GRADE STRAND PreK-2
The Core Music Standards do not ignore the development of skills, knowledge, and dispositions that music teachers have stressed for generations. Rather, they involve the use of these building blocks as we move toward each student’s music literacy. Some draft lists of knowledge, skills, and dispositions have been provided by the NAfME Councils here to help teachers and curriculum planners make these essential connections. More such lists are under preparation to serve as guides for other music classes.
This document is intended to be provided as a guide of the knowledge and skills students should possess by the end of eighth grade. As the educational needs of students change, this document will be enhanced as educators continue to strive for excellence in music education for ALL learners.
Updated: 10/29/2017 by AAnderson
Please note: The first two pages of this document provide descriptions of the dispositions along with the format
and descriptions of the knowledge and skills sections.
DISPOSITIONS
The list below are the ideal dispositions for all students to possess throughout their musical career in education.
CollaborationWorking with others interdependently to perform a task and to achieve shared goals.
Flexibility
Demonstrating the ability to see multiple perspectives and monitor and adjust work based on differing conditions.
Goal Setting
Establishing specific and timely goals for completion of work.
Inquisitiveness
Having curiosity and drive to learn more about known and unknown strategies, techniques, concepts, ideas and phenomena.
Openness and respect for the ideas and work of others
Listening with understanding and empathy to others expressing differing ideas and/or cultural backgrounds.
Responsible Risk Taking
Willing to chance making mistakes while tackling challenging problems that do not have easy, obvious or conventional solutions – seeing these challenges as opportunities for learning rather than potentials for failure.
Self-Reflection
Applying self-knowledge and objective evaluation to personal work through questioning and introspection.
Self-discipline and Perseverance
Demonstrating independence and self-motivation, managing impulsivity, and being comfortable with delayed gratification as they strive for excellence.
Knowledge / Skills
Structure
This category of knowledge refers to the organization of music, using knowledge of music theory and notation to identify how the elements of music (pitch, rhythm, harmony, dynamics, timbre, texture, form, and style/articulation) are used within a piece, including the difficulty or challenges of music being performed or created. / Performing
This area of skills refers to the performance qualities that are expected at a specific grade or level (often found on audition and adjudication forms). These include areas such as technique, sound quality, technical accuracy, interpretation and expression and ensemble skills; as well as implementing effective approaches for selecting and programing appropriate work(s) for performance and refining work using effective practice strategies and work habits. In addition it includes the presentation or performance of work demonstrating appropriate etiquette and deportment (See context). These skills are expressed through singing, playing instruments, and movement.
Context
This category of knowledge refers the historical, cultural and social context of the music as well as the impact of purpose and venue on our choices (selections) and presentation of music, including programing, etiquette and deportment. / Creating
This area of skills refers to the creating skills that are expected at a specific grade or level, in areas such as imagination, craftsmanship, and the ability to refine work by making effective choices for specific contexts and to express personal intent. These are expressed through improvising, arranging, and composing.
Evaluation Criteria
This category of knowledge refers to our understanding of the criteria that are used to evaluate music and performances and how this knowledge impacts our ability to diagnose and solve problems and make musical decisions based on an awareness their own and others strengths, limitations and/or preferences. / Listening, Reading, Notating
This area of skills refers to the aural and notational skills needed to hear, read, and notate, melodic, rhythmic, harmonic and expressive elements of music at specific grades of levels. These are expressed through listening (audiating), reading, and notating music.
Evaluating
This area of skills refers to the application of evaluative criteria to the processes of creating, performing and responding to music. It is expressed through self-assessments and critiques of music and performances.
CREATING
ImagineGenerate and conceptualize artistic ideas and work.
Standard: MU:Cr1.1.2a
Improvise rhythmic and melodic patterns and musical ideas for a specific purpose.
Enduring Understanding
The creative ideas, concepts, and feelings that influence musicians’ work emerge from a variety of sources. / Essential Question
How do musicians generate creative ideas?
Knowledge: (as employed in various cultures and in a manner that fits the cognitive and physical developmental abilities of students)
Structure
● Pitch patterns
● Rhythm patterns (e.g. quarter notes, half notes, whole notes, eighth notes)
● Variation
● Rhythmic and melodic ostinato
● Call and Response
● Question/Answer
● Dynamics (loud/ soft, piano/forte)
● Melodic direction
Context
● Understanding of accompaniment to the lyrics of a song or the perceived meaning behind an instrumental piece.
