Page 3775 - Week 10 - Wednesday, 19 September 2018
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have been well aware that this H music course, while not funded by her directorate, is to all intents and purposes an education activity.
For those not familiar with H courses, let me outline their purpose and structure. H courses are authorised by the ACT Board of Senior Secondary Studies, a statutory authority responsible for the certification of senior secondary school studies in government and non-government schools in the Australian Capital Territory. Aside from classical music and jazz music, H courses are offered in advanced Japanese, astrophysics, biodiversity, chemistry, continuing Chinese, continuing Japanese, discovering engineering, performing Indonesian and specialist mathematics.
H courses are available to students in years 11 and 12. Successful completion of an H course counts towards an undergraduate degree. Typically, successful completion of the H course allows a student to start their tertiary studies in year 2 of their chosen degree. H courses are certainly not an easy pathway to take. Whilst anyone studying music could apply, it was only by successful assessment and interview that students were accepted. That in itself makes it something special.
If you look at the course description, you can see it is designed for serious study. The classical music H course is delivered over four semesters, and the curriculum covers both classical music history, from the Renaissance to today, and relevant theoretical concepts, composition, orchestration and more.
Assessments include theory and aural exams, research essays and presentations, as well as ensemble and solo performances. By the end of the course, it is expected that students will be prepared for material appropriate for second year university or conservatory students. Students receive expert classroom and ensemble tuition from some of Canberra’s finest classical musicians, as well as guest masterclasses and workshops throughout the course.
In the jazz course, the curriculum covers both jazz music history from the 1800s to today and relevant theoretical concepts, composition, arranging and more. Assessments include theory and aural exams, research essays and presentations, as well as ensemble and solo performances. By the end of this course, students are also ready for material appropriate for second year university or conservatory students.
Students receive expert classroom and ensemble tuition from some of Canberra’s finest jazz musicians, as well as guest masterclasses and workshops throughout the course. This tuition, from so many top class musicians, is something that most Canberra families would not be able to afford or be able to access. The success of this accessibility has been demonstrated each and every year with the depth of talent appearing on the Canberra music scene. A music teacher only this week implored me as follows:
This is a rigorous and thorough course that provides training to a level that individual instrumental teachers such as myself are unable to, and also gives the students unique performance opportunities, particularly in chamber music, not easily available anywhere else with others of a similarly high standard under expert guidance. Students in other states cover much of this in the advanced senior music courses …
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