NZC — The Arts Phase 4 (Years 9–10)

During Year 9

During Year 10

During Year 9

During Year 10

Making and creating  

• All aspects of drama (techniques, conventions, elements, and technologies) are selected and combined to shape meaning and communicate increasingly complex ideas.  
• Dramatic text (e.g. a script) is used to prepare and rehearse a scene, explore character and relationships, and express social themes through performance. 
• Devising drama is improvising and developing short scenes collaboratively, responding to a stimulus. 
• Genre refers to the style of a performance and can reflect the influence of dramatic practitioners from different cultural and historical contexts, both locally and globally. 
• Basic dramatic forms (e.g. clowning, mime, melodrama) involve different performance conventions and expressive techniques. 
• Drama technologies (e.g. lighting, sound, costume, props, set) are used to support storytelling, enhance mood, and emphasise drama contexts. 
• Dramatic structural devices (e.g. Individual scenes, climactic builds, narrative arcs) are used to organise and develop performance. 

• Written dramatic texts (e.g. script) communicate meaning through the use of role (character’s identity and relationships), structural devices (e.g. scenes, acts, climaxes, and resolutions), and genre (stye or category of drama such as comedy, tragedy, realism). Analysing these elements helps reveal how the text is intended to be performed and understood. 
• Dramatic performances can be developed following the conventions and processes of specific theatrical forms or practitioners.  
• Drama technologies (lighting, sound, costume, props, set, and use of performance space) and selected and used with purpose and intent. These technologies can alter meaning, create mood, establish setting, and support storytelling.  
• Effective participation in an ensemble requires collaboration, active listening, clear communication, and responsiveness to others to build a cohesive, engaging, and unified performance. 
• Dramatic structure (the way a performance is organised), awareness of audience, and the use of drama technologies work together to shape meaning and impact in performance.  
• Improvisation involves responding spontaneously and confidently to given situations, using dramatic techniques (voice, movement, gesture, and facial expression) and conventions (e.g. status, role, and space). These can be developed through practice, reflection, and feedback, contribute to the success, flow, and creativity of a performance. 

• Selecting and combining techniques, conventions, elements, and technologies to shape meaning and communicate complex ideas in both scripted and devised performances 
• Using dramatic texts to rehearse and perform scenes that explore character, relationships, and social themes, demonstrating understanding of dramatic structure and devices 
• Devising and improvising small scenes collaboratively in response to stimuli (e.g. images, music, poetry, song lyrics) applying appropriate techniques, conventions, and elements 
• Exploring and performing within specific genres and dramatic forms, applying conventions and expressive techniques characteristic of those styles and reflecting influences from different practitioners or contexts 
• Selecting and using drama technologies (e.g. lighting, sound, costume, props, set) to support storytelling, enhance mood, and emphasise dramatic contexts, including setting, place, and time period 

• Creating a performance following the style of a dramatic form or practitioner (e.g. clown, mime, melodrama, theatre Aotearoa)  
• Selecting, combining, and using dramatic techniques and conventions in ways that change meaning or reflect the influence of a local or global practitioner 
• Using drama technologies and performance space intentionally to alter meaning in a performance (e.g. use of spotlight or strobe light in solo performance to emphasise meaning or emotion) 
• Developing a performance through devising or scripting, showing an understanding of audience, dramatic structure, and effect of added drama technologies 
• Improvising with spontaneity and confidence, contributing to a successful performance 

