of small compositions before composing a short song for their final submission. Students can compose in any medium they choose, including digitally.
Recommended Prior Learning
This course has no prerequisites, however, if a student with no musical experience wishes to take Level 1 Music, they must be enthusiastic about learning an instrument. Performance is a large part of our course in Year 11, and students need to be willing to be involved.
Pathway
Credit Information
You will be assessed in this course through all or a selection of the standards listed below.
This course is eligible for subject endorsement.
External
NZQA Info
Music 1.1 - Use music skills in a music style
NZQA Info
Music 1.2 - Demonstrate music performance skills
NZQA Info
Music 1.3 - Demonstrate understanding of music in relation to contexts
NZQA Info
Music 1.4 - Shape music ideas to create an original composition
Click on a career pathway tag to explore more....
Musician, Artistic Director, Sound Technician, Art Director (Film, Television or Stage), Entertainer, Film and Video Editor, Media Producer, Dancer, Director (Film, Television, Radio or Stage), Production Assistant (Film, Television, Radio or Stage), Radio Presenter, Early Childhood Teacher, Lighting Technician, Game Developer, Film/Television Camera Operator, Primary School Teacher, Kaiwhakaako Māori, Tertiary Lecturer, Private Teacher/Tutor, Youth Worker, Secondary School Teacher, Trainer,
Disclaimer
Please note that courses will go ahead only if student numbers, staffing, and timetabling allow it. Where a subject is oversubscribed, and there are insufficient numbers or resources to create an extra class, a ballot system may be applied.
Costs
The Board of Trustees has again asked to opt into the Ministry of Education donation scheme. Doing so resulted in the ability to waive student fee donations. Kaiapoi High School aims to deliver quality educational courses over and above those that which is funded by the Ministry. It is likely the School will opt into the donation scheme for 2025, however parental contribution for the costs of trips and activities where participation is optional, and/or components not covered by the Government grant, may be requested. We appreciate the financial support our families make to the School.