Instrumental Music Program

The Queensland Instrumental Music Program is a comprehensive tuition program in which students learn orchestral or band instruments through instruction on a group basis. Educational outcomes are maximised for all students, taking full account of individual circumstances such as their location, gender, socioeconomic situation, language and cultural background, and any impairment and special talents they may have.

The instrumental program seeks to extend a student's experience in music through group lessons and through participation in full orchestra, string orchestra, concert band, stage band or other associated chamber ensembles.

Students in the Instrumental Music Program have at least two contact periods per week, one in an instrumental lesson and at least one in an ensemble rehearsal. The ensemble experience is provided through the formation of school concert bands, orchestras and other ensembles.

The program of instrumental music instruction is organised where possible to operate on a pyramid structure: a secondary school at the peak with the feeder primary schools at the base. In most cases, an instrumental music instructor's itinerary consists of one or two secondary schools and a number of primary schools.

All instrumental music students are required to have a group lesson and, when musically ready, an ensemble rehearsal each week. All instrumental music instructors are expected therefore to form and encourage the development of ensembles such as orchestras, concert bands and so on. Responsibility for the conducting of such ensembles may be decided upon at the school level through consultation.

The major criteria for selection of ensemble repertoire should be musical quality and educational and pedagogical value. This repertoire should encompass a wide variety of styles.

The duration of a lesson should be not less than 30 minutes and is normally one school period or half a school period in secondary schools and 30 minutes in primary schools. Student lessons should normally be timetabled on a rotation pattern. This is intended to minimise loss of class time in any one particular subject.

Instrumental instruction begins at Year Three for the String Instruments and Year Four for Woodwind and Brass, and Year Five for Percussion instruments. If students set their sights on level five in their senior years at high school, they will have completed the equivalent of Grade Five, AMEB - a standard high enough to consider tertiary level study.

The College offers instruction in the following instruments:

For more information, contact the College Music Coordinator through the Middle Campus.