Unit rationale, description and aim
Musicians working as performers, teachers, and music directors require the ability to facilitate and lead music performance across a range of settings. This unit develops conducting techniques, aural skills, score reading and preparation, rehearsal planning, and leadership skills within the context of ensemble direction for school, church, community, and professional ensembles. It includes critical consideration of repertoire selection appropriate to the age, experience, and skill level of ensemble members. Practical learning activities are central to the unit design, providing students with experience through participation in performance activities as both ensemble director and performer, while also supporting the extension and consolidation of their development as performers beyond formal educational contexts. The aim of this unit is to develop students’ capacity to confidently lead and facilitate music performance through the integration of these skills, enabling effective ensemble direction across diverse contexts.
Campus offering
No unit offerings are currently available for this unit.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 糖心原创 with the attributes of insight, empathy, imagination and impact.
Explore the graduate capabilities.
Apply advanced musical knowledge and skills to the...
Learning Outcome 01
Integrate theoretical and practical musical knowle...
Learning Outcome 02
Demonstrate effective conducting techniques, inclu...
Learning Outcome 03
Plan and lead rehearsals through the informed sele...
Learning Outcome 04
Content
Topics will include:
- Conducting techniques: duple, triple and quadruple beat patterns; indications to begin and end; entries and cut-offs; and interpretive gesture
- Approaches to the selection, preparation and execution of appropriate ensemble and performance repertoire
- A range of approaches to sight-singing, sight reading, aural perception and accompaniment
- The development of choral and instrumental ensemble techniques applied to selected repertoire
- Research into ensemble formation and development and the selection of suitable repertoire
- Considerations of performance practice across diverse musical styles
- Strategies for practising and rehearsing music and musicians
- Strategies to develop as a musician outside of a studio-based learning model (lifelong learning)
- Practical application of musical knowledge and skills in ensemble contexts
Assessment strategy and rationale
A range of assessment procedures will be used to support the achievement of learning outcomes and development of relevant graduate capabilities. Assessments are designed to enable students to demonstrate the application of conducting technique, critical engagement with repertoire, and ensemble leadership in practical contexts. Given the unit is practice-based, completion of assessment tasks is dependent on participation in scheduled classes and rehearsals.
Assessments one and three are practical activities that allow students to refine and demonstrate conducting and ensemble leadership. Through performance?based activities, students engage in the preparation and direction of ensemble music and develop their ability to communicate musical ideas. These tasks require regular attendance and participation, as students work both as performers and directors. Ongoing engagement is essential to the development of rehearsal practices, responsiveness to feedback, and the application of independent musical judgement within an ensemble context.
Assessment two requires students to research, analyse, and prepare repertoire from a conductor’s perspective. By preparing a folio, students examine repertoire, rehearsal strategies, interpretive considerations, and performance issues in varied musical contexts, integrating theoretical knowledge with the practice of conducting. Engagement with repertoire explored during scheduled sessions supports students’ understanding of these processes and informs the development of the folio.
Overview of assessments
Assessment Task 1: Practical Skills Demonstratio...
Assessment Task 1:
Practical Skills Demonstration:
Assesses students’ ability to prepare, rehearse, and perform class repertoire while demonstrating effective conducting technique and ensemble leadership. Assessment is based on practical demonstrations in rehearsal and performance contexts.
30%
Assessment Task 2: Research: Folio of Selected W...
Assessment Task 2:
Research: Folio of Selected Works with Analysis
Requires students to select contrasting works suitable for an ensemble context and prepare a folio from a conductor’s perspective. Students research each work, analyse its musical and stylistic features, and outline approaches to rehearsal, interpretation, and performance.
30%
Assessment Task 3: Practical Presentations: Asse...
Assessment Task 3:
Practical Presentations:
Assesses students’ ability to prepare and direct ensemble repertoire in a practical rehearsal or performance setting, demonstrating conducting technique, rehearsal strategies, and musical leadership.
40%
Learning and teaching strategy and rationale
This unit adopts a practice?based, experiential learning approach in recognition of the embodied, collaborative, and developmental nature of ensemble music leadership. Learning and teaching activities emphasise active participation in conducting, rehearsal facilitation, score study, and ensemble performance, with students engaging as both directors and performers in a range of supervised practical contexts. These activities are designed to foster musical, aural, interpersonal, and leadership skills that cannot be adequately developed through independent study alone. Regular attendance is therefore a core requirement of the unit, as learning outcomes are achieved through sustained, sequential engagement in rehearsals, peer collaboration, guided feedback, and reflective practice. Consistent attendance enables students to develop ensemble trust, respond to real?time musical and pedagogical challenges, and progressively refine their professional skills in authentic settings. As such, attendance is essential to ensure equitable participation, the integrity of ensemble learning experiences, and the attainment of the unit’s practical and professional learning outcomes.