We believe that music is a means by
which students can shape and develop their own creative efforts.
We are committed to a music program that is based on activities that
children like to do: sing, chant rhymes, dance, and play instruments.
These natural inclinations provide an opportunity to awaken the musical
potential in every child. Music is explored through
several phases of development including exploration, imitation, improvisation,
and composition. Through the process of these phases all students
are provided the opportunity to develop as independent musicians. Standard 1: Sings, alone and with others, a varied repertoire of music Benchmark 1. Sings with good breath control, expression, and technical accuracy (e.g., appropriate timbre, intonation, and diction; correct pitches and rhythms) at a level that includes modest ranges and changes of tempo, key, and meter Knowledge/skill statements 1. Sings with good breath control at a level that includes modest ranges and changes of tempo, key, and meter 2. Sings with expression at a level that includes modest ranges and changes of tempo, key, and meter 3. Sings with appropriate timbre, intonation, and diction at a level that includes modest ranges and changes of tempo, key, and meter 4. Sings with correct pitches and rhythms at a level that includes modest ranges and changes of tempo, key, and meter Benchmark 2. Sings music written in two and three parts Knowledge/skill statements 1. Sings music written in two parts 2. Sings music written in three parts Benchmark 3. Knows music that represents diverse genres (e.g., sonata, madrigal, jazz, barbershop) and cultures Knowledge/skill statements 1. Knows music that represents diverse genres 2. Knows music that represents diverse cultures 3. Knows characteristics of sonatas 4. Knows characteristics of madrigals 5. Knows characteristics of jazz music 6. Knows characteristics of the barbershop music Standard 2: Performs on instruments, alone and with others, a varied repertoire of music Benchmark 1. Performs on an instrument (e.g., band or orchestra instrument, keyboard instrument, fretted instrument such as guitar, electronic instrument) accurately and independently, alone and in small and large ensembles, with good posture, good playing position, and good breath, bow, or stick control Knowledge/skill statements 1. Performs on a variety of instruments accurately and independently 2. Performs on a variety of instruments alone and in small and large ensembles 3. Performs on a variety of instruments with good posture 4. Performs on a variety of instruments with good playing position 5. Performs on an instrument with good breath control 6. Performs on an instrument with good bow control 7. Performs on an instrument with good stick control Benchmark 2. Performs with expression and technical accuracy on a string, wind, percussion, or other classroom instrument a repertoire of instrumental literature that may include modest ranges and changes of tempo, key, and meter Knowledge/skill statements 1. Performs on a string instruments with expression and technical accuracy 2. Performs on a wind instruments with expression and technical accuracy 3. Performs on a percussion instruments with expression and technical accuracy Benchmark 3. Performs music representing diverse genres and cultures, with expression appropriate for the work being performed Knowledge/skill statements 1. Performs music representing diverse genres, with expression appropriate for the work being performed 2. Performs music representing diverse cultures, with expression appropriate for the work being performed Benchmark 4. Plays by ear simple melodies (e.g., folk songs) on a melodic instrument and simple accompaniments (e.g., strummed, I, IV, V, vi, ii chords) on a harmonic instrument Knowledge/skill statements 1. Plays simple melodies by ear on melodic instruments 2. Plays folk songs by ear on melodic instruments 3. Plays simple accompaniments by ear on harmonic instruments 4. Plays strummed chords by ear on harmonic instruments Standard 3: Improvises melodies, variations, and accompaniments Benchmark 1. Improvises simple harmonic accompaniments Knowledge/skill statements 1. Improvises harmonic accompaniments Benchmark 2. Improvises melodic embellishments and simple rhythmic and melodic variations on given pentatonic melodies and melodies in major keys Knowledge/skill statements 1. Improvises melodic embellishments on given pentatonic melodies 2. Improvises melodic embellishments on melodies in major keys 3. Improvises simple rhythmic and melodic variations on given pentatonic melodies 4. Improvises simple rhythmic and melodic variations on melodies in major keys Benchmark 3. Improvises short melodies, unaccompanied and over given rhythmic accompaniments, in a consistent style (e.g., classical, blues, folk, gospel), meter (e.g., duple, triple), and tonality (e.g., major, pentatonic) Knowledge/skill statements 1. Improvises short melodies, unaccompanied and over given rhythmic accompaniments, in a consistent style 2. Improvises short melodies in a classical style 3. Improvises short melodies in a blues style 4. Improvises short melodies in a folk style 5. Improvises short melodies in a gospel style 6. Improvises short melodies, unaccompanied and over given rhythmic accompaniments, in a consistent meter 7. Improvises short melodies in a duple meter 8. Improvises short melodies in a triple meter 9. Improvises short melodies, unaccompanied and over given rhythmic accompaniments, in a consistent tonality 10. Improvises short melodies in a major key 11. Improvises short melodies on a pentatonic scale Standard 4: Composes and arranges music within specified guidelines Benchmark 1. Knows how the elements of music are used to achieve unity and variety, tension and release, and balance in musical compositions Knowledge/skill statements 1. Knows how the elements of music are used to achieve unity and variety in musical compositions 2. Knows how the elements of music are used to achieve tension and release in musical compositions 3. Knows how the elements of music are used to achieve balance in musical compositions Benchmark 2. Composes short pieces within specified guidelines (e.g., ABA form, limited range, simple rhythms) Knowledge/skill statements 1. Composes short pieces within specified guidelines, such as an ABA form 2. Composes short pieces within specified guidelines, such as in a limited range 3. Composes short pieces within specified guidelines, such as with simple rhythms Benchmark 3. Arranges simple pieces for voices or instruments other