Courses of Study

Creating
Imagine
Arts Education (2017)
Grade(s): 6 - 12
Music: Harmonizing Instruments - Proficient
All Resources: 0
1) Generate melodic, rhythmic, and harmonic ideas for compositions (using forms such as theme and variation or 12-bar blues), improvisations, and three-or-more-chord accompaniments in a variety of patterns (such as arpeggio, country and gallop strumming, finger picking patterns).

Unpacked Content
Artistic Process: Creating
Anchor Standards:
Anchor Standard 1: Generate and conceptualize artistic ideas and work.
Process Components: Imagine
Essential Questions:
EU: The creative ideas, concepts, and feelings that influence musicians' work emerge from a variety of sources.

EQ: How do musicians generate creative ideas?
Concepts & Vocabulary:
Rhythm
  • Beat (strong and weak beats, backbeat, division/subdivision)
  • Notes and Rests (dotted eighth, sixteenth)
  • Meter (duple, triple, and quadruple simple and compound meters [2/2, 2/4, 6/8; 3/2, 3/4, 9/8; 4/2, 4/4, 12/8], asymmetrical meters [5/4, 7/8, etc.])
  • Tempo (all standard Italian tempo terms, using the metronome to practice)
  • Other (triplet, swing eighths)
Melody
  • Scales (3 minor scale forms: natural, harmonic, melodic; relative and parallel minor)
  • Intervals (compound)
  • Staff Notation (double sharps and flats)
  • Melodic Figures (motive, theme, trill, passing tone)
Harmony
  • Triads (suspended chords)
  • Seventh Chords (five qualities, four inversions, suspensions)
  • Function (all diatonic chord functions)
  • Cadences (half, authentic, deceptive)
  • Lead Sheets
Form
  • Forms (AABA song form, verse, chorus, bridge, 12-bar blues, sonatina, rondo, theme and variations
  • Texture (homophonic, polyphonic)
Expression
  • Dynamics (all standard Italian terms, abbreviations, and symbols)
  • Articulation (all standard terms and symbols characteristic to the instrument)
  • Tempo and Changing Tempo (all standard Italian, English terms and abbreviations, exposure to French, German terms)
  • Character/ Style (all standard Italian and English terms, exposure to French and German terms)
Other
  • Playing techniques/ practice techniques
  • Scales and Arpeggios
  • I-IV-V7-I/i-iv-V7-i cadences
  • Improvisation (e.g., around circle of fifths)
  • Sight-Reading
  • Ensemble Playing
  • Repertoire, representative of various styles and style periods, memorized and performed
Skill Examples:
Performing
  • Guitar: perform two contrasting solo pieces in first-fifth position equivalent to repertoire found in Levels Three through Four of the Guitar Studies and Repertoire Album (Royal Conservatory-Frederick Harris Publications).
  • Piano: Perform two to three pieces in contrasting styles (level comparable to Magrath Masterwork Classics Levels 4-6, American Popular Piano Repertoire Books 4-6, etc.).
  • Piano: appropriate level scales and arpeggiated chords (comparable to AMTA requirements to Level I or II, by age level, on p. 11 and 12
  • http://www.almta.org/AMTA_Member_Handbook.pdf.
  • Perform music from a variety of popular genres such as: Blues, Country, Ragtime, Rock, Jazz, etc.
Creating
  • Create melodies based on major, and minor scale patterns in a variety of keys.
  • Harmonize the melodies using major, minor, and seventh chords.
    • Reading/ Writing
    • Develop a circle of 5ths chart
    • Identify the key signatures for all major keys
    • Compose a melody and harmonize it using chords, I, IV, V, vi.
    • Determine if a piece is in a major of minor key based on the key signature, melody and harmony.
    Responding/ Evaluating
    • Develop grading rubrics for evaluating performance: example-starting with 100 pts, subtract one point for each note error, incorrect fingering, hesitations, other points subtracted for rhythm anomalies, inability to match desired tempo, etc.
Plan and Make
Arts Education (2017)
Grade(s): 6 - 12
Music: Harmonizing Instruments - Proficient
All Resources: 0
2) Select, develop, and use standard notation or audio/video recording to document melodic, rhythmic, and harmonic ideas to draft simple melodies (using forms such as theme and variation or 12-bar blues), improvisations, and three-or-more-chord accompaniments in a variety of patterns (such as arpeggio, country and gallop strumming, finger picking patterns).

Unpacked Content
Artistic Process: Creating
Anchor Standards:
Anchor Standard 2: Organize and develop artistic ideas and work.
Process Components: Plan and Make
Essential Questions:
EU: Musicians' creative choices are influenced by their expertise, context, and expressive intent.
EQ: How do musicians make creative decisions?
Concepts & Vocabulary:
Rhythm
  • Beat (strong and weak beats, backbeat, division/subdivision)
  • Notes and Rests (dotted eighth, sixteenth)
  • Meter (duple, triple, and quadruple simple and compound meters [2/2, 2/4, 6/8; 3/2, 3/4, 9/8; 4/2, 4/4, 12/8], asymmetrical meters [5/4, 7/8, etc.])
