More Resources
For the duration of your subscription to this site, please feel free to print any of these resources and use them yourself as a student, or in your classroom as a teacher.
A NOTE TO STUDENTS: Most of these resources include the answers in the same document, so make sure you avoid looking at them until you have completed the task!
Viva Voce Resources
NOTE: The majority of these resources are aimed at HSC and Preliminary students but they could easily be used for Year 9 & 10 students.
Below, you’ll find a list of links to a range of different .pdf files. They all focus on a different aspect of the viva voce so make sure you read carefully through them and whenever possible, complete the activities. Hopefully they help you on the road to presenting an awesome viva voce!
Developing a focus – DOWNLOAD
The Outline Summary Sheet – DOWNLOAD
Effective Viva Voce Research – DOWNLOAD
Audio Examples – DOWNLOAD
Rehearsing Your Viva – DOWNLOAD
General Viva Tips – DOWNLOAD – *NEW*
Practice Exams
Practice Exam 8 – DOWNLOAD – *NEW*
A 15 minute exam question based on ‘Side Effects’ by The Chain Smokers feat. Emily Warren. This question looks at the roles of SOUND SOURCES.
Practice Exam 7 – DOWNLOAD
A 15 minute exam question based on ‘Feel The Way I Do’ by The Jungle Giants. This question looks at MUSICAL INTEREST while addressing the LAYERS OF SOUND.
Practice Exam 6 – DOWNLOAD
A 15 minute exam question based on ‘Just Like You Imagined’ by Nine Inch Nails. This question looks at UNITY and VARIETY and hence, all of the concepts.
Practice Exam 5 – DOWNLOAD
A 15 minute exam question based on ‘Why’ by Joe Satriani. This question is about PERFORMING MEDIA and the way the composer uses it to create INTEREST.
Practice Exam 4 – DOWNLOAD
A 15 minute exam question based on ‘Gonna Get Over You’ by Sara Bareilles. The question looks at PERFORMING MEDIA and TEXTURE, so requires students to plan well in setting out their response.
Practice Exam 3 – DOWNLOAD
A 15 minute exam question based on ‘Yesterday’ by The Beatles. The focus of the question is STRUCTURE.
Practice Exam 2 – DOWNLOAD
A 15 minute exam question based on ‘Right Here, Right Now’ by Fat Boy Slim. The focus of the question is on UNITY and CONTRAST, so it looks at all six concepts.
Practice Exam 1 – DOWNLOAD
A 15 minute exam question based on ‘Money’ by Pink Floyd. The focus concepts are DURATION and TONE COLOUR.
TXT-it – DOWNLOAD
This is a literacy task that requires students to convert a piece of graphic notation into a detailed, written description. Some teacher direction may be required beforehand to ensure students are focused on sentence structures and musical terminology, but this is something that can be used throughout every stage of Music study!
Question Creation (20th Century Music) – DOWNLOAD
This task requires students to create a bank of questions (using the 20th Century Music listening examples on this site as stimulus) for other students to answer. It specifies 20 questions, but that could be adapted to suit the available time for the task. The presentation of the final product could be as a worksheet for other students or just a list of questions handed in to the teacher. Requiring the student to see things from a different perspective, it’s a great literacy task!
Twenty Questions (PITCH) – DOWNLOAD
This task enables teachers to expose students to a huge number of listening examples, with ease. The 20 questions relate to 20 different examples found on this site, all on the PITCH page and all in order. There is a wide range of questions covering mostly Stage 5 and 6 content. Thanks to Theresa Therese for the ideas!
Fifteen Questions (DURATION) – DOWNLOAD
This task is just like the one above, enabling teachers to expose students to a huge number of listening examples. The 15 questions relate to 15 different examples found on this site, all on the DURATION page and all in order. Again, mostly appropriate to Stage 5 and 6. Thanks to Theresa Therese for the ideas!
Total Aural Recall – DOWNLOAD
Essentially, this task requires students to hear a piece of music in their head, whilst not actually listening to it. There are many variations to the tasks provided here, but they all focus on the student’s ability to recall and describe familiar music. A good task that can be adjusted endlessly, for all aural abilities.
Radio / Video – DOWNLOAD
This is a 10 question, guided listening task that requires the student to focus their listening primarily on PITCH, DURATION, DYNAMICS and TEXTURE. It is based on System of a Down’s ‘Radio / Video‘. A YouTube link is provided on the sheet if required, so that students can complete the task outside of class time. This task could also be completed as a class, with teacher direction and discussion. Includes suggested answers.
Listening Notes – DOWNLOAD
This A4 sized template allows students to organise their listening observations in a table format, with a focus on STRUCTURE and TEXTURE. This format is extremely common in examination responses and includes a completed sample that can also be used as a guided listening discussion starter. Use multiple pages for longer excerpts. Appropriate for students of all Secondary stages.
Tone Colour Wordbank – DOWNLOAD
This template enables students to keep track of words they can use to describe Tone Colour. Students check a prospective word with their teacher before adding it to their list, along with a description and an example.
Basic Concept Summary – DOWNLOAD
A basic description of each of the six concepts, across two A4 pages. The descriptions suit Stage 5 and 6 students.