CBSE Class 10 Carnatic Music Syllabus 2027 has been released by the Central Board of Secondary Education for the 2026-27 academic session. Carnatic Music is offered as three separate streams – Carnatic Vocal (Subject Code 031), Carnatic Melodic Instruments (Subject Code 032) and Carnatic Percussion Instruments (Subject Code 033). A student opts for any one stream. Each stream is a 100-mark course – 30 marks Theory (2-hour paper), 50 marks Practical and 20 marks Internal Assessment. Since Class 10 is a CBSE board exam class, this syllabus decides exactly what is tested in the 2027 board exam. Download the official CBSE Class 10 Carnatic Music Syllabus PDF and see the full stream-wise breakdown of ragas, talas, compositions and theory topics below.
CBSE Class 10 Carnatic Music Syllabus 2027 PDF
The complete curriculum for all three streams – Carnatic Vocal, Carnatic Melodic Instruments and Carnatic Percussion Instruments – is as follows.
CBSE Class 10 Syllabus 2027 Carnatic Music View Download








CBSE Class 10 Carnatic Music Syllabus 2027 – Marks Weightage (Theory + Practical)
Each Carnatic Music stream carries 100 total marks under the same assessment design – 30 marks Theory, 50 marks Practical and 20 marks Internal Assessment. The Practical exam carries the highest weightage, as Carnatic Music is a performance subject.
| Component | Description | Marks |
|---|---|---|
| A – Theory | Written paper of 2 hours – ragas, talas, notation, composers | 30 |
| B – Practical | Rendition / performance of prescribed compositions and exercises | 50 |
| C – Internal Assessment | Internal assessment and project work by the school | 20 |
| Total | 100 |
CBSE Class 10 Carnatic Music Syllabus 2027 – Topics Covered
Across the three streams, the CBSE Class 10 Carnatic Music syllabus covers the following ragas, talas, compositions and theory topics. The exact set depends on the stream you opt for.
CBSE Class 10 Carnatic Music Syllabus 2027 – Streams & Practicals
Carnatic Music in CBSE Class 10 is offered as three independent streams, each with its own subject code and its own set of prescribed ragas, compositions and practical exercises. A student registers for and appears in only one of these streams.
Practical: Alankaras & Swara exercise (8), Varnams (10), Kriti in Adi/Roopak/Chapu talas (12), Kalpana Swaras (8), theory item (7), Tuning of Tanpura (5).
Practical: Adi tala Varnam in two speeds (8), Three Kritis in prescribed ragas (12), Jati Swaram & Swarajati (8), Raga details (14), Tuning of instrument (8).
Practical: Tuning Mridangam (6), Sollukattu for Adi/Rupaka/Triputa/Chapu (14), Accompaniment for Varnam & Tillana (8), Mohra & Korvai (12), Tani Avartanam (10).
In the Carnatic Vocal (031) stream, theory covers raga classification, the 72 Melakarta scheme, prescribed ragas (Suddha Dhanyasi, Sriranjani, Suddha Saveri, Bhairavi, Keeravani, Kambhoji, Ananda Bhairavi), the Kriti with decorative angas, Tana & Pada Varnams, notation of Varnams and Geetams, and the life and contribution of 20th century composers Koteeshwara Iyer, Papanasam Sivan and G.N. Balasubramaniam. The Melodic Instruments (032) stream adds raga lakshanas of Abhogi, Nata, Hindolam and Hari Kambhoji, musical forms Kriti / Jati Swaram / Varnam, and composers Lalgudi Jayaram, M.S. Gopala Krishnan, S. Balachandar and T.R. Mahalingam, plus basic knowledge of the opted instrument. The Percussion Instruments (033) stream covers Sapta tala alankaras, 16 Angas of talas, Korvai and Koraippu (only Adi and Roopaka talas expected), Jaati and Gati Bhedas, schools of Mridangam, and composers Palghat Mani Iyer and Palani Subramania Pillai.