  • Tempo (all standard Italian tempo terms, using the metronome to practice)
  • Other (triplet, swing eighths)
Melody
  • Scales (3 minor scale forms: natural, harmonic, melodic; relative and parallel minor)
  • Intervals (compound)
  • Staff Notation (double sharps and flats)
  • Melodic Figures (motive, theme, trill, passing tone)
Harmony
  • Triads (suspended chords)
  • Seventh Chords (five qualities, four inversions, suspensions)
  • Function (all diatonic chord functions)
  • Cadences (half, authentic, deceptive)
  • Lead Sheets
Form
  • Forms (AABA song form, verse, chorus, bridge, 12-bar blues, sonatina, rondo, theme and variations
  • Texture (homophonic, polyphonic)
Expression
  • Dynamics (all standard Italian terms, abbreviations, and symbols)
  • Articulation (all standard terms and symbols characteristic to the instrument)
  • Tempo and Changing Tempo (all standard Italian, English terms and abbreviations, exposure to French, German terms)
  • Character/ Style (all standard Italian and English terms, exposure to French and German terms)
Other
  • Playing techniques/ practice techniques
  • Scales and Arpeggios
  • I-IV-V7-I/i-iv-V7-i cadences
  • Improvisation (e.g., around circle of fifths)
  • Sight-Reading
  • Ensemble Playing
  • Repertoire, representative of various styles and style periods, memorized and performed
Skill Examples:
Performing
  • Guitar: perform two contrasting solo pieces in first-fifth position equivalent to repertoire found in Levels Three through Four of the Guitar Studies and Repertoire Album (Royal Conservatory-Frederick Harris Publications).
  • Piano: Perform two to three pieces in contrasting styles (level comparable to Magrath Masterwork Classics Levels 4-6, American Popular Piano Repertoire Books 4-6, etc.).
  • Piano: appropriate level scales and arpeggiated chords (comparable to AMTA requirements to Level I or II, by age level, on p. 11 and 12
  • http://www.almta.org/AMTA_Member_Handbook.pdf.
  • Perform music from a variety of popular genres such as: Blues, Country, Ragtime, Rock, Jazz, etc.
Creating
  • Create melodies based on major, and minor scale patterns in a variety of keys.
  • Harmonize the melodies using major, minor, and seventh chords.
    • Reading/ Writing
    • Develop a circle of 5ths chart
    • Identify the key signatures for all major keys
    • Compose a melody and harmonize it using chords, I, IV, V, vi.
    • Determine if a piece is in a major of minor key based on the key signature, melody and harmony.
    Responding/ Evaluating
    • Develop grading rubrics for evaluating performance: example-starting with 100 pts, subtract one point for each note error, incorrect fingering, hesitations, other points subtracted for rhythm anomalies, inability to match desired tempo, etc.
Evaluate and Refine
Arts Education (2017)
Grade(s): 6 - 12
Music: Harmonizing Instruments - Proficient
All Resources: 0
3) Develop and apply criteria to critique, improve, and refine drafts of compositions (using forms such as theme and variation or 12-bar blues), improvisations, and three-or-more-chord accompaniments in a variety of patterns (such as arpeggio, country and gallop strumming, finger picking patterns).

Unpacked Content
Artistic Process: Creating
Anchor Standards:
Anchor Standard 3: Refine and complete artistic work.
Process Components: Evaluate and Refine
Essential Questions:
EU: Musicians evaluate, and refine their work through openness to new ideas, persistence, and the application of appropriate criteria.
EQ: How do musicians improve the quality of their creative work?
Concepts & Vocabulary:
Rhythm
  • Beat (strong and weak beats, backbeat, division/subdivision)
  • Notes and Rests (dotted eighth, sixteenth)
  • Meter (duple, triple, and quadruple simple and compound meters [2/2, 2/4, 6/8; 3/2, 3/4, 9/8; 4/2, 4/4, 12/8], asymmetrical meters [5/4, 7/8, etc.])
  • Tempo (all standard Italian tempo terms, using the metronome to practice)
  • Other (triplet, swing eighths)
Melody
  • Scales (3 minor scale forms: natural, harmonic, melodic; relative and parallel minor)
  • Intervals (compound)
  • Staff Notation (double sharps and flats)
  • Melodic Figures (motive, theme, trill, passing tone)
Harmony
  • Triads (suspended chords)
  • Seventh Chords (five qualities, four inversions, suspensions)
  • Function (all diatonic chord functions)
  • Cadences (half, authentic, deceptive)
  • Lead Sheets
Form
  • Forms (AABA song form, verse, chorus, bridge, 12-bar blues, sonatina, rondo, theme and variations
  • Texture (homophonic, polyphonic)
Expression
  • Dynamics (all standard Italian terms, abbreviations, and symbols)
  • Articulation (all standard terms and symbols characteristic to the instrument)
  • Tempo and Changing Tempo (all standard Italian, English terms and abbreviations, exposure to French, German terms)
  • Character/ Style (all standard Italian and English terms, exposure to French and German terms)
Other
  • Playing techniques/ practice techniques
  • Scales and Arpeggios
  • I-IV-V7-I/i-iv-V7-i cadences
  • Improvisation (e.g., around circle of fifths)
  • Sight-Reading
  • Ensemble Playing
  • Repertoire, representative of various styles and style periods, memorized and performed
Skill Examples:
Performing
  • Guitar: perform two contrasting solo pieces in first-fifth position equivalent to repertoire found in Levels Three through Four of the Guitar Studies and Repertoire Album (Royal Conservatory-Frederick Harris Publications).
