NZC — The Arts Phase 3 (Years 7–8)

During Year 7

During Year 8

During Year 7

During Year 8

Music elements 

• Intervals (e.g. unison, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th) shape melody.
• Music has a tonality and this plays a key role in creating its mood.
• Two tonalities are major and minor.
• Pedal or drone can create harmony, and changing the pedal or drone can change the tonality of the music.
• Scales create tonal centres (e.g. C major and A minor).
• Dynamics, tempo, pitch, articulation, harmony, metre, rhythm and tonality all play a key role in creating musical effects.
• Staff notation:
  • The note names and durations learnt in primary school (including rests)
  • Time signatures learned in primary school (2/4, 3/4, 4/4)
  • Paired dotted crotchet + quaver, dotted quaver + semiquaver
  • Key signatures for C major, A minor
  • Markings: p, f, Cresc., Decresc..

• Harmony refers to the number of independent parts in a piece of music.
• Harmony also refers to chords, which are groups of three notes that form the basis of accompaniment.
• Chords I and V are the tonic and dominant chords and provide harmonic support in tonal music.
• Staff notation:
  • Accidentals (♯, ♭, ♮)
  • Key signatures for G major, E minor
  • The two notes above F in the treble clef (one ledger line)
  • Markings: mp, mf, staccato, legato.

• Identifying how the size of intervals determines how a melody sounds and feels
• Recognising whether a piece of music is major or minor
• Recognising and referring to dynamics, tempo, pitch, articulation, harmony, metre, rhythm and tonality, linking their use to the effect on the listener

• Recognising and referring to instruments, or groups of instruments, in a piece of music, and how they contribute to melody, harmony and the overall soundscape
• Naming and identifying the tonic and dominant chords in C major
• Identifying how the shape of a melody (including intervals) determines how a melody sounds and feels
• Recognising whether a piece of music is major or minor and how the harmony impacts the mood of the music
• Recognising and referring to dynamics, tempo, pitch, articulation, harmony, metre, rhythm and tonality, linking their use to the effect on the listener

Listening and responding 

• Music reflects cultural and historical contexts, including Māori and Pacific traditions.
• Māori music incorporates music elements such as texture and rhythm patterns to reflect culture.
• Music can express both personal and cultural perspectives.
• Music communicates ideas through pitch, rhythm, and texture.
• Instruments can be organised into families, including taonga pūoro.
• Composers work within musical styles and traditions (e.g. Baroque, Classical, Māori waiata).
• Composers use stylistic features to create different effects (e.g. Mozart’s balanced phrasing, Hirini Melbourne’s use of taonga pūoro).
• Music technologies are embedded in contemporary composition and performance.

• Music is shaped by cultural and historical influences and can reflect social change.
• Music can express ideas about place, time, and people.
• Composers respond to social, cultural, and historical influences.
• Different traditions shape musical purpose and sound (e.g. Classical, Gospel, Pop).
• Instrumentation and form reflect a composer’s context and intent.

• Comparing pieces and explaining cultural and historical context
• Identifying how musical choices reflect cultural or historical background
• Experimenting with music elements from Māori music (e.g. texture, rhythm patterns)
• Listening to selected works and identifying stylistic features
• Comparing composers from different traditions
• Identifying instrument families, including taonga pūoro
• Analysing how technology shapes sound in different genres

Teaching considerations:

• Explore different examples of storytelling through cartoon (e.g. Tom & Jerry) or silent movie (e.g. Charlie Chaplin) soundtracks

• Exploring how cultural and historical influences are expressed through music
• Identifying form in a short piece of music
• Comparing composers and describing differences in their style and purpose
• Exploring how composers use musical elements to communicate meaning
• Reflecting on how technology influences musical choices

Teaching considerations:

• Explore different examples of storytelling through film soundtracks, e.g. Star Wars or Jaws
• Explore the instruments of the orchestra through Benjamin Britten’s The Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra

Performing 

Singing

• Effective performance requires posture, breathing, and ensemble awareness.
• Music elements from te ao Māori can be incorporated into performance, such as a percussive body sound (e.g. stomping, slapping in haka waiata).

