TDOE: Teaching and Learning: Arts Education

General Music: 6th-8th Grades

Standards, Learning Expectations, and Performance Indicators

Course Description:

General music is a course that seeks to give students in grades 6-8 an overview of the elements, history, and role of music in today’s society. The course will encourage active participation in performing and creating music through a balanced, comprehensive and sequential program of study. In addition, a correlation between music, the other arts, and academic disciplines will be included.

Content Standard 1.0: Singing

Students will sing, alone and with others, a varied repertoire of music.

Learning Expectations:

The student will

1.1 Demonstrate the ability to sing alone selected musical examples.
1.2 Demonstrate the ability to sing in an ensemble selected musical examples.

Performance Indicators:

At Level 1, the student is able to

accurately sing alone a familiar song;
accurately sing a familiar song in unison.

At Level 2, the student is able to

accurately sing a solo melody from selected literature;
accurately sing from selected literature an individual voice part in an ensemble.

At Level 3, the student is able to

accurately sing solo melodies from a varied repertoire;
accurately sing from a varied repertoire an individual voice part in an ensemble.

Sample Performance Task:

Students will sing an American folk song with accurate pitch and rhythm. The teacher will assess for accuracy.

Integration/Linkages:

Music Theory, Music History, Vocal-Choral Music, Language Arts, Social Studies, National Standards for Arts Education.

Content Standard 2.0: Playing Instruments

Students will perform on instruments, alone and with others, a varied repertoire of music.

Learning Expectations:

The student will

2.1 Demonstrate the ability to perform appropriate instrumental musical examples alone.
2.2 Demonstrate the ability to perform an appropriate instrumental part in an ensemble.

Performance Indicators:

At Level 1, the student is able to

accurately play a simple rhythmic ostinato alone;
accurately play a simple rhythmic ostinato in an ensemble.

At Level 2, the student is able to

accurately play a melodic ostinato alone;
accurately play a melodic ostinato in an ensemble.

At Level 3, the student is able to

accurately play an instrumental solo;
accurately play an individual instrumental part in an ensemble.

Sample Performance Task:

Students will accurately perform an instrumental canon on Orff instruments. The teacher will assess the accuracy of pitch and rhythm.

Integration/Linkages:

Music History, Music Theory, Instrumental Music, Social Studies, National Standards for Arts Education.

Content Standard 3.0: Improvising

Students will improvise melodies, variations, and accompaniments.

Learning Expectations:

The student will

3.1 Improvise a simple melody.
3.2 Improvise a simple variation.
3.3 Improvise a simple accompaniment.

Performance Indicators:

At Level 1, the student is able to

experiment with the tones in the pentatonic scale to create a non-notated melody;
experiment with rhythmic patterns to create a non-notated rhythmic variation;
experiment with classroom rhythm instruments to create a non-notated accompaniment to a familiar song.

At Level 2, the student is able to

use the tones in a major scale to create a non-notated melody;
improvise a simple melodic variation to a familiar song;
improvise short accompaniment passages using classroom instruments to a familiar song.

At Level 3, the student is able to

perform a non-notated melody in a stylistically appropriate manner;
improvise an appropriate variation within specified guidelines;
improvise a simple accompaniment within specified guidelines..

Sample Performance Task:

Given a melody, students will improvise an appropriate rhythmic ostinato. The teacher will assess rhythmic fit.

Integration/Linkages:

Music Theory, Music History, Vocal/Choral Music, Instrumental Music, National Standards for Arts Education.

Content Standard 4.0: Composing

Students will compose and arrange music within specified guidelines.

Learning Expectations:

The student will

4.1 Compose simple pieces of music within specified guidelines.
4.2 Create simple arrangements within specified guidelines..

Performance Indicators:

At Level 1, the student is able to

experiment with melody, rhythm, and form in groups to create simple original compositions using a variety of traditional and non-traditional sound sources;
create a simple arrangement of a familiar song in a group using a variety of traditional and non-traditional sound sources..

At Level 2, the student is able to

Individually create a short original composition using a variety of traditional and non-traditional sound sources;
Individually create a short arrangement using a variety of traditional and non-traditional sound sources.

At Level 3, the student is able to

Use appropriately a wide variety of traditional and non-traditional sound sources (to include electronic media) to effectively create original compositions;
Use appropriately a wide variety of traditional and non-traditional sound sources (to include electronic media) to effectively create arrangements.

Sample Performance Task:

Students working alone will use MIDI files and sequencing software to create an original composition in ABA form. The teacher will assess the composition for correct form and appropriate use of the technology.

Integration/Linkages:

Music Theory, Technology, National Standards for Arts Education, Computer Science, Sound Engineer

Content Standard 5.0: Reading and Notating

Students will read and notate music.

Learning Expectations:

The student will

5.1 Demonstrate skills in interpreting notated musical examples that include rhythm, melody, harmony, and symbols of musical expression.
5.2 Demonstrate skills in notating musical examples using standard notation that include rhythm, melody, and symbols of musical expression.

Performance Indicators:

The student is able to

At Level 1, the student is able to

accurately sing or play notated musical examples including rhythm, melody, harmony, and symbols of musical expression at a level of difficulty of 1, on a scale of 1 to 6;
using standard notation, accurately notate rhythm and melody (treble clef) in musical examples.

At Level 2, the student is able to

accurately sing or play notated musical examples including rhythm, melody, harmony, and symbols of musical expression at a level of difficulty of 2, on a scale of 1 to 6;
using standard notation, accurately notate rhythm and melody (treble and bass clef) in musical examples.