● Determine the meaning of story and/or character development, personal influence, call & response and use an instrument (classroom, vocal, etc.) to improvise accordingly.
Evaluation Criteria
● Within a framework provided by the teacher of four beats that may or may not repeat to create eight beats, the student will improvise a rhythm or melody appropriately on the beat at the tempo moderato or largo.
● Advanced students can improvise eight to sixteen beats at a tempo of allegro or largo.
● Students articulate/explain the improvisation performed and the purpose for the pattern, technique, form, dynamic, etc. used. / Skills: (as employed in various cultures and in a manner that fits the cognitive and physical developmental abilities of students)
Performing
● Use of chanting, moving, singing, and playing grade level skills
● Echo simple rhythmic and melodic patterns.
● Within a framework of four beats repeated, students perform an improvised rhythmic pattern (possibly as an introduction, as a bridge, or as a call and response).
● Within a framework of four beats repeated, students perform an improvised melodic pattern on a melodic instrument set to the pentatonic scale (possibly as an introduction, as a bridge, or as a call and response).
Creating
● Improvise rhythmic and melodic variations on given simple melodies
● Improvise simple harmonic and rhythmic accompaniments
● Improvise short songs and instrumental pieces using a variety of sound sources, including traditional or classroom sounds, body percussion, and sounds produced by electronic means
● Students explore musical sources freely using found sounds, electronic sounds, or sounds from voice or instruments found in classroom remembering to use sound and silence
● Students listen to an improvised four pitch melodic pattern (i.e. do-re-do-re) and perform the melody back using the correct syllables, hand signs, and are on the correct pitch as used within the classroom
● Students may notate the improvised melody on a staff
Aural & Notational skills
● Use of grade level rhythm and pitches
● Students listen to an improvised four beat rhythmic pattern (i.e. ta-titi-ta-titi) and perform the rhythm back using the correct syllables as used within the classroom
● Students may notate the improvised rhythm
Evaluating
● Use of appropriate/inappropriate responses to a call or question
● Students listen to a student performing an improvised rhythm or melody and determine if the student was on the beat, performed four beats and performed on the instrument with proper technique.
Vocabulary
● Contrast (high/low, loud/soft, etc.)
● Repetition
● Pattern
● Ostinato
● Repeat
● Form (AB, Call and Response)
● Beat
● Rhythm
● Sound
● Long/Short/Silence
● Quarter note (rhythmic solfege, eg. “ta”)
● Quarter rest
● Eighth note (rhythmic solfege, eg. “ti”)
● Eighth notes (rhythmic solfege, eg. “ti-ti”)
● Fermata
● Melody
● Melodic Direction (Up/Down, Step/Skip/Repeated Pitches)
● Dynamics (crescendo, decrescendo, loud, soft, piano, forte)
● Tempo (fast/slow, largo, moderato, allegro)
● Body Percussion
Standard: MU:Cr1.125b
Generate musical patterns and ideas within the context of a given tonality (such as major and minor) and meter (such as duple and triple).
Enduring Understanding
The creative ideas, concepts, and feelings that influence musicians’ work emerge from a variety of sources. / Essential Question
How do musicians generate creative ideas?
Knowledge: (as employed in various cultures and in a manner that fits the cognitive and physical developmental abilities of students)
Structure
● Meter
● Tempo
● Tonality
Context
● Alone or as part of a group
Evaluation Criteria
● Music is created in many ways
● Music is created for many purposes and reasons / Skills: (as employed in various cultures and in a manner that fits the cognitive and physical developmental abilities of students)
Performing
● Use of chanting, moving, singing, and playing grade level skills.
Creating
● Students improvise rhythmic or melodic phrases in duple and triple meter.
● Improvise simple harmonic and rhythmic accompaniments within specified guidelines and major and minor tone sets
● Create and arrange short songs and instrumental pieces within specified guidelines and major and minor tone sets
● Use a variety of sound sources when composing and arranging.