Observing and responding  

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• Drama techniques, elements, conventions, and technologies have purpose and meaning in drama performance.  
• Dramatic performances reflect the features of specific genres or forms and recognising and articulating these features helps deepen understanding of how meaning and intention are communicated. 
• By observing a performance, the creators’ decisions about techniques, conventions, and elements, can be articulated. 
• Intentional collaboration, grounded in whanaungatanga and manaakitanga, fosters shared artistic responsibility, where collective creative decision-making, mutual respect, and reflective feedback enrich the experience of drama. 
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• Drama techniques, elements, conventions, and technologies have purpose and meaning in drama performance.  
• Dramatic performances reflect the features of specific genres or forms, and recognising and articulating these features helps deepen understanding of how meaning and intention are communicated. 
• Creators select and integrate a range of techniques, conventions, and elements from diverse dramatic approaches to communicate complex ideas with creative intent in performance. 
• Intentional collaboration, grounded in whanaungatanga and manaakitanga, fosters shared artistic responsibility, where collective creative decision-making, mutual respect, and reflective feedback enrich the experience of drama. 
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• Observing and reflecting on their own or others’ performance and articulating the use of drama techniques, elements, conventions, technologies, and purpose in oral or written form 
• Reflecting on the decisions made to take a script from ‘page to stage’ (how a successful performance has been developed from a written script) 
• Describing the purpose of a dramatic performance (e.g. the key themes, messages, and audience impact realised from participating in or observing a performance) 
• Observing, describing, and explaining the use of drama technologies in a performance, describing how the drama technologies communicate meaning (this could be classroom-based)  
• Articulating (in oral or written form) how a performance they have seen or participated in conforms to a certain genre or form 
• Articulating (in oral or written form) the process of creating a drama (devised or scripted), explaining how and why techniques, conventions, and elements (aspects of drama) were used in their own performance 
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• Observing and reflecting on their own or others’ performance and articulating the use of drama techniques, elements, conventions, technologies, and purpose in oral or written form (e.g. successful performance from page to stage) 
• Describing the purpose of a dramatic performance (e.g. the key themes, messages, and audience impact realised from participating in or observing a performance) 
• Observing, describing, and explaining the use of drama technologies in a performance, describing how the drama technologies communicate meaning (this could be classroom-based)  
• Crafting a written response about a performance they have participated in, or seen, explaining how aspects of drama (elements, conventions, techniques, technologies) have been used 
• Crafting a written response about how a performance they have seen, or participated, in conforms to a certain genre or form 
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During Year 9

During Year 10

During Year 9

During Year 10

Music theory 

• Chords I, IV, and V are primary triads in tonal music and are commonly used in both composition and analysis.
• Capital letters can be used to represent chords.
• Texture refers to the number of independent parts in a piece of music, and how these parts fit together:
  • monophonic (solo melody on its own)
  • homophonic (melody and accompaniment)
  • homophonic (moving in chords)
  • polyphonic (overlapping parts).
• Transposing a melody by an octave involves raising or lowering each note by eight diatonic scale degrees.
• Staff notation
  • bass clef, including mnemonics for lines and spaces
  • 6/8 time signature
  • key signatures: F major, D minor, D major, B minor.

• Notes of key signatures up to three sharps and flats.
• Perfect, plagal and imperfect cadences have different effects.
• Some chords in the harmony of songs are more important than others.
• Chord I creates the feel of completion/home.
• Intervals up to an octave can be classified as major, minor, perfect, augmented, or diminished, depending on the number of semitones between two notes.
• Simple modulation moves between relative major and minor keys (C major/A minor, G major/E minor, F major/D minor, D major/B minor) and is achieved by changing the tonal centre.
• Ornamentation (e.g. trill, mordent) has an expressive function.
• Relationship between scales in a given key and common modes, including dorian and mixolydian modes.
• Staff notation:
  • ties
  • triplet rhythms
  • note durations and rests from semiquaver to semibreve
  • key signatures: Bb major, G minor, A major, F# minor, Eb major, C minor
  • principle of how ledger lines are read.
• Notation systems vary across cultures, including Māori oral traditions and Western staff notation.

• Recognising changes in texture
• Recognising the use of different textures
• Reading and writing melodies in all required keys with correct accidentals and rhythmic grouping
• Composing 8–16 bar (measure) melodies using learned scales, intervals, and harmonic support (I, IV, V)
• Analysing short pieces for key, harmony and texture

• Recognising the use, or absence, of chord I to end a musical phrase
• Describing the character of modal melodies
• Recognising ornamentation and explaining its expressive purpose
• Composing 16–24 bar (measure) pieces using learned forms, harmonic progressions (I, IV, V, V7) and expressive devices
• Arranging a short piece for small ensemble, considering instrumental balance
• Experimenting with Māori compositional concepts (e.g. cyclic structures, drone textures) in original works
• Composing short themes and variations or expressive melodies

Listening and responding 

• Music is shaped by historical, cultural, and technological contexts. These contexts influence musical style and meaning.
• Cultural context affects musical choices and effects, including Māori and Pacific traditions.
• Polyphonic textures differ from monophonic and homophonic textures, contributing to musical structure, style, and expression.
• Composers use musical elements (melody, harmony, texture, rhythm) to express ideas and emotions.
• Different musical eras, such as Baroque, Classical, Romantic, and Modern, have unique features and styles.
• Famous composers from different times and places have made important contributions to music.

