ÌÇÐÄvlog¹ÙÍø

The Music Life Skills 11–12 syllabus includes:

• changes in the and content of the focus areas and the content groups
  • the are now performing, listening and responding, creating and composing, and safe and ethical practices
  • the focus areas are shown in the dark blue boxes in the diagram below

• a change from the ‘Concepts of music’ framework to the ‘’ framework which is integrated as appropriate throughout each focus area
• alignment of the syllabus focus areas with the Music 1 syllabus to support integrated delivery for Year 11 and Year 12. They include Contexts of music; Creative practice; Music in focus; Music of the last 25 years (Australian focus); Music across cultures, traditions and time; and Music for screen, stage and story
• requirements taught across Year 11 and Year 12, should include
  • music of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander peoples
  • music of contemporary popular styles
  • Western art music
  • jazz
  • music of global music culture
  • electronic music
  • a range of vocal, instrumental, solo and ensemble music.
• Life Skills outcomes which have been aligned to the Music 1 11–12 Syllabus (2025) outcomes to facilitate integrated delivery.

The organisation of the outcomes and content for Music Life Skills 11–12 Syllabus images is from the © NSW ÌÇÐÄvlog¹ÙÍø Standards Authority (NESA), for and on behalf of the Crown in right of the State of New South Wales, 2025.

Prior to implementing the Music Life Skills 11–12 Syllabus (2025), leaders will need to consider the following:

• The complexities for staff working across 2 syllabuses to teach Music Life Skills 11–12 and the complications of a staggered implementation structure (syllabus differences include structure, language, outcomes and content). Further complexities through teaching in an integrated classroom setting with Music Life Skills and Music 1 students.
• The implications of multiple syllabus release dates across the subjects within creative arts and implementation structures staggered across multiple cohorts and subjects.
• Building teacher understanding of protocols and cultural sensitivities when working with Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander content in designing and delivering music content and assessment.
• Developing school processes and systems for effective task design and valid assessment of reduced number of outcomes (12 outcomes in Year 11 and 9 outcomes in Year 12).
• Supporting teachers’ understanding of the principles of inclusive education, adjustments and access to the Music 1 curriculum for all learners.
• Resource and budget implications including
  • providing time for staff to engage with syllabus expectations and build their skills and understanding to effectively teach and plan for syllabus requirements across 11–12 to implement in 2027
  • equipment that enhances learning and supports all students to access the curriculum such as screen readers, audio-visual material and other inclusive learning tools
  • all decisions about curriculum options for should be made through the process.
• The eligibility of students for a pattern of study.

The Music Life Skills 11–12 Syllabus (2025) is based on evidence summarised in the published by NESA. The evidence highlights that:

• improvised performance characterises the musical practice of most of the world’s traditional music. Improvisation is also an essential feature of performances of contemporary, popular music (Berliner 1993; Burnard 2012). Improvising, arranging and composing music can be sound or notation based. Sound-based undertakings can then be recorded or ‘notated’ in some form for revisiting and sharing (Bogunovic 2019; Hartmann 2021)
• contemporary music-making provides a vehicle through which musical knowledge and understanding can be applied to highly creative musical undertakings (Hartmann 2021)
• music technology provides tools to facilitate students’ creativity and provides opportunities for students to access creative environments (Lam 2023)
• new models of creative performance and composition have emerged with the availability and use of new digital technologies (Burnard 2012; Crawford 2022)
• music from different places should be studied with cultural integrity. The musical conventions of different cultures should be explored, experienced and investigated (Dunbar-Hall 2005; Campbell 1991)
• functional musical literacy provides the means by which musical intentions can be recorded, intellectualised, propagated and learnt. The use of digital technology in the performing and creating of music expands students’ access to ‘notated’ forms to record musical intentions. (Pitts and Kwami 2002).

© NSW ÌÇÐÄvlog¹ÙÍø Standards Authority (NESA) for and on behalf of the Crown in right of the State of New South Wales, 2025.

• To what extent do staff understand the syllabus changes and have familiarised themselves with the new syllabus?
• To what extent do staff understand how the changes to the syllabus focus areas and prescriptions will impact their programming?
• How have change management considerations been embedded into the School Excellence Plan (SEP) to support teachers and sustain and strengthen curriculum implementation?
• What structures are in place for tailored professional support for all staff to strengthen curriculum implementation? What else might be required for this syllabus?
• What resources are required to commence syllabus implementation and meet planning, programming, assessing, and reporting requirements?
• How has the school engaged with department resources and support for curriculum implementation, for example, Curriculum networks, curriculum resources, professional learning, and DEL network initiatives?

• Planning, programming and assessing Creative Arts 11–12 NSW Department of ÌÇÐÄvlog¹ÙÍø
• Creative arts K–12 curriculum NSW Department of ÌÇÐÄvlog¹ÙÍø
• Curriculum Reform NSW Department of ÌÇÐÄvlog¹ÙÍø
• NESA
• NESA