CBSE Class 9 Carnatic Music Syllabus 2026 has been released by the Central Board of Secondary Education for the 2025-26 academic session. Carnatic Music at Class 9 is offered in three streams – Vocal (Subject Code 031), Melodic Instruments (Subject Code 032) and Percussion Instruments (Subject Code 033). A student opts for any one stream. Every stream is a 100-mark course – 30 marks Theory (a 2-hour paper), 50 marks Practical and 20 marks Internal Assessment. The syllabus covers the history of Carnatic music, raga lakshanas of ragas such as Mohanam, Sankarabharanam and Mayamalavagoula, talas like Adi, Roopakam and Chapu, and musical forms including Geetam, Swarajati and Varnam. Download the official CBSE Class 9 Carnatic Music Syllabus PDF and see the full stream-wise breakdown below.
CBSE Class 9 Carnatic Music Syllabus 2026 PDF
The complete curriculum for all three Carnatic Music streams – Vocal (031), Melodic Instruments (032) and Percussion Instruments (033) – is embedded below. You can read the full official document and download it for free.
CBSE Class 9 Syllabus 2026 Carnatic Music View Download
CBSE Class 9 Carnatic Music Syllabus 2026 – Marks Weightage
Each Carnatic Music stream at Class 9 carries 100 total marks – a 30-mark Theory paper, a 50-mark Practical examination and 20 marks of Internal Assessment. This same assessment design applies to Vocal, Melodic Instruments and Percussion Instruments.
| Component | Description | Marks |
|---|---|---|
| A – Theory | Written paper of 2 hours (history, definitions, raga lakshanas, talas, musical forms, notation) | 30 |
| B – Practical | Rendition / performance of exercises, geetams, swarajatis, varnams, keertanas and songs | 50 |
| C – Internal Assessment | Project-File (5), Project (5) and Periodic Practical Tests (10) | 20 |
| Total | 100 |
CBSE Class 9 Carnatic Music Syllabus 2026 – Topics Covered
Across the three streams, the CBSE Class 9 Carnatic Music theory syllabus covers the ragas, talas, compositions, composers and technical terms below. The exact list a student studies depends on the stream opted – Vocal, Melodic or Percussion.
CBSE Class 9 Carnatic Music Syllabus 2026 – Streams & Practicals
Carnatic Music is offered in three distinct streams at Class 9. A student opts for exactly one. Every stream shares the same 30 + 50 + 20 assessment design but has its own theory topics and practical items. The three streams are summarised below.
Vocal (031) practicals include vocal exercises (Swaravalis, Hechchyu and Taggu Sthayi), simple geetams (Pillari and Sadharana / Sanchari), swarajatis in Khamas and Bilahari, four Adi tala varnams, five keertanas in the prescribed ragas, a swarajnanam test, and the singing of a Devarnama and a patriotic song.
Melodic Instruments (032) is for students who opt for an instrument such as Violin, Veena, Flute or Mandolin. Practicals cover swara exercises and Sapta Tala alankaras in two speeds, Pillari and Sadharana geetams, a swarajati and Adi tala varnams, the basic construction and techniques of the chosen instrument, and rendering of a devotional, patriotic or folk song.
Percussion Instruments (033) focuses on rhythm. Practicals include reciting and playing Sollukattu in Adi and Rupaka, Sapta Tala Alankaras in three degrees of speed, and the construction and playing techniques of the opted percussive instrument (such as Mridangam) with short bouts of accompaniment.
CBSE Class 9 Carnatic Music Syllabus 2026 – Exam Pattern
The CBSE Class 9 Carnatic Music examination combines a theory paper, a practical examination and internal assessment. The scheme below applies to each of the three streams (Vocal, Melodic and Percussion).
| Component | Mode | Duration | What is Assessed | Marks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Theory | Written | 2 Hours | History of Carnatic music, definitions of terms, raga lakshanas, talas, musical forms and notation | 30 |
| Practical | Performance / Rendition | – | Rendition of exercises, geetams, swarajatis, varnams, keertanas, kalpana swaras / sollukattu and songs on the opted stream | 50 |
| Internal Assessment – Project File | File / Notation work | – | Writing notations of prescribed compositions, labelling instruments, interviewing local artists | 5 |
| Internal Assessment – Project | Interdisciplinary project | – | Interrelationship of music with Physics, Mathematics, History, Geography or Languages | 5 |
| Internal Assessment – Periodic Tests | Practical (best 2 of 3) | – | One raga, one devotional / folk song and talas (up to 3 tests in the academic year) | 10 |
| Total | 100 |
CBSE Class 9 Carnatic Music Syllabus 2026 – Continue Your Preparation
Once you have reviewed the syllabus, practice with CBSE Class 9 Sample Papers and strengthen your fundamentals using NCERT Books and Solutions for Class 9.
Frequently Asked Questions
The CBSE Class 9 Carnatic Music Syllabus 2026 is the official curriculum released by CBSE for the 2025-26 academic session. It is offered in three streams – Vocal (031), Melodic Instruments (032) and Percussion Instruments (033) – and each is a 100-mark course made up of 30 marks theory, 50 marks practical and 20 marks internal assessment, covering the history of Carnatic music, ragas, talas and musical forms.
Carnatic Music at CBSE Class 9 has three subject codes – 031 for Carnatic Music Vocal, 032 for Carnatic Melodic Instruments and 033 for Carnatic Percussion Instruments. A student opts for any one of these streams.
Each Carnatic Music stream is of 100 marks – a 30-mark theory paper (2 hours), a 50-mark practical examination and 20 marks of internal assessment.
The Class 9 Carnatic Music theory syllabus includes raga lakshanas of ragas such as Mohanam, Hamsadhvani, Sankarabharanam, Mayamalavagoula, Bilahari, Khamas, Kharaharapriya, Abhogi and Hindolam, and talas including Adi, Roopakam, Chapu (Mishra and Khanda) and the Sooladi Sapta Talas.
Yes. In the Melodic Instruments stream (032) a student can opt for Violin, Veena, Flute or Mandolin, while the Percussion Instruments stream (033) covers instruments such as the Mridangam. Students who prefer singing opt for the Vocal stream (031).
CBSE Class 9 Syllabus 2025-26 (All Subjects)
You study more subjects besides Carnatic Music in 9th class. The subject-wise syllabus for CBSE Class 9 students is as follows.
CBSE Syllabus 2025-26 (Class-wise)
The class-wise syllabus for CBSE board students is as follows.
CBSE Class 9 Carnatic Music Syllabus 2026 – An Overview
The important things to know about this curriculum are as follows.
| Aspects | Details |
|---|---|
| Education Board | CBSE |
| Class | Class 9 |
| Subject | Carnatic Music (Vocal 031, Melodic 032, Percussion 033) |
| Applicable Session | 2025-26 |
| Marks Split | Theory 30 + Practical 50 + Internal Assessment 20 = 100 |
| All Curriculum for This Class | CBSE Syllabus for Class 9 |
| All Curriculum for This Board | CBSE Syllabus |
| Full Name of CBSE | Central Board of Secondary Education |
| NCERT Books | NCERT Books for Class 9 |
| NCERT Solutions | NCERT Solutions for Class 9 |
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