Samoa School Syllabus - Music (Years 9-10)

This syllabus outlines the Music curriculum for students in Years 9 and 10, focusing on developing musical knowledge, skills, and appreciation through four interconnected strands: General Knowledge, Performance, History and Research, and Composition. The curriculum aims to foster creativity, self-expression, and cultural understanding through active learning and engagement with diverse musical styles.

Section A: The Musical Experience

This section focuses on developing a practical understanding of music through the integration of General Knowledge and Performance.

General Knowledge:

• Year 9: Introduction to the fundamental elements of music, including rhythm, pitch, tempo, and simple transcription. This involves learning basic music notation, recognizing notes on the staff, understanding time signatures, and differentiating between tones and semitones.
• Year 10: Building upon the foundation laid in Year 9, students deepen their knowledge and understanding of musical elements, including tone, color, and notation. This involves exploring more complex rhythmic patterns, understanding key signatures, and developing aural perception through dictation exercises.

Performance:

• Year 9: Students begin to develop instrumental skills and techniques on an instrument of their choice. This involves learning basic performance techniques, developing sight-reading skills, and understanding performance directions. Students also explore traditional Samoan rhythms and begin to develop performance skills through informal presentations and practice.
• Year 10: Students refine their performance skills through solo and group performances. This involves preparing, rehearsing, and performing pieces of increasing complexity, developing performance interpretation skills, and understanding the requirements for planning and conducting rehearsals and performances.

Section B: The Materials of Music

This section explores the principles and procedures of music composition and the historical and cultural context of music through the History and Research and Composition strands.

History and Research:

• Year 9: Students explore the significance and influence of music in everyday life, events, and cultural heritage of specific periods in Samoa's history and selected periods of Western music. This includes studying the music of Samoa, Classical music, 20th-century music, Impressionistic music, and Pop music.
• Year 10: Students investigate the characteristics of music that emerged from everyday life, events, and cultural heritage of specific periods. This includes studying traditional and contemporary Samoan music, Romantic music, and a selected Western music genre (either 20th-century or Pop music).

Composition:

• Year 9: Students develop their understanding of simple compositional devices and experiment with various combinations to create simple compositions. This involves using musical instruments, percussive instruments, and body percussion to respond to selected sources of motivation, rearranging melodies, writing rhythmic patterns, and creating simple compositions.
• Year 10: Students create and develop musical ideas in response to an occasion, an event, or cultural and environmental influences. This involves composing rhythmic and melodic pieces, using simple harmony and counterpoint, and composing melodies in authentic Samoan modes.

This curriculum emphasizes active learning through a variety of activities, including listening exercises, performance practice, research assignments, and composition projects. It encourages students to explore diverse musical styles, develop their musical skills and knowledge, and appreciate the cultural and historical context of music.