Aural & Notational Skills
● Create short pieces within specified guidelines, demonstrating the use of the elements of music and use of grade level rhythm and pitches
Evaluating
● Appropriate/inappropriate use of musical ideas within established guidelines i.e. major/minor, duple/triple
Vocabulary
● Pitch
● Tonality
● Major/Minor
● Key signature
● Rhythm
● Meter
● Duple/Triple
● Time signature
● Tempo
● Steps/Skips/Repeated pitches
● Unison/Harmony
● Legato/Staccato
● Ostinato
● Cannon/Round
Plan and Make
Select and develop musical ideas for defined purposes and contexts
Standard: MU:Cr2.1.2a
Demonstrate and explain personal reasons for selecting patterns and ideas for music that represent expressive intent
Enduring Understanding
Musicians’ creative choices are influenced by their expertise, context, and expressive intent. / Essential Question
How do musicians make creative decisions?
Knowledge: (as employed in various cultures and in a manner that fits the cognitive and physical developmental abilities of students)
Structure
● Dynamics
● Meter
● Tempo
● Articulation
● Texture (thick or thin)
● Style
Context: Alone or with others
Evaluation Criteria
● Student articulates his or her personal reasons for selecting a pattern or idea for music that represented expressive intent using a rubric.
● Student articulates how elements of music are organized in different ways to demonstrate meaning and emotion and represent ideas/mental images / Skills: (as employed in various cultures and in a manner that fits the cognitive and physical developmental abilities of students)
Performing
● Use of chanting, moving, singing, and playing grade level skills
Creating
● Students create music to evoke an emotion, imitate styles, or make a connection to something in their life
● Create music to accompany readings and dramatizations
Aural & Notational Skills
● Use of grade level rhythm and pitches
● Use of traditional, iconic or invented musical symbols to represent expressive intent
● Identify symbols and traditional terms referring to dynamics, tempo, and articulation and interpret them correctly when performing
● Identify simple musical devices, such as form, contrast, and texture
Evaluating
● Musical choices appropriately/inappropriately reflect expressive intent/ mental image of mood, action, character, event or emotion, i.e. happy vs. sad, heavy vs. light, etc.
● Appropriate/inappropriate explanation of musical decisions and means used to evoke feelings and emotions
Vocabulary
● Tempo
● Expression
● Dynamics (piano/forte)
● Staccato/Legato
● Tempo (fast/slow)
● Pitch (high/low)
● Rhythm (short/long)
● Tonality (Major/Minor)
● Form
● Contrast
● Texture
Standard: MU:Cr2.1.2b
Use iconic or standard notation and/or recording technology to combine, sequence, and document personal musical ideas
Enduring Understanding
Musicians’ creative choices are influenced by their expertise, context, and expressive intent. / Essential Question
How do musicians make creative decisions?
Knowledge: (as employed in various cultures and in a manner that fits the cognitive and physical developmental abilities of students)
Structure
● Beat
● Divided beat
● Note letter names (beginning/limited staff notation)
● Limited traditional terms and symbols
● Iconic representation of high/low, short/long, etc.
Context: Alone or with others
Evaluation Criteria
● Music is documented visually and aurally so that it can be preserved, shared with and performed by others / Skills: (as employed in various cultures and in a manner that fits the cognitive and physical developmental abilities of students)
Performing
● Use of chanting, moving, singing, and playing grade level skills
Creating
● Students create music to evoke an emotion, imitate styles, or make a connection to something in their life
● Create music to accompany readings and dramatizations
Aural & Notational Skills
● Use systems (syllables, numbers, or letters) to read simple pitch notation (app. M6th range) in the treble/do clef staff
● Use standard symbols of two beamed eighth notes, quarter, half, dotted half, whole note, quarter rest, half rest, whole rest, time signature, piano and forte dynamic markings to represent musical ideas
● Develop or use existing iconic system to represent understanding of organized musical ideas to notate meter, rhythm, pitch, and dynamics in pattern and/or song
● Identify simple musical devices, such as form, contrast, and texture
Evaluating
● Appropriately/inappropriately use traditional or iconic notation to convey musical ideas
Vocabulary
● Beat
● Rhythm
● Notation (Eighth note, Quarter note/rest, Half note/rest, Dotted half note/rest, Whole note/rest)
● Form
● Repetition
● Contrast
● Texture
● Staff (Lines, Spaces, Measure, Bar line)
● Step/Skip/Repeated Pitches
● Time signature
● Key signature
Evaluate and Refine
Evaluate and refine selected musical ideas to create musical work(s) that meet appropriate criteria.
