Years 1 to 2
The Arts
ASARTMUSY12
Years 1 to 2 Music Achievement Standard
5 statements aligned to content descriptors and elaborations
Achievement standard (as ACARA publishes it)
Achievement standard
Click any sentence to jump to its statement and linked content descriptors.
By the end of Year 2, students identify where they experience music. They describe where, why and/or how people across cultures, communities and/or other contexts experience music.
Students demonstrate listening skills. They use the elements of music to improvise and/or compose music. They sing and play music in informal settings.
The 5 achievement standard statements
Open a statement to see the content descriptors ACARA links to it, then open a descriptor's elaborations.
By the end of Year 2, students identify where they experience music.
Content descriptorAC9AMU2E01 Exploring and responding
explore where, why and how people across cultures, communities and/or other contexts experience music
Elaborations (5)
- Elaboration listening to and talking about music that features instruments and/or voices/vocalisations from diverse contexts and cultures, and sharing observations about the music, such as identifying the instruments used or identifying the purpose the music was composed for; identifying and learning songs for special occasions (for example, birthday songs) or exploring how music is used to enhance the action or mood in a game they play on a digital device or a cartoon they watch (for example, “How is the music telling me that everyone is happy or that the rainforest is sad?”)
- Elaboration exploring ways that people in their local community are making and experiencing music; for example, identifying ways of being a musician such as singer, songwriter, composer, instrumentalist, sound engineer or digital music producer; being a listener or audience member (at home, in places designed especially for music performance and/or in physical or virtual public spaces); making a class list of places where they experience music each day and noting who the performers/composers are and their responses to the music (for example, responding to questions such as, “Which music makes you want to sing along?”, “Why don’t we know who composed this music?” and “Does that matter?”)
- Elaboration identifying opportunities for engaging with music in their daily life by being a composer, performer or audience; for example, singing when no-one else can hear you, singing in a group, writing and recording songs using available digital devices and apps, listening to music, improvising chants/raps to make everyday tasks more interesting, noticing how music is used in screen-based products such as games, cartoons or e-books
- Elaboration discussing where, how and why they and their peers or family members experience music, and their music preferences; for example, compiling a playlist that combines their favourite music from the different generations in a family or creating a school playlist
- Elaboration practising active listening skills; for example, moving with the beat and clapping rhythmic ideas or being aware of pitch and volume when they are singing/vocalising and/or playing instruments
They describe where, why and/or how people across cultures, communities and/or other contexts experience music.
Content descriptorAC9AMU2E01 Exploring and responding
explore where, why and how people across cultures, communities and/or other contexts experience music
Elaborations (5)
- Elaboration listening to and talking about music that features instruments and/or voices/vocalisations from diverse contexts and cultures, and sharing observations about the music, such as identifying the instruments used or identifying the purpose the music was composed for; identifying and learning songs for special occasions (for example, birthday songs) or exploring how music is used to enhance the action or mood in a game they play on a digital device or a cartoon they watch (for example, “How is the music telling me that everyone is happy or that the rainforest is sad?”)
- Elaboration exploring ways that people in their local community are making and experiencing music; for example, identifying ways of being a musician such as singer, songwriter, composer, instrumentalist, sound engineer or digital music producer; being a listener or audience member (at home, in places designed especially for music performance and/or in physical or virtual public spaces); making a class list of places where they experience music each day and noting who the performers/composers are and their responses to the music (for example, responding to questions such as, “Which music makes you want to sing along?”, “Why don’t we know who composed this music?” and “Does that matter?”)
