GOALS
The content of the music curriculum, like that of the music standards of learning, is intended to support the following goals for students:
• Develop understanding of music through experiences in singing, playing instruments, performing rhythms, moving to music, composing, and listening.
• Develop the ability to read and notate music.
• Create compositions that transcribe their thoughts and emotions into forms of musical expression.
• Exercise critical thinking skills by investigating and analyzing all facets of the music discipline.
• Demonstrate awareness of and responsibility for the safe and responsible use of materials, equipment, methods, and technologies.
• Demonstrate understanding of the relationship of music to history and culture.
• Make connections between music and other fields of knowledge.
• Demonstrate the ability to apply aesthetic criteria for making musical decisions.
What will your child be learning in music class?
Kindergarten
Singing
1. The student will sing individually and in groups a variety of songs with a limited range.
2. The student will sing using basic vocal techniques.
3. The student will sing at the appropriate time following a vocal or instrumental introduction.
4. The student will demonstrate the difference between singing voice and speaking voice.
5. The student will demonstrate expressive qualities of music, including loud/soft and fast/slow, using the
voice.
Playing Instruments
6. The student will play a variety of instruments individually and in groups.
7. The student will accompany songs and chants with body percussion and instruments.
8. The student will imitate melody, using instruments.
9. The student will play at the appropriate time following a vocal or instrumental introduction.
10. The student will demonstrate steady beat, using body percussion and instruments.
11. The student will demonstrate expressive qualities of music, including loud/soft and fast/slow, using
body percussion and instruments
Performing Rhythms
12. The student will perform rhythmic patterns that include sounds and silences, using voice, body
percussion, and instruments.
13. The student will illustrate rhythmic patterns that include sounds and silences, using movement.
Moving to Music
14. The student will move at the appropriate time following a vocal or instrumental introduction.
15. The student will match movements to rhythmic patterns in response to music.
16. The student will use movement to illustrate moods and contrast in music, stories, and poems.
17. The student will perform songs and games from various cultures.
18. The student will demonstrate a steady beat. The student will demonstrate expressive qualities of music, including loud/soft and fast/slow, using movement.
19. The student will exhibit respect for personal space of self and others when moving to music.
Composing
20. The student will dramatize songs, stories, and poems.
Music Theory and Cultural Context
Reading and Writing Music
21. The student will read high and low pitches represented by traditional and nontraditional notation (e.g.,
icons).
22. The student will read rhythms represented by traditional and nontraditional notation (e.g., icons, syllabic
phrases).
Understanding Music
23. The student will listen to and recognize patriotic and seasonal songs.
Making Connections
24. The student will identify people who make music as “musicians” (e.g., singers, instrumentalists,
conductors, composers).
25. The student will investigate various uses of the voice (e.g., sound effects, humming).
Judgment and Criticism: Listening, Analyzing, Interpreting, Evaluating
26. The student will identify selected instruments by sight and sound.
27. The student will recognize expressive qualities of music, including fast/slow and loud/soft.
29. The student will identify the difference between vocal and instrumental sounds.
30. The student will identify the differences among men’s, women’s, and children’s voices.
Aesthetics: Responding, Reflecting
31. The student will describe the personal feelings evoked by musical experience.
Grade One
Performance and Production
Singing
1. The student will sing a variety of songs individually and in groups, with emphasis on songs containing
sol, mi, and la pitches.
2. The student will perform music, using the voice in speech and song.
3. The student will demonstrate high and low pitches vocally.
4. The student will demonstrate expressive qualities of music, including changes in dynamics and tempo,
using the voice.
Playing Instruments
5. The student will play a variety of pitched and non-pitched instruments individually and in groups.
6. The student will accompany songs and chants with body percussion and instruments while singing.
7. The student will demonstrate high and low pitches, using instruments.
8. The student will demonstrate expressive qualities of music, including changes in dynamics and tempo,
using body percussion and instruments.
Performing Rhythms
9. The student will perform rhythmic patterns that include quarter notes, paired eighth notes, and quarter
rests, using voice, body percussion, and pitched and non-pitched instruments.