At Level 3, the student is able to

accurately sing or play notated musical examples including rhythm, melody, harmony, and symbols of musical expression at a level of difficulty of 3, on a scale of 1 to 6;
using standard notation, accurately notate rhythm, melody (treble and bass clef), and symbols of expression in musical examples.

Sample Performance Task:

Students will correctly notate a rhythmic example performed by the teacher. The students will review their work and then assess it based on the teacher’s answer key.

Integration/Linkages:

Math, Language Arts, Technology, Music Theory, Music History, National Standards for Arts Education, Composer

Content Standard 6.0: Listening and Analyzing

Students will listen to, analyze, and describe music.

Learning Expectations:

The student will

6.1 Demonstrate knowledge of the technical vocabulary of music.
6.2 Analyze aural examples of a varied repertoire of music representing diverse genres and cultures.

Performance Indicators:

At Level 1, the student is able to

correctly use the basic technical music vocabulary to describe meter, tempo, and dynamics in written and oral discussions of musical works;
effectively distinguish the use of meter, tempo, and dynamics in music of diverse cultures and unique genres.

At Level 2, the student is able to

correctly use the basic technical music vocabulary to describe meter, tempo, dynamics and expression in written and oral discussions of musical works;
effectively distinguish the use of meter, tempo, dynamics, and expression in music of diverse cultures and unique genres

At Level 3, the student is able to

correctly use the basic technical music vocabulary to describe meter, tempo, dynamics, form and expression in written and oral discussions of musical works;
effectively distinguish the use of meter, tempo, dynamics, form, and expression in music of diverse cultures and unique genres

Sample Performance Task:

Students will be divided into groups and asked to create a listening map for "In the Hall of the Mountain King." Each group will be assigned one of the following elements for its map: form, tempo, dynamics, meter, and expression. The teacher will assess maps for accuracy of the assigned element.

Integration/Linkages:

Language Arts, Math (Statistics), Social Studies, Technology, Music History, Music Theory, Vocal/Choral Music, Instrumental Music, National Standards for Arts Education.

Content Standard 7.0: Evaluating

Students will evaluate music and music performances.

Learning Expectations:

The student will

7.1 Evaluate the quality and effectiveness of works of music.
7.2 Evaluate the quality and effectiveness of music performances.

Performance Indicators:

At Level 1, the student is able to

explore criteria for evaluating the quality and effectiveness of works of music;
explore criteria for evaluating the quality and effectiveness of a musical performance.

At Level 2, the student is able to

design criteria for evaluating the quality and effectiveness of works of music;
design criteria for evaluating the quality and effectiveness of a musical performance.

At Level 3, the student is able to

thoroughly evaluate and critique the quality and effectiveness of works of music;
thoroughly evaluate and critique the quality and effectiveness of performances using the student-developed criteria.

Sample Performance Task:

Students will develop guidelines for judging the quality and effectiveness of recorded musical performances. Assess the appropriateness of the rubric for evaluating the performance.

Integration/Linkages:

Language Arts, Math, Technology, Music Theory, Music History, National Music Standards, Music Critic

Content Standard 8.0: Interdisciplinary Connections

Students will understand relationships between music, the other arts, and disciplines outside the arts.

Learning Expectations:

The student will

8.1 Compare characteristics of two or more arts.
8.2 Demonstrate ways in which the principles and subject matter of other disciplines are interrelated with those of music.
8.3 Demonstrate an understanding of the role of technology in creating, producing and listening to music.

Performance Indicators:

At Level 1, the student is able to

list characteristics of art forms within a particular historical period or style;
explain how the principles and subject matter of one other academic area correlates with music;
evaluate the role of technology in the performance of music.

At Level 2, the student is able to

describe characteristics of art forms within a historical period or style;
explain how the principles and subject matter of two other academic areas correlate with music;
evaluate the role of technology in the production of music.

At Level 3, the student is able to

compare characteristics of two or more arts within a historical period or style;
explain how the principles and subject matter of three or more other academic areas correlate with music;
evaluate the role of technology in the creation of music.

Sample Performance Task:

Students will create a Venn diagram showing the relationship between music and two or more other academic areas. The teacher will assess the accuracy of the relationship.

Integration/Linkages:

Science, Social Studies, Language Arts, Visual Arts, Theater, Dance, Music History, Music Theory, Technology, National Standards for Arts Education.

Content Standard 9.0: Historical and Cultural Relationships

Students will understand music in relation to history and culture.

Learning Expectations:

The student will

9.1 Distinguish characteristics of representative music genres and styles from a variety of historical periods and cultures.
9.2 Examine the evolution of American musical genres and cite well-known musicians associated with them.
9.3 Compare the function music serves, roles of musicians, and conditions under which music is typically performed in several world cultures.

Performance Indicators:

The student is able to

At Level 1, the student is able to

examine characteristics of music from a selected time period or culture;
explore the sources and development of at least one American music genre and correlate well-known performers associated with that genre;
explore the functions of music, roles of musicians, and typical performance settings in at least one world culture.

At Level 2, the student is able to

examine characteristics of music from a variety of historical periods;
explore the sources and development of at least two American music genres and correlate well-known performers associated with those genres;
explore and compare the functions of music, roles of musicians, and typical performance settings in at least two world cultures.

At Level 3, the student is able to

examine characteristics of music from a variety of cultures;
explore the sources and development of at least three American music genres and correlate well-known performers associated with that genre;
explore and compare the functions of music, roles of musicians, and typical performance settings in at least three world cultures.

Sample Performance Task:

Students write a paragraph comparing the music of two different cultures. The teacher will assess the appropriateness of the comparison.

Integration/Linkages:

Language Arts, Social Studies, Technology, Music History, Music Theory, National Standards for Arts Education.