The HSC’s two-tiered music examination system unfairly gives better ATARs to students who study classical music, a leading lecturer in music education has said.
But the head of scaling for university entry has defended the differences in how marks are treated for ATAR calculation, saying they simply reflect the course difficulty and the higher calibre of students who typically take a particular subject.
University of Sydney music academic Dr James Humberstone.Credit:
For the HSC, students can choose between two music subjects: Music 1, which is a more practical course with a focus on popular music, or Music 2, which requires students to have studied music in years 9 and 10 and typically focuses on classical music.
Last year, a student who scored the average in the Music 1 course of 41.3 out of 50 had their mark scaled down by almost 20 points. By comparison, a student who scored the course average of 43.3 out of 50 in Music 2 had their mark scaled down by half that amount.
University of Sydney senior lecturer in music education Dr James Humberstone said the disparity was effectively punishing students who had not studied classical music.
“Music 1 scales a lot worse,” he said.
Critics say access to music education makes the HSC’s music system seem unfair.Credit: Craig Abercrombie
“It is discriminating by the postcode you grew up in – the more advantaged areas can offer both of the courses because they have the number of students. But kids don’t get any choice in the school they’re going to,” he said.
“There are a lot of kids who do Music 1 in schools which don’t offer Music 2. A lot of schools without big budgets and teaching staff can only offer Music 1.”
The NSW Education Standards Authority, which runs HSC exams, is currently in the process of rewriting the HSC music syllabus. Humberstone said the two subjects should be completely overhauled to remove the inequity faced by students.
“There wouldn’t be a silver-bullet solution. But right now is the perfect time to have the conversation about the way to make the systems equitable because the music syllabuses are currently being revised,” he said.
Professor Rod Yager, chair of the committee responsible for how ATARs are calculated, said there were some good reasons why the scaling was different.
“Music 2 is a more demanding subject in music,” he said.
“[There] are significant differences in the cohorts taking the two subjects, both in their measured performance in music and in their measured performance across the suite of other subjects they present for the NSW Higher School Certificate.”
Last year, he said, more students who studied the Music 2 course scored in the top two bands compared with the more general subject.
Music teacher Max Holzner with students Charlie and Stella Mackenzie and Eve Barrington.Credit: Janie Barrett
“This evidence suggests that the Music 1 cohort, taken as a whole, is weaker in music and more diverse in musical ability, as measured by the HSC, than their Music 2 peers,” he said.
“If, in 2024, the nature of the differences between the Music 1 and Music 2 candidatures turns out to be different from that which was observed in 2023, the scaling of the two subjects will reflect that shift.”
About 20 per cent of high school students attend an independent school but private school HSC entries made up 43 per cent of the Music 2 cohort last year. Catholic schools made up 3 per cent while public schools made up 54 per cent.
Music Teachers’ Association of NSW chair Max Holzner said while the scaling process for Music 2 was not inherently unfair and aimed to ensure fairness across all subjects, the specialised nature of Music 2, combined with socioeconomic disparities in access to music education, can lead to outcomes that feel inequitable.
“This is especially true for students from less privileged backgrounds. The greater challenge lies in addressing broader issues of access to quality music education, rather than flaws in the scaling system itself,” he said.
“An increasing body of research highlights the profound impact that music education has on broader academic performance, brain development and overall wellbeing.”
Robin Nagy, director of Academic Profiles – a service that helps schools and students analyse their HSC results – said while Music 2 had been traditionally studied by classical musicians, other styles of music performance could be studied within the better-scaling subject.
“Music teachers differ in their ideas and opinions about this but most agree that the scaling towards ATAR in Music 1 is woeful unless students get high band sixes,” he said.
The NSW Education Standards Authority spokeswoman said it is currently reviewing all Music syllabuses for years 11 and 12. Draft syllabuses will be released for public consultation from October 28.
Asked about the scaling disparity, she said: “There is strong evidence to suggest that passion, interest and ability drives engagement and positive academic outcomes for students in the courses they choose to study.”
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