Unit rationale, description and aim
The co-curriculum is a vital element of a school’s Music program. It adds depth and breadth to the class curriculum, and provides active, authentic learning experiences. In order to build flourishing music departments, Music teachers need to develop the knowledge and skills to plan and lead a range of co-curricular programs to meet the needs of students across all levels of ability.
In this unit preservice teachers will explore, perform, arrange and conduct repertoire for co-curricular music programs, with a particular focus on music for vocal and instrumental ensembles appropriate to students in lower secondary schools. Repertoire in a range of musical styles will be explored, in order to develop knowledge of a range of historical music traditions, including Australian music. Music technologies will be employed, in particular applications for musical notation, arranging and recording. Through engagement in and analysis of rehearsal pedagogies, and conducting of small groups, preservice teachers will develop ensemble leadership skills and identify connections between co-curricular music programs and the Years 7 to 10 curriculum.
The aim of this unit is to enable pre-service teachers to design programs for and lead music ensembles that engage and challenge diverse learners.
Learning outcomes
To successfully complete this unit you will be able to demonstrate you have achieved the learning outcomes (LO) detailed in the below table.
Each outcome is informed by a number of graduate capabilities (GC) to ensure your work in this, and every unit, is part of a larger goal of graduating from ACU with the attributes of insight, empathy, imagination and impact.
Explore the graduate capabilities.
Describe teaching, assessment and feedback strateg...
Learning Outcome 01
Evaluate resources derived from historical music t...
Learning Outcome 02
Justify compositional and arranging decisions made...
Learning Outcome 03
Critically evaluate ensemble rehearsal practices i...
Learning Outcome 04
Content
Topics will include:
- The connections between the curriculum and the co-curriculum in school Music, and the role of the co-curriculum in broadening and deepening learning opportunities for students
- Knowledge and aural discrimination of a range of historical musical styles, enabling enhanced identification of key concepts and trends
- Resources and repertoire for ensembles in the lower secondary school in a range of genre and styles and catering to diverse learner strengths and needs
- Evaluating and selecting repertoire suited to skills and needs of learners across the full range of abilities
- The importance of and strategies for providing timely and appropriate feedback to students to improve learning
- Adapting repertoire for preparing performance pieces for students with diverse learning strengths and needs
- Software programs and the use of music technology to support notating, arranging, ensemble repertoire
- Appropriate pedagogies for leading school ensembles including choirs and small ensembles
- Introductory conducting and rehearsal techniques for co-curricular groups, including verbal and nonverbal communication strategies
- Conducting rehearsals and performances to develop learners’ musical skills and conceptual understandings
- Professional music performances for schools and their associated opportunities for professional development.
Assessment strategy and rationale
The assessment strategy is designed to enable preservice teachers to demonstrate critical evaluation, curriculum-informed decision-making, and pedagogical reasoning in junior secondary co-curricular music contexts. The sequence of assessment tasks progressively develops preservice teachers’ capacity to evaluate and select appropriate repertoire and learning resources, justify curriculum-aligned music arrangements for diverse learners, and critically reflect on rehearsal, teaching and feedback practices in ensemble settings.
Assessment Task 1 requires preservice teachers to evaluate and justify a range of resources suitable for relevant co-curricular ensembles. Assessment Task 2 extends this learning through the creation and annotation of a curriculum-aligned arrangement using music notation software. Assessment Task 3 provides an opportunity to apply and critically reflect on ensemble pedagogy through the development of a rehearsal portfolio, conducting demonstration, and evaluation of rehearsal and arranging decisions for a hypothetical ensemble.
Together, the assessments support the development of advanced disciplinary knowledge, critical thinking, curriculum interpretation, differentiation, and professional judgement. The assessment design reflects authentic practices undertaken by music educators and provides multiple opportunities for students to demonstrate achievement of the learning outcomes through written, creative, practical and reflective tasks. To pass this unit, students need to complete all assessment tasks and receive a passing grade of 50% overall.