Playing instruments

• The notes on the treble clef and their corresponding notes on the instrument.
• Technique for forming F# and Bb on the instrument.
• On a keyboard, for example:
  • The alphabetic geography of the keyboard.

Creating and composing

• A pedal or drone is a long-held or repeated drone that underpins music harmonically.
• Moving the pedal note from C to A will impact on the tonality of the music.

Singing

• Expression and phrasing enhance performance.
• Music elements from te ao Māori can be integrated into performance, such as texture, rhythmic pattern.

Playing instruments

• Technique for forming chords on the instrument (if possible).
• On a keyboard, for example:
  • Sharps are the black notes to the right and flats are the black notes to the left
  • Chords (triads) have three notes and a simple rule for creating them is ‘play one, miss one, play one, miss one, play one’
  • Play C major, G major, A minor and E minor chords.

Creating and composing

• The range of ‘low’ on the instrument being played and where low notes are located.
• The bottom note of the chord (the root) can be used to create a simple bass line.
• Software tools allow control over musical elements.
• Digital Audio Workstations (DAWs) are software tools used to create and edit music.

Singing

• Singing in harmony in a range of musical traditions with a focus on phrasing, tuning and sensitive use of dynamics
• Singing rounds in three or four parts
• Presenting performances that include a music element from te ao Māori, such as a percussive body sound (e.g. stomping, slapping in haka waiata)

Playing instruments

• Playing F# or Bb on an instrument
• Playing a melody alongside a bass line, first as a whole class and then in smaller groups or even pairs, using staff notation as a support for aural knowledge of each melody
• On a keyboard, for example:
  • Using the C position to play a five note melody
• Using digital instruments or backing tracks where appropriate

Creating and composing

• Developing creative responses using pedals as a harmonic foundation
• Using a pedal within a melody to create short (8-16 bar) compositions in C major or A minor
• Creating a feel of section change by using a contrasting pedal note

Singing

• Singing in homophonic harmony in a range of musical traditions with a focus on phrasing, tuning and sensitive use of dynamics
• Presenting performances that integrate a music element from te ao Māori, such as texture, rhythmic pattern

Playing instruments

• Participating in ensemble performances, maintaining balance and blend
• Playing chords on the instrument (if possible)
• Playing a melody and bass line in simple keys for the instrument
• On a keyboard, for example:
  • Playing four phrase melodies in C or G major with an added bass line in the left hand, using staff notation as a support for aural knowledge of each melody
  • Forming chords in C major, G major, A minor, E minor

Creating and composing

• Adding harmony to compositions:
  • Choosing sequences of chords to create harmony that proceeds in cycles or phrase
  • Creating a fuller texture by adding bass lines to their chord sequences, using the root note of each chord
• Using a Digital Audio Workstation (DAWs) or app to compose, edit, and mix music

    

During Year 7

During Year 8

During Year 7

During Year 8

Making and creating 

• Visual arts elements, principles, and conventions are used in artworks to communicate ideas and express personal and cultural identities, stories, values, and worldviews. These may include symbolic forms and patterns that carry cultural significance, responsibilities, and protocols (e.g. tukanga). 
• Visual art conventions are characteristics and constraints specific to different fields of art (e.g. design, painting, sculpture, photography, moving image, printmaking, toi Māori practices such as raranga and whakairo). Artists use conventions to communicate ideas and draw on cultural traditions for inspiration. 
• Composition principles are applied to arrange visual elements in ways that communicate ideas and guide the viewer’s response: 
  • visual hierarchy — organising elements to show importance or guide viewer attention 
  • emphasis — creating a focal point in the artwork to highlight the most important area or idea. 
• Artmaking is an iterative and reflective process that involves generating, exploring, developing, and resolving ideas. Artists select conventions and make purposeful decisions to develop work and shape meaning. 
• Artworks are shaped by cultural and community knowledge, including Indigenous knowledge passed intergenerationally. These practices embody values, belonging, and connection and carry responsibilities and meanings that artists must be aware of when working with culturally significant materials and forms. 
• Artists purposefully select materials, tools, and techniques (e.g. blending, carving, digital methods) to shape meaning and expression and to create effects. 