CBSE Class 10 Carnatic Music Syllabus 2027 – Exam Pattern (Theory + Practical Scheme)
The CBSE Class 10 Carnatic Music assessment for every stream follows the same three-part scheme. The Theory paper is of 2 hours, while the Practical (50 marks) and Internal Assessment (20 marks) are conducted by the school as per CBSE guidelines. The stream-wise practical distribution is as follows.
| Stream | Theory (2 Hrs) | Practical | Internal Assessment | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carnatic Vocal (031) | 30 | 50 | 20 | 100 |
| Melodic Instruments (032) | 30 | 50 | 20 | 100 |
| Percussion Instruments (033) | 30 | 50 | 20 | 100 |
| Practical Component (example – Vocal 031) | Marks |
|---|---|
| Singing of Alankaras and Swara exercise in three degrees of speed | 8 |
| Rendering at least one Varnam in two degrees of speed | 10 |
| Rendition of Kriti (Adi, Roopak & Chapu talas) with Swarajmanam test | 12 |
| Short bout of Kalpana Swaras in 1st speed | 8 |
| Any one item from theory syllabus (Topic IV) | 7 |
| Tuning of Tanpura | 5 |
| Total Practical | 50 |
CBSE Class 10 Carnatic Music Syllabus 2027 – Continue Your Preparation
Once you have reviewed the syllabus, practice with the CBSE Class 10 Carnatic Music Sample Paper and the CBSE Class 10 Question Papers to prepare for your board exam.
Frequently Asked Questions
The CBSE Class 10 Carnatic Music Syllabus 2027 is the official curriculum released by CBSE for the 2026-27 academic session. It is offered in three streams – Carnatic Vocal (031), Melodic Instruments (032) and Percussion Instruments (033) – each worth 100 marks with 30 marks Theory, 50 marks Practical and 20 marks Internal Assessment.
The subject codes are 031 for Carnatic Music Vocal, 032 for Carnatic Music Melodic Instruments and 033 for Carnatic Music Percussion Instruments. A student opts for any one of these streams.
Each Carnatic Music stream is of 100 marks – a 30-mark Theory paper of 2 hours, a 50-mark Practical exam, and 20 marks for Internal Assessment and project work.
The prescribed ragas for Carnatic Vocal (031) include Suddha Dhanyasi, Sriranjani, Suddha Saveri, Bhairavi, Keeravani, Kambhoji and Ananda Bhairavi, along with the 72 Melakarta scheme and raga classification.
Yes. The Practical carries the highest weightage at 50 marks. For Vocal it includes Alankaras, Varnams, Kriti rendition and Kalpana Swaras; for instruments it includes playing prescribed compositions and tuning; and for percussion it includes Sollukattu, Mohra, Korvai and Tani Avartanam.
CBSE Class 10 Syllabus 2026-27 (All Subjects)
You study more subjects besides Carnatic Music in 10th class. The subject-wise syllabus for CBSE Class 10 students is as follows.
CBSE Syllabus 2026-27 (Class-wise)
The class-wise syllabus for CBSE board students is as follows.
CBSE Class 10 Carnatic Music Syllabus 2027 – An Overview
The important things to know about this curriculum are as follows.
| Aspects | Details |
|---|---|
| Education Board | CBSE |
| Class | Class 10 (Board Exam) |
| Subject | Carnatic Music (Vocal 031, Melodic 032, Percussion 033) |
| Applicable Session | 2026-27 |
| Total Marks (per stream) | 100 (Theory 30 + Practical 50 + IA 20) |
| All Curriculum for This Class | CBSE Syllabus for Class 10 |
| All Curriculum for This Board | CBSE Syllabus |
| NCERT Books | NCERT Books for Class 10 |
| NCERT Solutions | NCERT Solutions for Class 10 |
If you have any queries on CBSE Class 10 Carnatic Music Syllabus 2027, then please ask in comments below.