- Elaboration identifying opportunities for engaging with music in their daily life by being a composer, performer or audience; for example, singing when no-one else can hear you, singing in a group, writing and recording songs using available digital devices and apps, listening to music, improvising chants/raps to make everyday tasks more interesting, noticing how music is used in screen-based products such as games, cartoons or e-books
- Elaboration discussing where, how and why they and their peers or family members experience music, and their music preferences; for example, compiling a playlist that combines their favourite music from the different generations in a family or creating a school playlist
- Elaboration practising active listening skills; for example, moving with the beat and clapping rhythmic ideas or being aware of pitch and volume when they are singing/vocalising and/or playing instruments
Content descriptorAC9AMU2E02 Exploring and responding
explore examples of music composed and/or performed by First Nations Australians
Elaborations (3)
- Elaboration identifying where and how they can experience music composed and/or performed by First Nations Australians, such as via mainstream music platforms (live performance, video, television, radio, streaming), music for ceremonies at their school, in their community, or as part of state and national events
- Elaboration exploring the diverse music styles represented in music composed and performed by First Nations Australians; for example, listening to music that is available through mainstream media; music performed at a local festival, by street performers, by choirs and/or orchestras; or music created or performed for events such as openings of cultural or community events or as part of a Welcome to Country, and asking questions such as “What instruments and voices can I hear?”, “How is this music communicating message/s about Country/Place?” or focusing exclusively on the music (the sound): “How is this music similar or different to other music I listen to?”
- Elaboration exploring how the elements of music are used to create specific effects in screen-based or theatrical works that communicate First Nations Australian cultural knowledge; for example, viewing cartoons or animations that retell traditional stories and using Viewpoints to ask questions such as “How is texture being used to create tension in this part of the story?”, “How is melody being used to represent characters in this story?”, “How are tempo and dynamics being used to communicate the mood or feeling?”
Students demonstrate listening skills.
Content descriptorAC9AMU2C01 Creating and making
select and combine elements of music when composing and practising music for performance
Elaborations (8)
- Elaboration contributing to decisions about how to interpret the elements of music, such as tempo (duration/time), dynamics and/or articulation when performing songs, chants, rhymes or instrumental music
- Elaboration improvising and making decisions about how to combine sounds to create compositions; for example, combining pitch and rhythm patterns, improvising melodies and drone accompaniments, making decisions about instrumentation, articulation, texture and dynamics
- Elaboration using voices and body percussion to create music that features contrasting examples of elements of music, such as sound/silence, fast/slow, long/short, high/low, loud/soft
- Elaboration improvising patterns of body movement, such as clapping or stamping, to create accompaniments; for example, accompaniments for songs
- Elaboration practising a repertoire of songs, chants and rhymes focusing on using elements of music such as tempo, dynamics or articulation to create expressive effects
- Elaboration using signs and symbols to notate or document patterns or soundscapes and/or using an available device to record work in progress so that they can listen and make decisions about what to do next
- Elaboration practising music using accessible technologies; for example, using recordings to make decisions about dynamics or tempo
- Elaboration writing lyrics for a chant/rap and improvising to develop rhythmic patterns they can use to perform the lyrics; for example, combining unison sections (voices alone) with multi-part sections (voices and body percussion or instruments)
Content descriptorAC9AMU2D01 Developing practices and skills
develop listening skills and skills for singing and playing instruments
Elaborations (8)
- Elaboration experimenting with their speaking and singing voices/vocalisation to create a range of expressive effects; for example, varying dynamics or exploring different ways of sliding, scooping or bending, snapping, blending or creating a mood or atmosphere
- Elaboration playing music games or taking part in skill-development activities to develop skills for listening, composing and performing; for example, movement/body percussion games that develop skills relating to pulse, beat and rhythm
- Elaboration improvising on pitch and rhythm patterns to develop skills relevant to different elements of music; for example, echo clapping, calling and response singing
- Elaboration participating in singing games/activities that involve pitch awareness or matching pitch; listening to features of music such as dynamics or articulation and replicating or varying what they hear; playing games that involve repeating or extending a given idea such as a melodic or rhythmic pattern
- Elaboration developing listening skills for specific purposes, such as listening to count-ins, to become confident about tempo; being quiet when listening to live music (and learning when applause or comment is expected during a performance); listening to ensure their voice/vocalisation/part is blended with other voices/being projected at about the same dynamic level when singing or playing in a group
- Elaboration exploring and improvising ways to create and vary sounds using a range of sound sources, such as voice/vocalisation, classroom instruments, found/environmental/repurposed objects (buckets, leaves, etc.) or digital instruments; for example, exploring how they can vary sounds using elements of music such as dynamics, articulation or tone colour, the effects they can create by combining voices and instruments or combining sounds and silences, and asking questions such as, “Which way of playing/singing sounds best?”, “What is the way I want it to sound?”