  • Piano: Perform two to three pieces in contrasting styles (level comparable to Magrath Masterwork Classics Levels 4-6, American Popular Piano Repertoire Books 4-6, etc.).
  • Piano: appropriate level scales and arpeggiated chords (comparable to AMTA requirements to Level I or II, by age level, on p. 11 and 12
  • http://www.almta.org/AMTA_Member_Handbook.pdf.
  • Perform music from a variety of popular genres such as: Blues, Country, Ragtime, Rock, Jazz, etc.
Creating
  • Create melodies based on major, and minor scale patterns in a variety of keys.
  • Harmonize the melodies using major, minor, and seventh chords.
    • Reading/ Writing
    • Develop a circle of 5ths chart
    • Identify the key signatures for all major keys
    • Compose a melody and harmonize it using chords, I, IV, V, vi.
    • Determine if a piece is in a major of minor key based on the key signature, melody and harmony.
    Responding/ Evaluating
    • Develop grading rubrics for evaluating performance: example-starting with 100 pts, subtract one point for each note error, incorrect fingering, hesitations, other points subtracted for rhythm anomalies, inability to match desired tempo, etc.
Present
Arts Education (2017)
Grade(s): 6 - 12
Music: Harmonizing Instruments - Proficient
All Resources: 0
4) Perform final versions of compositions (using forms such as theme and variation or 12-bar blues), improvisations, and three-or-more-chord accompaniments in a variety of patterns (such as arpeggio, country and gallop strumming, finger picking patterns), demonstrating technical skill in applying principles of composition/improvisation and originality in developing and organizing musical ideas.

Unpacked Content
Artistic Process: Creating
Anchor Standards:
Anchor Standard 3: Refine and complete artistic work.
Process Components: Present
Essential Questions:
EU: Musicians' presentation of creative work is the culmination of a process of creation and communication.
EQ: When is creative work ready to share?
Concepts & Vocabulary:
Rhythm
  • Beat (strong and weak beats, backbeat, division/subdivision)
  • Notes and Rests (dotted eighth, sixteenth)
  • Meter (duple, triple, and quadruple simple and compound meters [2/2, 2/4, 6/8; 3/2, 3/4, 9/8; 4/2, 4/4, 12/8], asymmetrical meters [5/4, 7/8, etc.])
  • Tempo (all standard Italian tempo terms, using the metronome to practice)
  • Other (triplet, swing eighths)
Melody
  • Scales (3 minor scale forms: natural, harmonic, melodic; relative and parallel minor)
  • Intervals (compound)
  • Staff Notation (double sharps and flats)
  • Melodic Figures (motive, theme, trill, passing tone)
Harmony
  • Triads (suspended chords)
  • Seventh Chords (five qualities, four inversions, suspensions)
  • Function (all diatonic chord functions)
  • Cadences (half, authentic, deceptive)
  • Lead Sheets
Form
  • Forms (AABA song form, verse, chorus, bridge, 12-bar blues, sonatina, rondo, theme and variations
  • Texture (homophonic, polyphonic)
Expression
  • Dynamics (all standard Italian terms, abbreviations, and symbols)
  • Articulation (all standard terms and symbols characteristic to the instrument)
  • Tempo and Changing Tempo (all standard Italian, English terms and abbreviations, exposure to French, German terms)
  • Character/ Style (all standard Italian and English terms, exposure to French and German terms)
Other
  • Playing techniques/ practice techniques
  • Scales and Arpeggios
  • I-IV-V7-I/i-iv-V7-i cadences
  • Improvisation (e.g., around circle of fifths)
  • Sight-Reading
  • Ensemble Playing
  • Repertoire, representative of various styles and style periods, memorized and performed
Skill Examples:
Performing
  • Guitar: perform two contrasting solo pieces in first-fifth position equivalent to repertoire found in Levels Three through Four of the Guitar Studies and Repertoire Album (Royal Conservatory-Frederick Harris Publications).
  • Piano: Perform two to three pieces in contrasting styles (level comparable to Magrath Masterwork Classics Levels 4-6, American Popular Piano Repertoire Books 4-6, etc.).
  • Piano: appropriate level scales and arpeggiated chords (comparable to AMTA requirements to Level I or II, by age level, on p. 11 and 12
  • http://www.almta.org/AMTA_Member_Handbook.pdf.
  • Perform music from a variety of popular genres such as: Blues, Country, Ragtime, Rock, Jazz, etc.
Creating
  • Create melodies based on major, and minor scale patterns in a variety of keys.
  • Harmonize the melodies using major, minor, and seventh chords.
    • Reading/ Writing
    • Develop a circle of 5ths chart
    • Identify the key signatures for all major keys
    • Compose a melody and harmonize it using chords, I, IV, V, vi.
    • Determine if a piece is in a major of minor key based on the key signature, melody and harmony.
    Responding/ Evaluating
    • Develop grading rubrics for evaluating performance: example-starting with 100 pts, subtract one point for each note error, incorrect fingering, hesitations, other points subtracted for rhythm anomalies, inability to match desired tempo, etc.