10. The student will demonstrate melodic rhythm, using voice, body percussion, and instruments.
11. The student will illustrate rhythmic patterns that include quarter notes, paired eighth notes, and quarter
rests, using movement.
Moving to Music
12. The student will perform line and circle dances.
13. The student will perform dances and games from various cultures, with emphasis on American cultures.
14. The student will demonstrate locomotor and nonlocomotor movements.
15. The student will use movement to dramatize songs, stories, and poems, with emphasis on American
cultures.
16. The student will demonstrate expressive qualities of music, including changes in dynamics and tempo,
using movement.
17. The student will demonstrate high and low pitches, using movement.
18. The student will exhibit respect for self and others while moving to music.
Composing
19. The student will improvise music, using body percussion, instruments, and movement.
│to enhance stories, songs, and poems.
20. The student will create melodies for familiar nursery rhymes and chants.
21. The student will create melodies for familiar nursery rhymes and chants.
Music Theory and Cultural Context
Reading and Writing Music
22. The student will read rhythmic patterns that include quarter notes, paired eighth notes, and quarter rests.
23. The student will identify by sight high pitches and low pitches.
Understanding Music History and Musical Styles
24. The student will experience and discuss music related to famous Americans, American cultures,
historical events, and major holidays.
Judgment and Criticism: Listening, Analyzing, Interpreting, Evaluating
26. The student will recognize when music changes from one section to a contrasting section.
27. The student will identify and investigate by sight and sound pitched and non-pitched instruments.
28. The student will recognize sudden changes in expressive qualities of music, including changes in
dynamics and tempo.
29. The student will compare and contrast vocal and instrumental music.
30. The student will distinguish between accompanied and unaccompanied vocal music.
31. The student will recognize by sight and sound the difference between melodic rhythm and steady beat.
Aesthetics: Responding, Reflecting
32. The student will describe ideas and emotions evoked by music.
Grade Two
OBJECTIVES
Performance and Production
Singing
1. The student will sing individually and in groups a variety of songs, with emphasis on melodies within
the range of a sixth.
2. The student will sing music in AB and ABA forms.
3. The student will sing melodic patterns that move upward, downward, and stay the same.
4. The student will demonstrate sudden and gradual changes in expressive qualities of music, including
changes in dynamics and tempo, using the voice.
Playing Instruments
5. The student will exercise increasing control while playing a variety of pitched and non-pitched
instruments individually and in groups.
6. The student will accompany songs and chants with ostinato and single-chord accompaniments, using
instruments.
7. The student will play music in AB and ABA forms, using instruments.
8. The student will play melodic patterns that move upward, downward, and stay the same, using
instruments.
9. The student will demonstrate sudden and gradual changes in expressive qualities of music, including
changes in dynamics and tempo, using instruments.
Performing Rhythms
10. The student will perform rhythmic patterns, using traditional notation and including paired eighth notes,
quarter notes, quarter rests, half notes, half rests, whole notes, and whole rests, using voice, body
percussion, and pitched and non-pitched instruments.
Moving to Music
11. The student will perform nonchoreographed and choreographed movements, including line and circle
dances, with emphasis on AB and ABA forms.
12. The student will perform dances and games from various cultures
13. The student will demonstrate locomotor and nonlocomotor movements of increasing complexity.
14. The student will use movement to dramatize songs, stories, and poems from various cultures
15. The student will demonstrate sudden and gradual changes in expressive qualities of music, including
changes in dynamics and tempo, using movement.
16. The student will demonstrate melodic patterns that move upward, downward, and stay the same, using
movement.
Composing
17. The student will create lyrics to familiar melodies.
18. The student will create accompaniments and ostinati.
19. The student will create music to enhance stories, songs, and poems.
20. The student will create movements to illustrate form.
Music Theory and Cultural Context
Reading and Writing Music
21. The student will identify like and unlike melodic phrases.
22. The student will identify AB and ABA forms in music.
23. The student will identify by sight melodic patterns that move upward, downward, and stay the same.
24. The student will read melodic patterns, using sol, mi, la, and low do.
25. The student will notate melodic patterns that move upward, downward, and stay the same, using the
seven letters of the musical alphabet.