than those for which the pieces originally were written (e.g., a guitar accompaniment for a folk song) Knowledge/skill statements 1. Arranges simple pieces for voices other than those for which the pieces originally were written 2. Arranges simple pieces for instruments other than those for which the pieces originally were written Benchmark 4. Uses a variety of traditional and nontraditional sound sources and electronic media (e.g., synthesizer, sequencer) when composing and arranging Knowledge/skill statements 1. Uses a variety of traditional sound sources when composing and arranging 2. Uses a variety of nontraditional sound sources when composing and arranging 3. Uses a variety of electronic media when composing and arranging 4. Uses a variety of electronic media, such as synthesizers, when composing and arranging 5. Uses a variety of electronic media, such as sequencers, when composing and arranging Standard 5: Reads and notates music Benchmark 1. Reads sixteenth and dotted notes and rests in 6/8, 3/8, and alia breve (2/2) meter signatures Knowledge/skill statements 1. Reads sixteenth notes in 6/8, 3/8, and alia breve (2/2) meter signatures 2. Reads dotted notes in 6/8, 3/8, and alia breve (2/2) meter signature 3. Reads rests in 6/8, 3/8, and alia breve (2/2) meter signatures Benchmark 2. Reads at sight simple melodies in both the treble and bass clefs Knowledge/skill statements 1. Reads at sight simple melodies in the treble clef 2. Reads at sight simple melodies in the bass clef Benchmark 3. Knows standard notation symbols for pitch, rhythm, dynamics (e.g., piano, forte, crescendo, diminuendo), tempo, articulation (e.g., accents, legato, staccato, marcato), and expression (e.g., phrasing) Knowledge/skill statements 1. Knows standard notation symbols for pitch 2. Knows standard notation symbols for rhythm 3. Knows standard notation symbols for dynamics 4. Knows standard notation symbols for tempo 5. Knows standard notation symbols for articulation 6. Knows standard notation symbols for expression Benchmark 4. Uses standard notation to record musical ideas Knowledge/skill statements 1. Records musical ideas 2. Uses appropriate notation to record musical ideas Standard 6: Knows and applies appropriate criteria to music and music performances Benchmark 1. Identifies specific music events (e.g., entry of oboe, change of meter, return of refrain) when listening to music Knowledge/skill statements 1. Identifies specific music events, such as the entry of ob~e, when listening to music 2. Identifies specific music events, such as a meter change, when listening to music 3. Identifies specific music events, such as the return of a refrain, when listening to music Benchmark 2. Understands how the elements of music are used in various genres and cultures Knowledge/skill statements 1. Understands how the elements of music are used in various genres of music 2. Understands how the elements of music are used in musical pieces from various cultures Benchmark 3. Understands the basic principles of meter, rhythm, tonality, intervals, chords, and harmonic progressions Knowledge/skill statements 1. Understands the basic principle of meter 2. Understands the basic principle of rhythm 3. Understands the basic principle of tonality 4. Understands the basic principle of intervals 5. Understands the basic principle of chords 6. Understands the basic principle of harmonic progression Benchmark 4. Knows criteria that affect the quality (e.g., use of elements to create unity, variety, tension/release, balance) and effectiveness (e.g., expressive impact) of music performances and compositions Knowledge/skill statements 1. Knows criteria that affect the quality of music performances and compositions 2. Knows criteria that affect the effectiveness of music performances and compositions 3. Knows that by using the elements to create unity and variety, a higher quality of music can be achieved 4. Knows that by using the elements to create tension and release, a higher quality of music can be achieved 5. Knows that by using the elements to create balance, a higher quality of music can be achieved Standard 7 : Understands the relationship between music and history and culture Benchmark 1. Understands distinguishing characteristics (e.g., relating to instrumentation, texture, rhythmic qualities, melodic lines, form) of representative music genres and styles from a variety of cultures Knowledge/skill statements 1. Understands distinguishing characteristics of representative music genres from a variety of cultures 2. Understands distinguishing characteristics of representative music styles from a variety of cultures 3. Understands that instrumentation can distinguish the music genres and styles of various cultures 4. Understands that texture can distinguish the music genres and styles of various cultures 5. Understands that rhythmic qualities can distinguish the music genres and styles of various cultures 6. Understands that melodic lines can distinguish the music genres and styles of various cultures 7. Understands that form can distinguish the music genres and styles of various cultures Benchmark 2. Understands characteristics that cause various musical works (e.g., from different genres, styles, historical periods, composers) to be considered exemplary Knowledge/skill statements 1. Understands characteristics that cause various musical works from different genres to be considered exemplary 2. Understands characteristics that cause various musical works from different styles to be considered exemplary 3. Understands characteristics that cause various musical works from different historical periods to be considered exemplary 4. Understands characteristics that cause various musical works from different composers to be considered exemplary Benchmark 3. Understands the functions music serves, roles of musicians (e.g., lead guitarist in a rock band, composer of jingles for commercials, singer in Peking opera), and conditions under which music is typically performed in various cultures of the world Knowledge/skill statements 1. Understands the function that music serves in various cultures of the world 2. Understands the role of the musician in various cultures of the world 3. Understands the conditions under which music is typically performed in various cultures of the world 4. Knows that in some cultures, a musician may be a lead guitarist in a rock band 5. Knows that in some cultures, a musician may compose jingles for commercials 6. Knows that in some cultures, a musician may be a singer in a Peking opera |
6-8 Music |