Performing
Select
Arts Education (2017)
Grade(s): 6 - 12
Music: Harmonizing Instruments - Proficient
All Resources: 0
5) Explain the criteria used when selecting a varied repertoire of music for individual or small group performances that includes melodies, improvisations, repertoire pieces, and chordal accompaniments in a variety of patterns (such as arpeggio, country and gallop strumming, finger picking patterns).

Unpacked Content
Artistic Process: Performing
Anchor Standards:
Anchor Standard 4: Select, analyze, and interpret artistic work for presentation.
Process Components: Select
Essential Questions:
EU: Performers' interest in and knowledge of musical works, understanding of their own technical skill, and the context for a performance influence the selection of repertoire.
EQ: How do performers select repertoire?
Concepts & Vocabulary:
Rhythm
  • Beat (strong and weak beats, backbeat, division/ subdivision)
  • Notes and Rests (dotted eighth, sixteenth)
  • Meter (duple, triple, and quadruple simple and compound meters [2/2, 2/4, 6/8; 3/2, 3/4, 9/8; 4/2, 4/4, 12/8], asymmetrical meters [5/4, 7/8, etc.])
  • Tempo (all standard Italian tempo terms, using the metronome to practice)
  • Other (triplet, swing eighths)
Melody
  • Scales (3 minor scale forms: natural, harmonic, melodic; relative and parallel minor)
  • Intervals (compound)
  • Staff Notation (double sharps and flats)
  • Melodic Figures (motive, theme, trill, passing tone)
Harmony
  • Triads (suspended chords)
  • Seventh Chords (five qualities, four inversions, suspensions)
  • Function (all diatonic chord functions)
  • Cadences (half, authentic, deceptive)
  • Lead Sheets
Form
  • Forms (AABA song form, verse, chorus, bridge, 12-bar blues, sonatina, rondo, theme and variations
  • Texture (homophonic, polyphonic)
Expression
  • Dynamics (all standard Italian terms, abbreviations, and symbols)
  • Articulation (all standard terms and symbols characteristic to the instrument)
  • Tempo and Changing Tempo (all standard Italian, English terms and abbreviations, exposure to French, German terms)
  • Character/ Style (all standard Italian and English terms, exposure to French and German terms)
Other
  • Playing techniques/ practice techniques
  • Scales and Arpeggios
  • I-IV-V7-I/i-iv-V7-i cadences
  • Improvisation (e.g., around circle of fifths)
  • Sight-Reading
  • Ensemble Playing
  • Repertoire, representative of various styles and style periods, memorized and performed
Skill Examples:
Performing
  • Guitar: perform two contrasting solo pieces in first-fifth position equivalent to repertoire found in Levels Three through Four of the Guitar Studies and Repertoire Album (Royal Conservatory-Frederick Harris Publications).
  • Piano: Perform two to three pieces in contrasting styles (level comparable to Magrath Masterwork Classics Levels 4-6, American Popular Piano Repertoire Books 4-6, etc.).
  • Perform music from a variety of popular genres such as: Blues, Country, Ragtime, Rock, Jazz, etc.
Creating
  • Choose a genre/ style and with your teacher's help, realize a chord progression in an appropriate figuration/ style.
  • Choose a familiar melody and create a Theme and Variations featuring several different styles.
    • Reading/ Writing
    • Notate your compositions, using staff paper or notational software.
    • Sight-read something every day from a variety of sources, such as a graded series of classical music, a hymnal, the sample pages provided on musicnotes.com, sheetmusicplus.com, etc.
    Responding/ Evaluating
    • Find several different recordings of each repertoire piece you are learning. Notice differences/ similarities in tempo, phrasing, technical skill, and overall effect. Decide which characteristics make a convincing performance.
    Analyze
    Arts Education (2017)
    Grade(s): 6 - 12
    Music: Harmonizing Instruments - Proficient
    All Resources: 0
    6) Identify and describe important theoretical and structural characteristics and context (social, cultural, or historical) in a varied repertoire of music that includes melodies, improvisations, repertoire pieces, and chordal accompaniments in a variety of patterns (such as arpeggio, country and gallop strumming, finger picking patterns).

    Unpacked Content
    Artistic Process: Performing
    Anchor Standards:
    Anchor Standard 4: Select, analyze, and interpret artistic work for presentation.
    Process Components: Analyze
    Essential Questions:
    EU: Analyzing creators' context and how they manipulate elements of music provides insight into their intent and informs performance.
    EQ: How does understanding the structure and context of musical works inform performance?
    Concepts & Vocabulary:
    Rhythm
    • Beat (strong and weak beats, backbeat, division/ subdivision)
    • Notes and Rests (dotted eighth, sixteenth)
    • Meter (duple, triple, and quadruple simple and compound meters [2/2, 2/4, 6/8; 3/2, 3/4, 9/8; 4/2, 4/4, 12/8], asymmetrical meters [5/4, 7/8, etc.])