Overview of assessments
Assessment Task 1: Resource Folio and Presentatio...
Assessment Task 1: Resource Folio and Presentation
Compile a folio of four to six carefully selected Music resources suitable for use with co-curricular ensembles in the Junior Secondary setting. The folio should include repertoire and resources for learning, teaching and assessment, addressing a range of curriculum topics and skills. Provide a justification for each selection in line with the relevant curriculum documentation.
20%
Assessment Task 2: Music Arrangement Using music...
Assessment Task 2: Music Arrangement
Using music notation software, create (notate) a music arrangement suitable for a small ensemble of Junior Secondary (Years 7-10) learners of varying musical abilities and skills ensuring that all learning needs are catered for. Provide a rationale for the choice of repertoire and use annotations to justify and align your intentions and arrangement choices with the relevant curriculum documentation.
30%
Assessment Task 3: Conduct Assessment 2 Arrangeme...
Assessment Task 3: Conduct Assessment 2 Arrangement
Using the arrangement created in Assessment Task 2, develop and present a rehearsal portfolio for a hypothetical lower secondary school ensemble comprising Years 7–10 learners with diverse musical abilities and experiences. Develop a profile of the ensemble, design a sequenced rehearsal plan, and record a conducting and teaching demonstration. Support the portfolio with a critical reflection that evaluates the teaching, assessment, feedback, rehearsal and conducting decisions demonstrated, and the suitability of the compositional and arranging decisions for the identified strengths and learning needs of the ensemble. You are not required to work with a live ensemble.
50%
Learning and teaching strategy and rationale
This unit develops preservice teachers’ capacity to critically evaluate and apply pedagogical approaches that support effective co-curricular music education in junior secondary school contexts. Through engagement with repertoire, curriculum documentation, ensemble pedagogy, music technologies, and rehearsal practices, students examine how co-curricular music programs can support musical learning, participation and performance for diverse learners.
Learning experiences are structured around the critical analysis of teaching, assessment and feedback practices; the evaluation of repertoire and resources from a range of historical traditions and genres; the use of music notation software for arranging and composition; and the design of curriculum-informed rehearsal processes for instrumental and vocal ensembles. Emphasis is placed on evidence-informed decision-making, differentiation, curriculum alignment, and the development of pedagogical reasoning appropriate for lower secondary learners.
The unit employs a range of learning and teaching strategies, including online, synchronous tutorials, practical activities, guided analysis of repertoire and teaching resources, individual and collaborative inquiry, and authentic assessment tasks. These approaches provide opportunities for reflection, critique, problem-solving and application of knowledge in contexts that mirror contemporary secondary school co-curricular music programs. The unit models responsible use of generative AI with explicit instruction on critical evaluation, academic integrity and transparency.
Australian Professional Standards for Teachers - Graduate Level
In connection to the learning outcomes, on successful completion of this unit, pre-service teachers should have developed the following industry specific knowledge based on the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers - Graduate Level standards:
Relating toDemonstrate knowledge and understanding of research into how students learn and the implications for teaching.
Relevant Learning OutcomeLO1, LO3, LO4
Relating toDemonstrate knowledge of teaching strategies that are responsive to the learning strengths and needs of students from diverse linguistic, cultural, religious and socioeconomic backgrounds
Relevant Learning OutcomeLO1, LO4
Relating toDemonstrate knowledge and understanding of strategies for differentiating teaching to meet the specific learning needs of students across the full range of abilities.
Relevant Learning OutcomeLO1, LO3, LO4
Relating toDemonstrate knowledge and understanding of the concepts, substance and structure of the content and teaching strategies of the teaching area.
Relevant Learning OutcomeLO1, LO2, LO3, LO4
Relating toOrganise content into an effective learning and teaching sequence.
Relevant Learning OutcomeLO2, LO4
Relating toUse curriculum, assessment and reporting knowledge to design learning sequences and lesson plans.
Relevant Learning OutcomeLO2, LO4
Relating toPlan lesson sequences using knowledge of student learning, content and effective teaching strategies.