26. The student will read rhythmic patterns, using traditional notation and including paired eighth notes,
quarter notes, quarter rests, half notes, half rests, whole notes, and whole rests.
Understanding Music History and Musical Styles
27. The student will experience and discuss the role of music in different cultures
28. The student will experience and discuss the role of music in American Indian cultures.
29. The student will describe and discuss the difference between rock, folk/popular music and orchestral music.
Making Connections
30. The student will investigate the role of performers in music.
31. The student will investigate how music is a form of communication in various cultures.
Judgment and Criticism: Listening, Analyzing, Interpreting, Evaluating
32. The student will identify visually and aurally and investigate selected orchestral and folk instruments.
33. The student will describe sudden and gradual changes in dynamics and tempo, using music terminology.
34. The student will identify melodic patterns that move upward, downward, and stay the same, using music
terminology.
35. The student will categorize music compositions by form.
36. The student will identify visually and aurally the beginning and ending of a musical phrase.
Aesthetics: Responding, Reflecting
37. The student will investigate how musicians are inspired to perform or compose.
Grade Three
OBJECTIVES
Performance and Production
Singing
1. The student will sing a varied repertoire of songs, with emphasis on melodies within the range of an
octave.
2. The student will sing in tune with a clear tone quality.
3. The student will sing alone and with others in various ensembles.
4. The student will sing melodies from the treble staff, using a wide range of tempos and dynamics.
5. The student will sing rounds, partner songs, and ostinato patterns in a two-part ensemble.
Playing Instruments
6. The student will play pitched and non-pitched instruments in two-part ensembles.
7. The student will accompany songs and chants with I and V (V7) chords, using instruments.
8. The student will play melodies written in traditional notation on the treble staff, using instruments.
9. The student will demonstrate a wide range of tempos and dynamics, using instruments.
Performing Rhythms
10. The student will perform rhythmic patterns that include sixteenth notes, single eighth notes, eighth rests,
paired eighth notes, quarter notes, quarter rests, half notes, half rests, dotted half notes, whole notes, and
whole rests, using voice, body percussion, and pitched and non-pitched instruments.
11. The student will perform sets of beats grouped in twos and threes.
Moving to Music
12. The student will perform nonchoreographed and choreographed movements, including line and circle
dances, with emphasis on ABC form.
13. The student will perform dances and games from various cultures, with emphasis on those from ancient
Greece, ancient Rome, and the West African empire of Mali.
14. The student will use movement to dramatize songs.
15. The student will illustrate form through movement, with emphasis on ABC form.
16. The student will illustrate sets of beats grouped in twos and threes, using movement.
Composing
17. The student will create rhythmic accompaniments and ostinati for songs and chants.
18. The student will create melodic accompaniments and ostinati for songs and chants.
19. The student will create new verses to songs.
20. The student will create movements to illustrate form, with emphasis on ABC form.
21. The student will create movements to illustrate sets of beats grouped in twos and threes.
Music Theory and Cultural Context
Reading and Writing Music
22. The student will recognize that music is divided into measures.
23. The student will identify sets of beats grouped in twos and threes.
24. The student will identify strong and weak beats.
25. The student will read and notate rhythmic patterns that include sixteenth notes, single eighth notes,
eighth rests, paired eighth notes, quarter notes, quarter rests, half notes, half rests, dotted half notes,
whole notes, and whole rests.
26. The student will notate melodies, using traditional notation on the treble staff.
27. The student will identify and explain ABC form.
28. The student will recognize and explain the functions of music symbols in a musical score, using music
terminology.
29. The student will identify melodic movement as step, leap, or repeat.
30. The student will demonstrate the melodic shape (contour) of a musical phrase.
31. The student will sight-read rhythmic patterns that include sixteenth notes, single eighth notes, eighth
rests, paired eighth notes, quarter notes, quarter rests, half notes, half rests, dotted half notes, whole
notes, and whole rests.