    • Tempo (all standard Italian tempo terms, using the metronome to practice)
    • Other (triplet, swing eighths)
    Melody
    • Scales (3 minor scale forms: natural, harmonic, melodic; relative and parallel minor)
    • Intervals (compound)
    • Staff Notation (double sharps and flats)
    • Melodic Figures (motive, theme, trill, passing tone)
    Harmony
    • Triads (suspended chords)
    • Seventh Chords (five qualities, four inversions, suspensions)
    • Function (all diatonic chord functions)
    • Cadences (half, authentic, deceptive)
    • Lead Sheets
    Form
    • Forms (AABA song form, verse, chorus, bridge, 12-bar blues, sonatina, rondo, theme and variations
    • Texture (homophonic, polyphonic)
    Expression
    • Dynamics (all standard Italian terms, abbreviations, and symbols)
    • Articulation (all standard terms and symbols characteristic to the instrument)
    • Tempo and Changing Tempo (all standard Italian, English terms and abbreviations, exposure to French, German terms)
    • Character/ Style (all standard Italian and English terms, exposure to French and German terms)
    Other
    • Playing techniques/ practice techniques
    • Scales and Arpeggios
    • I-IV-V7-I/i-iv-V7-i cadences
    • Improvisation (e.g., around circle of fifths)
    • Sight-Reading
    • Ensemble Playing
    • Repertoire, representative of various styles and style periods, memorized and performed
    Skill Examples:
    Performing
    • Guitar: perform two contrasting solo pieces in first-fifth position equivalent to repertoire found in Levels Three through Four of the Guitar Studies and Repertoire Album (Royal Conservatory-Frederick Harris Publications).
    • Piano: Perform two to three pieces in contrasting styles (level comparable to Magrath Masterwork Classics Levels 4-6, American Popular Piano Repertoire Books 4-6, etc.).
    • Perform music from a variety of popular genres such as: Blues, Country, Ragtime, Rock, Jazz, etc.
    Creating
  • Choose a genre/ style and with your teacher's help, realize a chord progression in an appropriate figuration/ style.
  • Choose a familiar melody and create a Theme and Variations featuring several different styles.
    • Reading/ Writing
    • Notate your compositions, using staff paper or notational software.
    • Sight-read something every day from a variety of sources, such as a graded series of classical music, a hymnal, the sample pages provided on musicnotes.com, sheetmusicplus.com, etc.
    Responding/ Evaluating
    • Find several different recordings of each repertoire piece you are learning. Notice differences/ similarities in tempo, phrasing, technical skill, and overall effect. Decide which characteristics make a convincing performance.
    Interpret
    Arts Education (2017)
    Grade(s): 6 - 12
    Music: Harmonizing Instruments - Proficient
    All Resources: 0
    7) Describe in interpretations the context (social, cultural, or historical) and expressive intent in a varied repertoire of music selected for performance that includes melodies, improvisations, repertoire pieces, and chordal accompaniments in a variety of patterns (such as arpeggio, country and gallop strumming, finger picking patterns).

    Unpacked Content
    Artistic Process: Performing
    Anchor Standards:
    Anchor Standard 4: Select, analyze, and interpret artistic work for presentation.
    Process Components: Interpret
    Essential Questions:
    EU: Performers make interpretive decisions based on their understanding of context and expressive intent
    EQ: How do performers interpret musical works?
    Concepts & Vocabulary:
    Rhythm
    • Beat (strong and weak beats, backbeat, division/ subdivision)
    • Notes and Rests (dotted eighth, sixteenth)
    • Meter (duple, triple, and quadruple simple and compound meters [2/2, 2/4, 6/8; 3/2, 3/4, 9/8; 4/2, 4/4, 12/8], asymmetrical meters [5/4, 7/8, etc.])
    • Tempo (all standard Italian tempo terms, using the metronome to practice)
    • Other (triplet, swing eighths)
    Melody
    • Scales (3 minor scale forms: natural, harmonic, melodic; relative and parallel minor)
    • Intervals (compound)
    • Staff Notation (double sharps and flats)
    • Melodic Figures (motive, theme, trill, passing tone)
    Harmony
    • Triads (suspended chords)
    • Seventh Chords (five qualities, four inversions, suspensions)
    • Function (all diatonic chord functions)
    • Cadences (half, authentic, deceptive)
    • Lead Sheets
    Form
    • Forms (AABA song form, verse, chorus, bridge, 12-bar blues, sonatina, rondo, theme and variations
    • Texture (homophonic, polyphonic)
    Expression
    • Dynamics (all standard Italian terms, abbreviations, and symbols)
    • Articulation (all standard terms and symbols characteristic to the instrument)
    • Tempo and Changing Tempo (all standard Italian, English terms and abbreviations, exposure to French, German terms)
    • Character/ Style (all standard Italian and English terms, exposure to French and German terms)
    Other
    • Playing techniques/ practice techniques
    • Scales and Arpeggios
    • I-IV-V7-I/i-iv-V7-i cadences
    • Improvisation (e.g., around circle of fifths)
    • Sight-Reading
    • Ensemble Playing
    • Repertoire, representative of various styles and style periods, memorized and performed
    Skill Examples:
    Performing
    • Guitar: perform two contrasting solo pieces in first-fifth position equivalent to repertoire found in Levels Three through Four of the Guitar Studies and Repertoire Album (Royal Conservatory-Frederick Harris Publications).
    • Piano: Perform two to three pieces in contrasting styles (level comparable to Magrath Masterwork Classics Levels 4-6, American Popular Piano Repertoire Books 4-6, etc.).
    • Perform music from a variety of popular genres such as: Blues, Country, Ragtime, Rock, Jazz, etc.
    Creating
  • Choose a genre/ style and with your teacher's help, realize a chord progression in an appropriate figuration/ style.