- Elaboration developing understanding of what matching pitch means; for example, by using a digital tuner or closing eyes and gradually adjusting to match a partner’s pitch
- Elaboration practising techniques for singing songs and playing classroom instruments
Content descriptorAC9AMU2E01 Exploring and responding
explore where, why and how people across cultures, communities and/or other contexts experience music
Elaborations (5)
- Elaboration listening to and talking about music that features instruments and/or voices/vocalisations from diverse contexts and cultures, and sharing observations about the music, such as identifying the instruments used or identifying the purpose the music was composed for; identifying and learning songs for special occasions (for example, birthday songs) or exploring how music is used to enhance the action or mood in a game they play on a digital device or a cartoon they watch (for example, “How is the music telling me that everyone is happy or that the rainforest is sad?”)
- Elaboration exploring ways that people in their local community are making and experiencing music; for example, identifying ways of being a musician such as singer, songwriter, composer, instrumentalist, sound engineer or digital music producer; being a listener or audience member (at home, in places designed especially for music performance and/or in physical or virtual public spaces); making a class list of places where they experience music each day and noting who the performers/composers are and their responses to the music (for example, responding to questions such as, “Which music makes you want to sing along?”, “Why don’t we know who composed this music?” and “Does that matter?”)
- Elaboration identifying opportunities for engaging with music in their daily life by being a composer, performer or audience; for example, singing when no-one else can hear you, singing in a group, writing and recording songs using available digital devices and apps, listening to music, improvising chants/raps to make everyday tasks more interesting, noticing how music is used in screen-based products such as games, cartoons or e-books
- Elaboration discussing where, how and why they and their peers or family members experience music, and their music preferences; for example, compiling a playlist that combines their favourite music from the different generations in a family or creating a school playlist
- Elaboration practising active listening skills; for example, moving with the beat and clapping rhythmic ideas or being aware of pitch and volume when they are singing/vocalising and/or playing instruments
Content descriptorAC9AMU2E02 Exploring and responding
explore examples of music composed and/or performed by First Nations Australians
Elaborations (3)
- Elaboration identifying where and how they can experience music composed and/or performed by First Nations Australians, such as via mainstream music platforms (live performance, video, television, radio, streaming), music for ceremonies at their school, in their community, or as part of state and national events
- Elaboration exploring the diverse music styles represented in music composed and performed by First Nations Australians; for example, listening to music that is available through mainstream media; music performed at a local festival, by street performers, by choirs and/or orchestras; or music created or performed for events such as openings of cultural or community events or as part of a Welcome to Country, and asking questions such as “What instruments and voices can I hear?”, “How is this music communicating message/s about Country/Place?” or focusing exclusively on the music (the sound): “How is this music similar or different to other music I listen to?”
- Elaboration exploring how the elements of music are used to create specific effects in screen-based or theatrical works that communicate First Nations Australian cultural knowledge; for example, viewing cartoons or animations that retell traditional stories and using Viewpoints to ask questions such as “How is texture being used to create tension in this part of the story?”, “How is melody being used to represent characters in this story?”, “How are tempo and dynamics being used to communicate the mood or feeling?”
Content descriptorAC9AMU2P01 Presenting and performing
sing and play music in informal settings
Elaborations (6)
- Elaboration singing songs, performing chants/raps or playing instrumental music they have learnt or composed for an audience of peers and teachers
- Elaboration following agreed decisions about how the music should sound; for example, using singing voice rather than speaking voice, holding beaters or instruments in ways that produce clear and clean sound, performing at the agreed tempo
- Elaboration making decisions about how/where to sit/stand in a performance space; for example, deciding if they can see cues/signals from other performers or a conductor more easily if they are standing in curved or straight rows, or whether they can perform an instrumental part more accurately/comfortably when standing or sitting
- Elaboration introducing a performance by writing text for a slide that shares information about the music with the audience; for example, the title of the music, the name of the composer and identifying where, when or why it was composed, and then projecting the slide before or during the performance
- Elaboration listening intentionally and respectfully during performances and when invited, participating in the performance by using body percussion (clapping, tapping, stamping) or singing
- Elaboration contributing to post-performance discussions; for example, sharing ideas about what the best part of the performance was or asking the performers questions such as, “How long have you been singing/playing as a group?” or “How did you get your instrument to …?”