32. The student will sight-read melodic patterns, using a pentatonic scale (do, re, mi, sol, la).
Understanding Music History and Musical Styles
33. The student will experience and discuss the music of world cultures
34. The student will have a better understanding of code songs and their history.
35. The student will experience and discuss musical settings of folk tales.
36. The student will experience and discuss examples of non-Western instruments.
Making Connections
37. The student will recognize and investigate the role that music plays in the oral tradition of a culture.
38. The student will describe and discuss orchestral music careers (e.g., conductor, instrumentalist, vocalist,
general manager, stage manager).
Judgment and Criticism: Listening, Analyzing, Interpreting, and Evaluating
39. The student will identify and investigate the four orchestral families visually and aurally (woodwind,
string, brass, percussion).
40. The student will discuss a piece of music, using music terminology.
41. The student will describe the melodic shape (contour) of a musical phrase, including how pitches may
move upward, downward, or stay the same, using music terminology.
42. The student will examine and discuss how music changes in history and why
Aesthetics: Responding, Reflecting
43. The student will identify common elements in the music of a culture.
44. The student will determine why music has value.
45. The student will investigate personal motivations for making music.
Grade Four
OBJECTIVES
Performance and Production
Singing
1. The student will sing a varied repertoire of songs, with emphasis on diatonic melodies.
2. The student will sing with a clear tone quality and correct intonation.
3. The student will maintain correct posture while singing.
4. The student will sing melodies from the treble staff with expression, using indicated dynamics and
phrasing.
5. The student will sing in simple harmony.
Playing Instruments
6. The student will play music of increasing difficulty in two-part ensembles, using pitched and nonpitched
instruments.
7. The student will accompany songs and chants with I, IV, and V (V7) chords, using instruments.
8. The student will play a given melody on recorder or other instrument.
9. The student will play melodies of increasing difficulty written in traditional notation on the treble staff,
Performing Rhythms
10. The student will perform rhythmic patterns that include eighth notes, eighth rests,
paired eighth notes, quarter notes, quarter rests, a dotted quarter followed by an eighth note, half notes,
half rests, dotted half notes, whole notes, and whole rests, using voice, body percussion, and pitched and
non-pitched instruments.
Moving to Music
11. The student will perform choreographed movements and creative movement with music
12. The student will perform traditional games and folk dances
13. The student will create music to illustrate form, using AB, ABA, and Rondo.
14. The student will create music to illustrate meter.
Composing
15. The student will improvise simple melodic accompaniments.
16. The student will improvise simple rhythmic accompaniments.
17. The student will compose melodic and rhythmic motives with ostinato
18. The student will compose short melodic and rhythmic phrases within specified guidelines.
Music Theory and Cultural Context
Reading and Writing Music
19. The student will read short melodic scale patterns.
20. The student will sight-read melodic patterns, using a hexatonic scale (do, re, mi, fa, sol, la).
21. The student will sight-read rhythmic patterns that include single eighth notes, eighth
rests, paired eighth notes, quarter notes, quarter rests, a dotted quarter followed by an eighth note, half
notes, half rests, dotted half notes, whole notes, and whole rests.
22. The student will recognize dynamic markings and interpret them in performance.
23. The student will notate melodies in traditional notation on the treble staff, with emphasis on stepwise
progression.
24. The student will read and notate rhythmic patterns that include single eighth notes,
eighth rests, paired eighth notes, quarter notes, quarter rests, a dotted quarter followed by an eighth note,
half notes, half rests, dotted half notes, whole notes, and whole rests.
25. The student will read and notate two-note chords in traditional notation on the treble staff.
26. The student will identify the functions of the upper and lower numbers of meter signatures with 2, 3,
and 4 beats.
27. The student will divide rhythms into measures.
28. The student will identify and explain rondo form.
Understanding Music History and Musical Styles
29. The student will recognize a composer and a music composition
30. The student will describe various styles of music, using music terminology.
31. The student will place musical examples into categories of style.
32. The student will recognize music of world cultures.
Making Connections
33. The student will investigate how history influences music. Also, how technology influences music.
34. The student will investigate the role of music in selected periods of history.
35. The student will describe and discuss the musical activities of composers, arrangers, and lyricists.
Judgment and Criticism: Listening, Analyzing, Interpreting, Evaluating
36. The student will identify instruments from various music ensembles visually and aurally, including
instruments from other cultures.