  • Choose a familiar melody and create a Theme and Variations featuring several different styles.
    • Reading/ Writing
    • Notate your compositions, using staff paper or notational software.
    • Sight-read something every day from a variety of sources, such as a graded series of classical music, a hymnal, the sample pages provided on musicnotes.com, sheetmusicplus.com, etc.
    Responding/ Evaluating
    • Find several different recordings of each repertoire piece you are learning. Notice differences/ similarities in tempo, phrasing, technical skill, and overall effect. Decide which characteristics make a convincing performance.
    Rehearse, Evaluate, and Refine
    Arts Education (2017)
    Grade(s): 6 - 12
    Music: Harmonizing Instruments - Proficient
    All Resources: 0
    8) Develop and apply criteria to critique individual and small group performances of a varied repertoire of music that includes melodies, improvisations, repertoire pieces, and chordal accompaniments in a variety of patterns (such as arpeggio, country and gallop strumming, finger picking patterns), and create rehearsal strategies to address performance challenges and refine the performances.

    Unpacked Content
    Artistic Process: Performing
    Anchor Standards:
    Anchor Standard 5: Develop and refine artistic techniques and work for presentation.
    Process Components: Rehearse, Evaluate, and Refine
    Essential Questions:
    EU: To express their musical ideas, musicians analyze, evaluate, and refine their performance over time through openness to new ideas, persistence, and the application of appropriate criteria.
    EQ: How do musicians improve the quality of their performance?
    Concepts & Vocabulary:
    Rhythm
    • Beat (strong and weak beats, backbeat, division/ subdivision)
    • Notes and Rests (dotted eighth, sixteenth)
    • Meter (duple, triple, and quadruple simple and compound meters [2/2, 2/4, 6/8; 3/2, 3/4, 9/8; 4/2, 4/4, 12/8], asymmetrical meters [5/4, 7/8, etc.])
    • Tempo (all standard Italian tempo terms, using the metronome to practice)
    • Other (triplet, swing eighths)
    Melody
    • Scales (3 minor scale forms: natural, harmonic, melodic; relative and parallel minor)
    • Intervals (compound)
    • Staff Notation (double sharps and flats)
    • Melodic Figures (motive, theme, trill, passing tone)
    Harmony
    • Triads (suspended chords)
    • Seventh Chords (five qualities, four inversions, suspensions)
    • Function (all diatonic chord functions)
    • Cadences (half, authentic, deceptive)
    • Lead Sheets
    Form
    • Forms (AABA song form, verse, chorus, bridge, 12-bar blues, sonatina, rondo, theme and variations
    • Texture (homophonic, polyphonic)
    Expression
    • Dynamics (all standard Italian terms, abbreviations, and symbols)
    • Articulation (all standard terms and symbols characteristic to the instrument)
    • Tempo and Changing Tempo (all standard Italian, English terms and abbreviations, exposure to French, German terms)
    • Character/ Style (all standard Italian and English terms, exposure to French and German terms)
    Other
    • Playing techniques/ practice techniques
    • Scales and Arpeggios
    • I-IV-V7-I/i-iv-V7-i cadences
    • Improvisation (e.g., around circle of fifths)
    • Sight-Reading
    • Ensemble Playing
    • Repertoire, representative of various styles and style periods, memorized and performed
    Skill Examples:
    Performing
    • Guitar: perform two contrasting solo pieces in first-fifth position equivalent to repertoire found in Levels Three through Four of the Guitar Studies and Repertoire Album (Royal Conservatory-Frederick Harris Publications).
    • Piano: Perform two to three pieces in contrasting styles (level comparable to Magrath Masterwork Classics Levels 4-6, American Popular Piano Repertoire Books 4-6, etc.).
    • Perform music from a variety of popular genres such as: Blues, Country, Ragtime, Rock, Jazz, etc.
    Creating
  • Choose a genre/ style and with your teacher's help, realize a chord progression in an appropriate figuration/ style.
  • Choose a familiar melody and create a Theme and Variations featuring several different styles.
    • Reading/ Writing
    • Notate your compositions, using staff paper or notational software.
    • Sight-read something every day from a variety of sources, such as a graded series of classical music, a hymnal, the sample pages provided on musicnotes.com, sheetmusicplus.com, etc.
    Responding/ Evaluating
    • Find several different recordings of each repertoire piece you are learning. Notice differences/ similarities in tempo, phrasing, technical skill, and overall effect. Decide which characteristics make a convincing performance.
    Present
    Arts Education (2017)
    Grade(s): 6 - 12
    Music: Harmonizing Instruments - Proficient
    All Resources: 0
    9) Perform with expression and technical accuracy, in individual and small group performances, a varied repertoire of music that includes melodies, improvisations, repertoire pieces, and chordal accompaniments in a variety of patterns (such as arpeggio, country and gallop strumming, finger picking patterns), demonstrating sensitivity to the audience and an understanding of the context (social, cultural, or historical).

    Unpacked Content
    Artistic Process: Performing
    Anchor Standards:
    Anchor Standard 6: Convey meaning through the presentation of artistic work.
    Process Components: Present
    Essential Questions:
    EU: Musicians judge performance based on criteria that vary across time, place, and cultures. The context and how a work is presented influence the audience response.
    EQ: When is a performance judged ready to present? How do context and the manner in which musical work is presented influence audience response?
