Music is a subject which employs a unique symbolic language to create and recreate aural experiences of past and present societies. It embraces the cultural and spiritual lives of people and, in the 21st Century, has the potential to cross cultural barriers and bring people together, united in a single experience, often of global proportions.
The study of music releases the potential to further develop cognitive and motor skills in the act of making music and builds on student's interaction with, and sense of belonging to, a group which develops in the preparation and presentation of an ensemble performance. Individually, music can be used to develop means of personal expression which can involve text, narrative, drama, visual elements and a whole range of tonal colours, all available to interpret the feelings and experiences of a creative imagination.
In Music, students develop their knowledge and skills in the areas of:
- Performance - including opportunities for students to expand their practical music making through the development of topic related repertoire
- Composition - including experiences in improvisation, text setting and the writing of complex musical structures using software notation programs
- Musicology - which involves the study of music from historical periods and genres and the development of score reading and analysis techniques
- Aural - which is fundamental to the successful study of each of the areas above.
All students at Pennant Hills High School study Music in Stage 4: Years 7 - 8. Music is offered as an elective in Stage 5: Years 9 - 12.
Students at Pennant Hills High School have the opportunity to attend 'HSC Encore' and 'Meet the Music' concerts at the Sydney Opera House. Many of our Junior and Senior students attend State Music Camps and are members of state based ensembles.
There is an annual May Music Festival for our bands and a Soiree evening for our senior musicians to present their HSC performances. The school has a proud tradition of presenting outstanding student productions of popular Musicals.
The Music Ensembles Program at Pennant Hills High School consists of the following ensembles - Concert Band 1, Concert Band 2, Big Band, Junior Stage Band, String Ensemble and Choir.
As part of the Music Ensembles program, all students attend a Music Camp in Term 1 every year.
Our music ensembles participate each year in various festivals/events including the Australian Band and Orchestra Festival (ABOF) - Concert bands/Jazz Bands/String Ensemble, the Sydney Eisteddfod, Manly Jazz Festival and the Choir forms part of the Combined Choir at the Schools Spectacular.
The Pennant Hills High School Choir offers students the opportunity to sing at school events and at various community events and venues. The Choir is capably directed by Rachel Kelly, who is an accomplished music educator, choral conductor, composer, arranger and pianist.
Stage 5 Elective Music Course