37. The student will distinguish between major and minor tonality.
38. The student will listen to, compare, and contrast music compositions from music history.
39. The student will listen to, compare, and contrast music compositions from non-Western cultures.
40. The student will identify and investigate ways that music compositions from popular culture reflect the
past and influence the present.
41. The student will describe a music composition, using music terminology.
Aesthetics: Responding, Reflecting
42. The student will discuss how personal beliefs influence responses to music.
43. The student will investigate criteria used to evaluate music.
44. The student will discuss why criteria used to evaluate music have varied over time.
45. The student will formulate questions about musical compositions from past or present cultures.
Grade Five
OBJECTIVES
Performance and Production
Singing
1. The student will sing a varied repertoire of songs
2. The student will sing with attention to blend, balance, intonation, and expression.
3. The student will maintain correct seated and standing postures while singing.
4. The student will sing melodies written in traditional notation on the treble staff, using indicated
dynamics, phrasing, and other expression.
5. The student will sing in two- and three-part harmony.
Playing Instruments
6. The student will play music of increasing difficulty in a variety of ensembles, using pitched and nonpitched
instruments.
7. The student will play increasingly difficult accompaniments on instruments, using I, IV, and V
chords.
8. The student will play increasingly difficult melodies and accompaniments written in traditional notation
on the treble staff, using instruments.
Performing Rhythms
9. The student will perform rhythmic patterns that include single eighth notes, eighth rests, paired eighth notes, quarter notes, quarter rests, dotted quarter followed by a single eighth note, half notes, half rests, dotted half notes, whole notes, and whole
rests, using voice, body percussion, and pitched and non-pitched instruments.
Moving to Music
10. The student will perform traditional games and folk dances, with emphasis on those from American
history.
11. The student will perform choreographed and nonchoreographed movements of increasing complexity.
12. The student will create movements to illustrate duple and triple meters.
13. The student will create movements to illustrate form, with emphasis on theme-and-variations.
Composing
14. The student will improvise melodies and rhythms of increasing complexity.
15. The student will compose short melodic and rhythmic phrases within specific guidelines to lead to an
original composition.
Music Theory and Cultural Context
Reading and Writing Music
18. The student will sight-read rhythmic patterns that include eighth notes, eighth rests, paired eighth notes, quarter notes, quarter rests, a dotted quarter followed by an eighth note, half notes, half rests, dotted half notes, whole notes, and whole rests.
19. The student will notate melodies in traditional notation on the treble staff, with emphasis on skips and
leaps.
20. The student will read and notate rhythmic patterns that include sixteenth notes, eighth notes, eighth rests, paired eighth notes, quarter notes, quarter rests, a dotted quarter followed by an eighth note, half notes, half rests, dotted half notes, whole notes, and
whole rests.
21. The student will identify the functions of the meter
22. The student will identify and explain theme-and-variations form.
Understanding Music History and Musical Styles
23. The student will discuss composers and music compositions from am period of music history
24. The student will compare and contrast a variety of musical styles, using music terminology.
25. The student will place music examples into categories of style, including American folk music, jazz,
American musical theater, and movie/television music.
26. The student will identify characteristics of the music of world cultures.
Making Connections
27. The student will understand sound waves in different instruments
28. The student will describe and discuss various professional music careers (e.g., music producer,
recording engineer, composer, arranger, music business attorneys, arts administrators, music therapist,
music teacher).
29. The student will investigate how people may participate in music within the community as performers,
consumers of music, and music advocates.
Judgment and Criticism: Listening, Analyzing, Interpreting, Evaluating
30. The student will investigate the production of sound by instruments
31. The student will explore through listening how vocal styles contribute to the quality of enjoyment of
songs.
32. The student will analyze and evaluate music performances and compositions, using music terminology.
Aesthetics: Responding, Reflecting
33. The student will describe and discuss why the role of music may be different in different cultures.
34. The student will articulate reasons for preferences among musical compositions, using music
terminology.
35. The student will develop personal criteria for determining the value of a musical composition or genre.