    Concepts & Vocabulary:
    Rhythm
    • Beat (strong and weak beats, backbeat, division/ subdivision)
    • Notes and Rests (dotted eighth, sixteenth)
    • Meter (duple, triple, and quadruple simple and compound meters [2/2, 2/4, 6/8; 3/2, 3/4, 9/8; 4/2, 4/4, 12/8], asymmetrical meters [5/4, 7/8, etc.])
    • Tempo (all standard Italian tempo terms, using the metronome to practice)
    • Other (triplet, swing eighths)
    Melody
    • Scales (3 minor scale forms: natural, harmonic, melodic; relative and parallel minor)
    • Intervals (compound)
    • Staff Notation (double sharps and flats)
    • Melodic Figures (motive, theme, trill, passing tone)
    Harmony
    • Triads (suspended chords)
    • Seventh Chords (five qualities, four inversions, suspensions)
    • Function (all diatonic chord functions)
    • Cadences (half, authentic, deceptive)
    • Lead Sheets
    Form
    • Forms (AABA song form, verse, chorus, bridge, 12-bar blues, sonatina, rondo, theme and variations
    • Texture (homophonic, polyphonic)
    Expression
    • Dynamics (all standard Italian terms, abbreviations, and symbols)
    • Articulation (all standard terms and symbols characteristic to the instrument)
    • Tempo and Changing Tempo (all standard Italian, English terms and abbreviations, exposure to French, German terms)
    • Character/ Style (all standard Italian and English terms, exposure to French and German terms)
    Other
    • Playing techniques/ practice techniques
    • Scales and Arpeggios
    • I-IV-V7-I/i-iv-V7-i cadences
    • Improvisation (e.g., around circle of fifths)
    • Sight-Reading
    • Ensemble Playing
    • Repertoire, representative of various styles and style periods, memorized and performed
    Skill Examples:
    Performing
    • Guitar: perform two contrasting solo pieces in first-fifth position equivalent to repertoire found in Levels Three through Four of the Guitar Studies and Repertoire Album (Royal Conservatory-Frederick Harris Publications).
    • Piano: Perform two to three pieces in contrasting styles (level comparable to Magrath Masterwork Classics Levels 4-6, American Popular Piano Repertoire Books 4-6, etc.).
    • Perform music from a variety of popular genres such as: Blues, Country, Ragtime, Rock, Jazz, etc.
    Creating
  • Choose a genre/ style and with your teacher's help, realize a chord progression in an appropriate figuration/ style.
  • Choose a familiar melody and create a Theme and Variations featuring several different styles.
    • Reading/ Writing
    • Notate your compositions, using staff paper or notational software.
    • Sight-read something every day from a variety of sources, such as a graded series of classical music, a hymnal, the sample pages provided on musicnotes.com, sheetmusicplus.com, etc.
    Responding/ Evaluating
    • Find several different recordings of each repertoire piece you are learning. Notice differences/ similarities in tempo, phrasing, technical skill, and overall effect. Decide which characteristics make a convincing performance.
    Responding
    Select
    Arts Education (2017)
    Grade(s): 6 - 12
    Music: Harmonizing Instruments - Proficient
    All Resources: 0
    10) Apply criteria to select music for a variety of purposes, justifying choices by citing knowledge of the music and the specified purpose and context.

    Unpacked Content
    Artistic Process: Responding
    Anchor Standards:
    Anchor Standard 7: Perceive and analyze artistic work.
    Process Components: Select
    Essential Questions:
    EU: Individuals' selection of musical works is influenced by their interests, experiences, understandings, and purposes.
    EQ: How do individuals choose music to experience?
    Concepts & Vocabulary:
    Rhythm
    • Beat (strong and weak beats, backbeat, division/ subdivision)
    • Notes and Rests (dotted eighth, sixteenth)
    • Meter (duple, triple, and quadruple simple and compound meters [2/2, 2/4, 6/8; 3/2, 3/4, 9/8; 4/2, 4/4, 12/8], asymmetrical meters [5/4, 7/8, etc.])
    • Tempo (all standard Italian tempo terms, using the metronome to practice)
    • Other (triplet, swing eighths)
    Melody
    • Scales (3 minor scale forms: natural, harmonic, melodic; relative and parallel minor)
    • Intervals (compound)
    • Staff Notation (double sharps and flats)
    • Melodic Figures (motive, theme, trill, passing tone)
    Harmony
    • Triads (suspended chords)
    • Seventh Chords (five qualities, four inversions, suspensions)
    • Function (all diatonic chord functions)
    • Cadences (half, authentic, deceptive)
    • Lead Sheets
    Form
    • Forms (AABA song form, verse, chorus, bridge, 12-bar blues, sonatina, rondo, theme and variations
    • Texture (homophonic, polyphonic)
    Expression
    • Dynamics (all standard Italian terms, abbreviations, and symbols)
    • Articulation (all standard terms and symbols characteristic to the instrument)
    • Tempo and Changing Tempo (all standard Italian, English terms and abbreviations, exposure to French, German terms)
    • Character/ Style (all standard Italian and English terms, exposure to French and German terms)
    Other
    • Playing techniques/ practice techniques
    • Scales and Arpeggios
    • I-IV-V7-I/ i-iv-V7-i cadences
    • Improvisation (e.g., around circle of fifths)
    • Sight-Reading
    • Ensemble Playing
    • Repertoire, representative of various styles and style periods, memorized and performed
    Skill Examples:
    Performing
    • Guitar: Demonstrate proficiency by using the following the following open chords while maintaining a quality tone: A, Am, A7, C, D, D7, E, Em, E7, G.