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• Combining visual arts elements, principles, and conventions to express identities, stories, and worldviews by purposefully selecting processes, materials, and techniques (e.g. blending, carving, digital methods) to communicate meaning 
• Extending the use of composition by applying principles such as visual hierarchy, emphasis, balance, and focal point to organise space and guide viewer attention (e.g. arranging found images around a focal point, varying scale and form, such as in a mural) 
• Creating an artwork that expresses a personal story, an identity, or another relevant idea by selecting and applying materials, techniques, and processes from varied sources (e.g. relief print using appropriate tools), informed by cultural practices 
• Selecting and manipulating tools, surfaces, and media to shape visual impact, noticing how combinations affect meaning 
• Expressing ideas, feelings, or stories across two- and three-dimensional formats 
• Planning ideas before and during art-making using tools (e.g. sketches, notes, mock-ups) 
• Revisiting and developing artworks in response to feedback (e.g. in pairs, in groups, informal critiques), using visual planning tools to document and evaluate artistic decisions (e.g. visual diaries, thumbnail sketches, storyboards) 
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• Using visual elements, principles, and conventions with clear intention to express personal and cultural meaning (e.g. self-portraits, symbolic paintings, textile design) 
• Applying placement, scale, contrast, balance, and emphasis to organise visual elements and communicate ideas effectively (e.g. figurative painting, mixed media, digital illustration) 
• Creating artwork using symbolic forms and culturally significant materials to express an idea, drawing on toi Māori and other cultural art conventions. Opportunities to engage with these practices should be supported with guidance in tukanga and culturally respectful approaches to ensure informed and meaningful engagement 
• Exploring and refining artistic ideas using tools (e.g. visual diaries, maquettes, digital concept boards) informed by selected conventions 
• Making, reflecting on, and developing artworks throughout the process to strengthen ideas, intention, and impact 
• Using imagination, observation, lived experience, and appropriate artist models to support and develop visual ideas (e.g. referring to portrait artists when drawing faces) 

Observing and responding 

• Artworks are created, shared, and experienced in different ways and settings (e.g. galleries, community spaces).  
• Artworks can be interpreted using art terminology, including language, symbols, and text, to describe meaning, intent, and context. 
• Symbols, patterns, and practices in art express values and worldviews. Observing and responding to artworks deepens understanding of their cultural significance. 
• Artworks from different times and places show the ideas, materials, and styles of their era. Exploring art history helps us recognise artists, movements, and cultural influences. 

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• Art expresses and explores perspectives shaped by identity, time, place, and community. It helps us question, preserve, and communicate ideas and can respond to social, cultural, or environmental issues. 
• Protocols guide the respectful use of forms, motifs, and materials grounded in knowledge (e.g. intergenerational knowledge, spiritual role, whakapapa of the artwork and its processes and materials). 
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• Describing and interpreting ideas and intentions in artworks using visual arts terminology (e.g. how composition or symbolism reflects meaning) 
• Connecting artworks to the artist’s ideas and context (e.g. identity, time, place, cultural themes) 
• Using visual conventions with growing awareness of their cultural and symbolic significance (e.g. how artworks reflect beliefs or traditions) 
• Identifying features of artworks from different times and places and making connections to artists, styles, and historical or cultural influences 

• Using reflective and interpretive language to explain the intentions behind their own and others’ artwork, applying visual conventions with awareness of cultural, historical, or social perspectives 
• Considering how forms, motifs, and materials carry meaning and responsibility, especially in relation to taonga, sacred imagery, and customary practices (e.g. what tukanga might apply when we make or view this kind of image?)