• Music can express and shape both personal and cultural perspectives and reflect social change.
• Music shows how traditions and innovations interact across cultures and time.
• Rondo and theme-and-variation forms are used in Western and non-Western traditions.
• Historical and cultural contexts influence musical style, including Māori and Pacific practices.
• Composers innovate within or break away from musical traditions.
• Distinctive features of musical eras, such as Classical, Romantic, and Modern, include changes in form, expression, and instrumentation.
• Composers and performers contribute to musical traditions through stylistic and technical innovations.
• Musical movements and genres, including Impressionism, jazz, and contemporary Māori composition, use specific techniques to achieve expressive effects.

• Exploring selected works to identify how musical features reflect cultural identity, historical events, technological contexts, and social values
• Comparing expressive features and musical techniques across genres and cultural traditions, including Māori and Pacific music
• Identifying musical form in short excerpts, including binary, ternary, and rondo structures
• Describing musical texture using terms such as monophonic, homophonic, and polyphonic
• Using specialist vocabulary (e.g. dynamics, articulation, texture) to analyse how musical elements convey ideas and emotions
• Recognising stylistic features of musical eras such as Baroque, Classical, Romantic, and Modern through listening and analysis
• Identifying contributions of influential composers from different times and places through their stylistic and technical innovations

Teaching considerations:

• Explore different examples of storytelling through the music of musicals e.g. West Side Story, Les Miserables, Hamilton, The Lion King

• Exploring selected works to identify how musical techniques reflect cultural identity, historical events, and stylistic innovation
• Identifying musical form, harmonic structure, and expressive features in short works
• Comparing contrasting works from different cultures or historical periods (e.g. Classical, Romantic, and Modern), focusing on stylistic features, purpose, and audience
• Using specialist vocabulary (e.g. cadence, modulation, ornamentation, texture) to analyse musical techniques and effects
• Applying compositional techniques inspired by studied works (e.g. cyclic structures in Māori waiata, theme-and-variation in jazz, and harmonic progressions in Classical)
• Analysing how composers shape musical language and meaning through innovation or tradition
• Comparing works to describe changes in musical style, form, and expressive purpose
• Exploring developments in musical movements and genres, such as Impressionism, jazz, and contemporary Māori composition, with attention to harmony, and expressive techniques

Teaching considerations:

• Explore different examples of storytelling through music e.g. ballet or opera

Performing 

Singing

• Control of balance, blend, tuning and expressive devices, such as dynamics and articulation, are essential for confident performances.

Playing instruments

• Techniques performers use in ensembles to support balance, blend and following a leader.
• The notes on the treble and bass clefs and their corresponding notes on the instrument.
• On a keyboard, for example:
  • the keys of C and G major
  • chords in C, G and F and D major
  • chords in A, E, D and B minor.

Creating and composing

• Students know a ‘palette’ of rhythmic patterns from playing chord sequences, bass lines and percussive accompaniment in a variety of pieces, which can be used in composing.
• Primary chords in C, G, F and D major, A, E, D and B minor.
• The ‘B’ chord has a harsher quality than the others (it’s a diminished chord) and is usually to be avoided.
• Consecutive chords can be an uninteresting compositional outcome.

Singing

• Interpretation involves stylistic awareness and personal expression.
• Performance practices differ across genres and cultures, including Māori performance expressions.

Playing instruments

• Techniques performers use in ensembles to cue and maintain cohesion.

Creating and composing

• For harmony:
  • chords can have more than three notes
  • these are called extended chords and widen the ‘palette’ of harmonic effects
  • chords can be ‘inverted’.
• For bass lines:
  • any note of the chord can be chosen for the bass line
  • this creates ‘inversions’ of the chords
  • the top of the chord is the ‘5th’ note
  • the gap between notes can be filled with a passing note.