Standard: MU:Cr3.1.2a
Interpret and apply personal, peer, and teacher feedback to revise personal music.
Enduring Understanding
Musicians evaluate, and refine their work through openness to new ideas, persistence, and the application of appropriate criteria. / Essential Question
How do musicians improve the quality of their creative work?
Knowledge: (as employed in various cultures and in a manner that fits the cognitive and physical developmental abilities of students)
Structure
● Beat
● Divided beat
● Note letter names (beginning/limited staff notation)
● Limited traditional terms and symbols
● Iconic representation of high/low, short/long, etc.
Context
● Rehearsal
● Classroom
● Performance
Evaluation Criteria
● Student refines work based on personal, peer, and teacher feedback and articulates the reason for the change and/or the reason for not making a recommended change. / Skills: (as employed in various cultures and in a manner that fits the cognitive and physical developmental abilities of students)
Performing
● Use of chanting, moving, singing, and playing grade level skills
Creating
● Students create music to evoke an emotion, imitate styles, or make a connection to something in their life
● Create music to accompany readings and dramatizations
Aural & Notational Skills
● Use systems (syllables, numbers, or letters) to create/revise simple pitch notation
● Use standard symbols of two beamed eighth notes, quarter, half, dotted half, whole note, quarter rest, half rest, whole rest, time signature, piano and forte dynamic markings to represent/revise musical ideas
● Develop or use existing iconic system to represent understanding of organized musical ideas to notate meter, rhythm, pitch, and dynamics in pattern and/or song
● Identify simple musical devices, such as form, contrast, and texture
Evaluating
● Devise criteria for evaluating the quality and effectiveness of music performances and compositions and apply the criteria to refine their personal listening, composing, performing, work and work habits
● Evaluate the quality of their own and others’ performances and offer constructive suggestions for improvement
● Evaluate a performance, composition, arrangement, or improvisation by comparing it to similar or exemplary model
Vocabulary
- Rehearsal
- Performance
- Revision
- Feedback/response
- Style
- Texture
- Timbre
- Notation
Present
Share creative musical work that conveys intent, demonstrates craftsmanship, and exhibits originality.
Standard: MU:Cr3.2.2b
Convey expressive intent for a specific purpose by presenting a final version of personal musical ideas to peers or informal audience.
Enduring Understanding
Musicians’ presentation of creative work is the culmination of a process of creation and communication / Essential Question
When is creative work ready to share?
Knowledge: (as employed in various cultures and in a manner that fits the cognitive and physical developmental abilities of students)
Structure
● Listeners’ understanding of expressive intent
Context
● Concert
● Recital
● Open house
● Class/in-school/peer sharing
● Community event
Evaluation Criteria
● Student articulates how music is created for many purposes and reasons and communicate expressive intent to audience.
● Student uses appropriate terminology in explaining music, music notation, the purposeful use of certain instruments (whether cultural or expressive reasons), and expressive intent. / Skills: (as employed in various cultures and in a manner that fits the cognitive and physical developmental abilities of students)
Performing
● Perform (movement, singing, playing) accompanied or unaccompanied
● Perform independently, on pitch, and in rhythm with clear diction, and posture, and maintain a steady tempo
Creating
● Students create music to evoke an emotion, imitate styles, or make a connection to something in their life
● Create music to accompany readings and dramatizations
Aural & Notational Skills
● Use appropriate criteria and well-written descriptions of performance to plan and monitor their own work/preparation procedures
● Identify specific elements of what listeners will learn, respond to, and have personal involvement with in presentation experience
Evaluating
● Develop criteria for evaluating the quality and effectiveness of music performances and compositions and apply the criteria to their personal listening, composing, and performing
● Evaluate preparation of a performance, composition, arrangement, or improvisation by comparing it to similar or exemplary models
Vocabulary
● Posture
● Diction
● Expression
● Stage presence
● Confidence
● Performing/performer
● Audience
● Feedback/response
● Refine
PERFORMING