YEAR 9 ELECTIVE DESCRIPTIONS

The Arts: Visual Arts

Art (1 unit)

The Year 9 Art Elective at Mazenod College is offered over one semester. Students use a variety of drawing, painting and printmaking media to develop their skills and produce creative responses to tasks. Work is structured, but students are encouraged to push boundaries and explore their creativity in an active and inspired manner.

Art appreciation is informal, with relevant artists and art styles discussed when new topics are introduced.

Digital Art (1 unit)

The Year 9 Digital Art Course focuses on the creation of digital artworks. Students use digital cameras, scanners, printers and Photoshop to generate and manipulate imagery. At times, both traditional and digital art techniques are combined. Students develop confidence and skill in using Photoshop exploring its tools to create contemporary digitally enhanced artworks from photographic beginnings.

Visual Communication Design (1 unit)

Visual Communication and Design is an elective offered for one semester with no prerequisite. Students are instructed in the correct manner to communicate via drawings, symbols, charts and diagrams. Many aspects of this subject are modern and appealing. Tasks can be done freehand, with instruments or computer generated. All students’ abilities are challenged and independent research is encouraged to aid creativity. The majority of work is completed in class time; however, opportunities for after school work exist for enthusiastic students.

The Arts: Performing Arts

Music Performance (1 Unit)

The focus of Year 9 Music is on further developing musicianship and performance competency, with a view to equipping students with the essential skills required to undertake VCE Music. Students regularly perform for one another, and work to grow their knowledge regarding effective and efficient practice. Students develop skills needed for composition and musical arrangement. They also continue to refine their listening skills and build on their understandings regarding the use of the elements of music. They begin to use more complex performance techniques, compositional devices and forms, and explore styles and genres in greater depth. Students also build on their understanding of how musicians communicate with audiences and begin to investigate music from a range of cultures, times and locations, identifying characteristics of performance unique to particular genres.

Music – Technology (1 Unit)

Year 9 Music Technology is a course building on skills acquired from Year 8 Mainstream Music. This course will mature the students’ core competencies in sound engineering, production and electronic music composition. The students will use industry standard professional software to create, mix and produce a wide range of modern music and video. They will learn workflow in Ableton Live 10 and understand how professional music software is used to create, produce and DJ modern electronic music. They will create their own original electronic compositions as well as learning about sound design and audio engineering.

Drama (1 unit)

The Year 9 Drama Elective at Mazenod College is offered over one semester. There are no prerequisites. Students will work with script ideas that they will improvise and develop into finished group and solo performances. They will be given stimulus material and structured situations to act out in groups to help them build confidence towards their finished group and solo performances.