Singing

• Singing in harmony in 2-4 parts in a homophonic and/or polyphonic texture
• Demonstrating balance, blend, tuning and the use of expressive devices, such as dynamics and articulation

Playing instruments

• Reading notes on the treble and bass clefs with mostly conjunct movement, and playing the correct note on the instrument
• Playing a melody and bass line in simple keys for the instrument, using staff notation on two staves as a support for aural knowledge of each melody
• Performing repertoire of moderate complexity (solo or ensemble) that include a range of pitches beyond one octave, simple key changes, varied dynamics, and rhythmic patterns such as dotted notes
• Demonstrating ensemble skills: balance, blend, following a leader
• On a keyboard, for example:
  • playing four phrase melodies in C or G major with an added bass line in the left hand
  • playing melodies with a simple change of hand position
  • forming chords in C, G and F major

Creating and composing

• Developing use of texture with chords, bass lines and rhythmic accompaniment working together to create an overall ‘feel’
  • Creating sequences of chords (e.g. in C, G and F major or A, E or D minor using mainly primary chords) and bass lines (using the root note of each chord) with rhythmic character in cycles or phrases
  • Embellishing these sequences with rhythmic accompaniment
• Perform to a small audience – classroom or informal concert

Singing

• Singing confidently in harmony in 4 parts in a homophonic and/or polyphonic texture
• Presenting performances that integrate elements associated with particular cultural expressions

Playing instruments

• Playing a melody and bass line in keys up to three sharps or flats
• Performing repertoire of increasing complexity (solo or ensemble) that includes extended pitch range, compound time signatures, dotted and triplet rhythms, simple ornamentation, and contrasting dynamics and articulation, with secure pitch, rhythmic fluency, and expressive interpretation
• Demonstrating ensemble communication skills, such as cueing and maintaining cohesion
• On a keyboard, for example:
  • Playing simple melodies with broken chord accompaniment

Creating and composing

• Developing use of texture with melodies, chords, bass lines and rhythmic accompaniment working together to create an overall ‘feel’
• Creating new music works using:
  • melody
  • harmony
  • bass lines
  • rhythm
  • contrasting sections
• Perform to a small audience – classroom or informal concert

Music technology 

• Digital Audio Workstations (DAWs) allow for recording, editing, and sequencing sound.
• MIDI and audio tracks are distinct and are used differently in music production.
• Basic signal flow consists of input → processing → output.
• Sampling and looping are creative tools used across genres.
• Basic editing techniques include quantisation, trimming, and looping.
• Integrity must be maintained when integrating elements from te ao Māori and the Pacific into digital compositions.
• Software tools facilitate precise manipulation and control of musical parameters such as pitch, rhythm, dynamics, tone colour, and articulation.

• Multi-track recording and layering techniques create distinct effects.
• Automation can be used for dynamics and effects.
• Common effects (reverb, EQ, compression) have distinct purposes.
• There are specific file formats and export standards for sharing and publishing music.
• Sampling and copyright include both ethical and legal considerations.
• Music production involves technical and creative decision-making.

• Creating multi-layered compositions using digital tools
• Using automation and effects to shape musical expression
• Creating a short track (30–60 seconds) using a Digital Audio Workstation, incorporating MIDI instruments and audio samples
• Applying basic editing techniques: quantisation, trimming, and looping
• Incorporating elements associated with cultural expressions (e.g. taonga pūoro sample or rhythmic motif) into a digital composition
• Record and evaluate a live performance given to a small audience l

• Producing a full track (1–2 minutes) using a DAW, combining MIDI, audio, and effects
• Controlling dynamics and effects over time using automation
• Using at least one effect (e.g. reverb) to shape sound
• Mixing and exporting a track to industry-standard formats (e.g. WAV, MP3)
• Creating a reflective commentary explaining creative and technical decisions, linking to cultural context
• Record and evaluate a live performance given to a small audience