They use the elements of music to improvise and/or compose music.
Content descriptorAC9AMU2C01 Creating and making
select and combine elements of music when composing and practising music for performance
Elaborations (8)
- Elaboration contributing to decisions about how to interpret the elements of music, such as tempo (duration/time), dynamics and/or articulation when performing songs, chants, rhymes or instrumental music
- Elaboration improvising and making decisions about how to combine sounds to create compositions; for example, combining pitch and rhythm patterns, improvising melodies and drone accompaniments, making decisions about instrumentation, articulation, texture and dynamics
- Elaboration using voices and body percussion to create music that features contrasting examples of elements of music, such as sound/silence, fast/slow, long/short, high/low, loud/soft
- Elaboration improvising patterns of body movement, such as clapping or stamping, to create accompaniments; for example, accompaniments for songs
- Elaboration practising a repertoire of songs, chants and rhymes focusing on using elements of music such as tempo, dynamics or articulation to create expressive effects
- Elaboration using signs and symbols to notate or document patterns or soundscapes and/or using an available device to record work in progress so that they can listen and make decisions about what to do next
- Elaboration practising music using accessible technologies; for example, using recordings to make decisions about dynamics or tempo
- Elaboration writing lyrics for a chant/rap and improvising to develop rhythmic patterns they can use to perform the lyrics; for example, combining unison sections (voices alone) with multi-part sections (voices and body percussion or instruments)
They sing and play music in informal settings.
Content descriptorAC9AMU2P01 Presenting and performing
sing and play music in informal settings
Elaborations (6)
- Elaboration singing songs, performing chants/raps or playing instrumental music they have learnt or composed for an audience of peers and teachers
- Elaboration following agreed decisions about how the music should sound; for example, using singing voice rather than speaking voice, holding beaters or instruments in ways that produce clear and clean sound, performing at the agreed tempo
- Elaboration making decisions about how/where to sit/stand in a performance space; for example, deciding if they can see cues/signals from other performers or a conductor more easily if they are standing in curved or straight rows, or whether they can perform an instrumental part more accurately/comfortably when standing or sitting
- Elaboration introducing a performance by writing text for a slide that shares information about the music with the audience; for example, the title of the music, the name of the composer and identifying where, when or why it was composed, and then projecting the slide before or during the performance
- Elaboration listening intentionally and respectfully during performances and when invited, participating in the performance by using body percussion (clapping, tapping, stamping) or singing
- Elaboration contributing to post-performance discussions; for example, sharing ideas about what the best part of the performance was or asking the performers questions such as, “How long have you been singing/playing as a group?” or “How did you get your instrument to …?”
This achievement standard describes the expected learning for Years 1 to 2 Music. Use it to plan teaching and assessment with the Australian Curriculum v9.
At a Glance
| Strand | Substrand | CDs | Elaborations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Creating and making | Music | 1 | 8 |
| Developing practices and skills | Music | 1 | 8 |
| Exploring and responding | Music | 2 | 8 |
| Presenting and performing | Music | 1 | 6 |
| Total | 5 | 30 | |
Frequently Asked Questions
What should students know by the end of Years 1 to 2 Music?
By the end of Year 2, students identify where they experience music. They describe where, why and/or how people across cultures, communities and/or other contexts experience music. Read the full standard
How many Content Descriptors support this standard?
5 Content Descriptors support this Achievement Standard (Creating and making: 1, Developing practices and skills: 1, Exploring and responding: 2, Presenting and performing: 1).
Is this from the latest Australian Curriculum?
Yes, this Achievement Standard is from the Australian Curriculum version 9.0 (AC v9), the most current version published by ACARA.