Relevant Learning OutcomeLO4
Relating toInclude a range of teaching strategies.
Relevant Learning OutcomeLO1, LO4
Relating toDemonstrate knowledge of a range of resources, including ICT, that engage students in their learning.
Relevant Learning OutcomeLO2, LO3
Relating toDemonstrate an understanding of the relevant issues and the strategies available to support the safe, responsible and ethical use of ICT in learning and teaching.
Relevant Learning OutcomeLO3
Relating toDemonstrate understanding of assessment strategies, including informal and formal, diagnostic, formative and summative approaches to assess student learning.
Relevant Learning OutcomeLO1
Relating toDemonstrate an understanding of the purpose of providing timely and appropriate feedback to students about their learning.
Relevant Learning OutcomeLO1, LO4
Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL) Core Content
On successful completion of this unit, pre-service teachers should have developed the following industry specific knowledge based on the AITSL Core Content:
Relating toThe difference in the process of knowledge acquisition in the brain of a novice vs the brain of an expert. This should be taught with reference to the development of mental models and schemas.
Relevant learningLO1, LO4
Relating toThe most effective teaching practices to reduce cognitive overload, including explicit instruction, scaffolding, and clearly structured content that connects new information to prior learning.
Relevant learningLO1, LO4
Relating toHow to develop and use worked examples for students who are unfamiliar with a subject, followed by more challenging problem-solving activities as students become more familiar with the knowledge of a subject.
Relevant learningLO1, LO3, LO4
Relating toThe key features of coherent and deliberate planning and sequencing of tasks and lessons including curriculum-aligned learning objectives, clear descriptions of how students will show evidence of mastery, the common progression of learning in a subject area and the critical curriculum knowledge needed for students to progress.
Relevant learningLO2, LO4
Relating toHow to plan a sequence of lessons that incorporate spacing and retrieval practice, build upon each other, meet students where they are in their learning and help students retrieve past learning and consolidate it in long-term memory.
Relevant learningLO1, LO4
Relating toHow to explicitly model new skills and content through ‘worked examples’ that clearly demonstrate how to complete the task, followed by a progressive removal of scaffolding as students become more proficient.
Relevant learningLO1, LO3, LO4
Relating toHow to pitch an introductory lesson at an appropriate level, before starting a new unit of work, by identifying where a student is in their learning through assessing what they know, or think they know.
Relevant learningLO1, LO3, LO4
Relating toThe research evidence that shows the relationship between effective pedagogical practices and increased positive behaviour including why specific practices are particularly effective in preventing undesired behaviour.
Relevant learningLO1, LO4
Representative texts and references
Required text and references
Australian Curriculum https://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/
Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) www.acara.edu.au
Recommended texts
Church, B. (2024). Incorporating small ensembles in the middle school band rehearsal to improve individual musical responsibility.
Hill, M. (2023). Improving the Rehearsal Experience. The Choral Journal, 64(4), 46-56.
Scherer, A. D. (2023). Collegiate musicians’ experiences with democratic rehearsal procedures. International Journal of Music Education, 41(3), 371-382.
Sánchez, M. R. (2025). Inclusion Through Ensemble: Simple Orff Arrangements for Mixed-Ability Groups. Journal of Data Analysis and Critical Management, 1(04), 1-16.
Bremmer, M., & Schuijer, M. (2024). Collaborative composing with inclusive music ensembles: What attitude, knowledge and skills do composers need?. International Journal of Music Education, 02557614241289442.
Burce, K. L. (2025). Harmony in schools: The role of instrumental ensembles in fostering student belonging. Journal of High School Science, 9(2).
Smith, M. J. (2023). Exploring the experiences of Black, Brown, Indigenous, and People of Color in high school concert bands and orchestral ensembles.
Sherard, B. (2022). Reimagining the Ensemble Paradigm: A Framework for Postcolonial Music Education. Canadian Music Educator/Musicien Educateur au Canada, 64(1).