The Arts · Years 7–8 · NZ Curriculum
Music
What The Arts intermediate students in Aotearoa New Zealand learn under music, and where it shows up across Kōkiri Learn's inquiry worlds.
The Arts · 14 inquiry worlds cover this strand
New Zealand Curriculum, Phase 3
The teaching sequence
Year 7 sequence
- Elements of music
- Composers across traditions
- Singing in harmony; melody and bass
- How technology shapes sound
Year 8 sequence
- Harmony and mood
- Instruments' roles
- Digital composition and mixing
- Social and cultural influences on music
Where this shows up
Kōkiri Learn inquiry worlds that cover this strand
The whole class works on one world at a time — these are where this strand's focus actually comes up.
4 weeksHe Kōrero Auaha: Art That SpeaksYear 7 sequence · Dynamics, tempo, pitch and major or minor tonality linked to their effect on the listener (sound option)
5 weeksMove: Dance and ChoreographyYear 7 sequence · Tempo, dynamics, metre and rhythm linked to their effect on the listener and the dancer (choosing and cutting music for the dance)
5 weeksBeat Makers: Composing with Music TechnologyYear 7 sequence · Analysing how technology shapes sound in different genres; tempo, dynamics, texture and tonality linked to their effect on the listener
5 weeksHarmony: Singing and Playing TogetherYear 7 sequence · Elements of music: intervals (unison, 3rd, 5th) shape melody; major and minor tonality and mood; a pedal or drone can create harmony, and changing the drone changes the tonality; C major and A minor as tonal centres
- 5 weeksHarmony: Singing and Playing Together
Year 7 sequence · Singing in harmony in a range of traditions with a focus on phrasing, tuning and sensitive dynamics; singing rounds in three or four parts; posture, breathing and ensemble awareness
- 5 weeksHarmony: Singing and Playing Together
Year 7 sequence · Playing a melody alongside a bass line, first as a whole class then in smaller groups, using staff notation to support aural knowledge; presenting a performance that includes a music element from te ao Māori, such as percussive body sound, with guidance
- 5 weeksHarmony: Singing and Playing Together
Year 7 sequence · Listening and responding: music reflects cultural and historical contexts, including Māori and Pacific traditions; comparing how different traditions (choral, Pacific church, barbershop, waiata-ā-ringa) use harmony
5 weeksTransforming Ideas into FormYear 8 sequence · Harmony and mood; digital composition and mixing for an installation soundtrack (sound option)
- 5 weeksBeat Makers: Composing with Music Technology
Year 8 sequence · Harmony and mood: recognising whether music is major or minor and how the harmony affects mood; naming the tonic (I) and dominant (V) chords; forming C major, G major, A minor and E minor chords by 'play one, miss one'
- 5 weeksBeat Makers: Composing with Music Technology
Year 8 sequence · Digital composition and mixing: using a Digital Audio Workstation or app to compose, edit and mix; choosing chord sequences that cycle; creating a fuller texture with a bass line built from each chord's root note
- 5 weeksBeat Makers: Composing with Music Technology
Year 8 sequence · Instruments' roles: how instruments or groups of instruments contribute to melody, harmony and the overall soundscape; identifying form in a short piece
- 5 weeksBeat Makers: Composing with Music Technology
Year 8 sequence · Social and cultural influences: how music reflects social change and expresses ideas about place, time and people (Poi E, E Tū, Aotearoa reggae and hip hop); reflecting on how technology influences musical choices
- 5 weeksHarmony: Singing and Playing Together
Year 8 sequence · Participating in ensemble performances, maintaining balance and blend; playing chords on an instrument (ukulele C, Am, F, G7)
5 weeksStop Motion Studio: AnimationYear 8 sequence · Creating and mixing a digital soundtrack and sound effects that shape mood
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