During Year 9

During Year 10

During Year 9

During Year 10

Making and creating 

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• Visual arts processes (planning, developing, refining), materials (paint, clay, ink), techniques (blending, carving, layering, digital printing), elements (line, colour, texture, space, form, value), and principles shape creative intention. 
• Visual arts principles, built on from previous knowledge, include: 
  • perspective — creating depth to show how objects appear smaller when farther away 
  • alignment — arranging elements so they line up visually and feel balanced 
  • colour — advanced colour mixing, properties, and theories, including harmonious, complementary, and tertiary colours.  
• There are specific conventions associated with different artforms and practices, including: 
  • design — layout, typography, visual hierarchy, balance, contrast 
  • painting — brushwork, layering, colour blending, composition, perspective 
  • photography— framing, rule of thirds, lighting, focus, viewpoint 
  • printmaking — repetition, pattern, carving, positive/negative space, texture 
  • sculpture — form, balance, space, material, surface treatment. 
• Visual arts processes, materials, and techniques have differences and commonalities across different cultures and practices. 
• Elements from Māori and Pacific artforms often carry symbolic meaning and are grounded in Indigenous practices (e.g. intergenerational knowledge, spiritual role, whakapapa of the artwork and its processes and materials). 
• Planning, reflection, and development of ideas are a part of the creative process. 
• Materials have both physical and cultural properties, which can carry ancestral meaning and ritual significance and require specific protocols for use (e.g. application of tukanga, avoiding appropriation). 
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• Visual arts conventions shape creative intention: 
  • they are culturally embedded, reflecting values, beliefs, and ways of seeing (e.g. using kowhaiwhai patterns in design, koru symbolism in painting, documentary photography to capture social change, repeating motifs in Pacific printmaking, and carved pou in sculpture to represent ancestors) 
  • they can evolve over time, adapting to contemporary contexts, materials, technologies, and audiences. 
• Indigenous art practices are living knowledge systems that hold symbolic, spiritual, and relational meaning, connecting artists to land, language, and community. 
• Art-making is an iterative process that involves planning, experimentation, and reflection to develop and refine creative ideas. 
• Creative decisions are shaped by technical choices and guided by intention, materials, and context. 
• Artists draw inspiration from lived experience, cultural knowledge, and other practices, including Indigenous artforms that reflect ritual, storytelling, and connection to place. 

• Designing artworks that apply visual art processes, techniques, elements, and principles (e.g. perspective, alignment, colour)  
• Creating artworks using symbolic forms, texture, and materials, referencing conventions specific to the discipline they are following (design, painting, photography, printmaking, sculpture) 
• Using symbolic motifs and culturally significant elements to express personal and collective identity, recognising connections to whakapapa and community knowledge 
• Using purposeful experimentation, planning tools (e.g. process journals, compositional studies), and feedback (e.g. in pairs, groups, informal and formal critiques) to support the ongoing development, reflection, and refinement of ideas as part of the creative process 
• Selecting and combining materials based on their properties, recognising their potential to express meaning, carry ancestral or symbolic significance, and require specific protocols for respectful use 

• Using visual art conventions (including design, painting, photography, printmaking, and sculpture) in cultural art-making to explore themes such as identity, belonging, whakapapa, and personal connection to place 
• Analysing how chosen conventions carry meaning in Indigenous art practices, recognising design as a form of knowledge transmission and storytelling 
• Responding to Indigenous art practices as living knowledge systems, recognising their symbolic, spiritual, and relational meanings and how they connect artists to land, language, and community 
• Refining and adjusting art-making through iterative experimentation and reflection, responding to materials, conventions, and cultural influences 
• Advancing ideas through exploration of lived experience, cultural context, and artist models, using visual planning tools to shape meaning and resolve outcomes 
• Exploring and applying materials, techniques, and compositional strategies to support creative intention and engage viewers (e.g. recycled objects, digital collage, deconstruction, use of negative space) 
• Developing media control through intentional processes and practice-based routines to support technical and expressive decisions 

Observing and responding 

• Artworks communicate intention through the use of visual arts terminology, including materials, techniques, symbols, text, and presentation methods that shape meaning.  
• Analysing art history means examining how artists and stylistic movements use materials, techniques, and symbols to express ideas shaped by their cultural and historical contexts, including Indigenous, local, and global traditions.

• Artworks respond to and are shaped by protocols (such as customary practices for creating, harvesting or displaying artworks), social conventions (shared expectations or traditions within a community), and historical contexts (time, place and events influencing art) and may be grounded in intergenerational knowledge including whakapapa, spiritual beliefs, and cultural values. 
• Symbolic forms such as motifs, icons, patterns, and culturally significant imagery carry meaning beyond decoration, referencing beliefs, people, places, and encoded knowledge. 
• Māori and Pacific artforms are created using specific methods, symbolism, and protocols.

• Using visual arts terminology to interpret artworks and communicate intention, considering how materials, symbols, and presentation shape meaning  
• Analysing how cultural, historical, and stylistic features appear in artworks, including Indigenous, local, and global traditions and considering how these features connect to the artist’s intention, time period, and wider art movements 
• Creating artworks that express personal or collective identity, drawing on symbolic references and cultural contexts 

• Analysing artworks considering diverse contexts, exploring how artists use conventions to reflect narratives, power, and cultural affirmation 
• Exploring how cultural protocols, Indigenous knowledge systems, intergenerational storytelling, and worldviews shape art-making 
• Creating artworks that respond to significant cultural, social, or historical contexts, using symbolism, form, and composition to communicate meaning