    • Piano: Play I IV V (or I, iv, V) chords (with inversions), hands separately or together.
    • Perform a varied repertoire of music while demonstrating technical accuracy, dynamic contrast with an emerging sense of musicality.
    • Create small ensembles to allow for a peer-evaluation process.
    • Perform a varied repertoire of music representing diverse genres and cultures and showing expression and technical accuracy at a level that includes changes in tempo, meter and key signature.
    Creating
    • Identify and interpret music symbols and terms appropriately while sight-reading a varied repertoire of music.
    • Discuss current trends in music and their impact on today's society.
    • Create an appropriate melodic line and accompaniment and notate using a technology source.
    • Describe ways that technology has altered how humans create, perform and listen to music.
    Reading/ Writing
    • Develop sight-reading benchmarks and growth goals in line with local guidelines.
    • Analyze tempo, dynamics and form in a given piece of music.
    • Identify accidentals, including flats, sharps, and naturals within selected repertoire.
    • Develop criteria based on the elements of music to support personal preferences for specific music works.
    • Compare and contrast selections using appropriate terminology.
    Responding/ Evaluating
    • Examine performances of self and others to evaluate the quality and effectiveness while identifying areas for improvement.
    • Describe the tone or mood of a selection and identify musical elements within a piece of music that contribute to the overall mood.
    • Reflect on the relationship between music and the social and political events at various times in American history.
    • Reflect on various live or recorded performances.
    Analyze
    Arts Education (2017)
    Grade(s): 6 - 12
    Music: Harmonizing Instruments - Proficient
    All Resources: 0
    11) Compare passages in musical selections and explain how the elements of music and context (social, cultural, or historical) inform the response.

    Unpacked Content
    Artistic Process: Responding
    Anchor Standards:
    Anchor Standard 8: Interpret intent and meaning in artistic work.
    Process Components: Analyze
    Essential Questions:
    EU: Response to music is informed by analyzing context (social, cultural, and historical) and how creators and performers manipulate the elements of music.
    EQ: How does understanding the structure and context of music inform a response?
    Concepts & Vocabulary:
    Rhythm
    • Beat (strong and weak beats, backbeat, division/ subdivision)
    • Notes and Rests (dotted eighth, sixteenth)
    • Meter (duple, triple, and quadruple simple and compound meters [2/2, 2/4, 6/8; 3/2, 3/4, 9/8; 4/2, 4/4, 12/8], asymmetrical meters [5/4, 7/8, etc.])
    • Tempo (all standard Italian tempo terms, using the metronome to practice)
    • Other (triplet, swing eighths)
    Melody
    • Scales (3 minor scale forms: natural, harmonic, melodic; relative and parallel minor)
    • Intervals (compound)
    • Staff Notation (double sharps and flats)
    • Melodic Figures (motive, theme, trill, passing tone)
    Harmony
    • Triads (suspended chords)
    • Seventh Chords (five qualities, four inversions, suspensions)
    • Function (all diatonic chord functions)
    • Cadences (half, authentic, deceptive)
    • Lead Sheets
    Form
    • Forms (AABA song form, verse, chorus, bridge, 12-bar blues, sonatina, rondo, theme and variations
    • Texture (homophonic, polyphonic)
    Expression
    • Dynamics (all standard Italian terms, abbreviations, and symbols)
    • Articulation (all standard terms and symbols characteristic to the instrument)
    • Tempo and Changing Tempo (all standard Italian, English terms and abbreviations, exposure to French, German terms)
    • Character/ Style (all standard Italian and English terms, exposure to French and German terms)
    Other
    • Playing techniques/ practice techniques
    • Scales and Arpeggios
    • I-IV-V7-I/ i-iv-V7-i cadences
    • Improvisation (e.g., around circle of fifths)
    • Sight-Reading
    • Ensemble Playing
    • Repertoire, representative of various styles and style periods, memorized and performed
    Skill Examples:
    Performing
    • Guitar: Demonstrate proficiency by using the following the following open chords while maintaining a quality tone: A, Am, A7, C, D, D7, E, Em, E7, G.
    • Piano: Play I IV V (or I, iv, V) chords (with inversions), hands separately or together.
    • Perform a varied repertoire of music while demonstrating technical accuracy, dynamic contrast with an emerging sense of musicality.
    • Create small ensembles to allow for a peer-evaluation process.
    • Perform a varied repertoire of music representing diverse genres and cultures and showing expression and technical accuracy at a level that includes changes in tempo, meter and key signature.
    Creating
    • Identify and interpret music symbols and terms appropriately while sight-reading a varied repertoire of music.
    • Discuss current trends in music and their impact on today's society.
    • Create an appropriate melodic line and accompaniment and notate using a technology source.
    • Describe ways that technology has altered how humans create, perform and listen to music.
    Reading/ Writing
    • Develop sight-reading benchmarks and growth goals in line with local guidelines.
    • Analyze tempo, dynamics and form in a given piece of music.
    • Identify accidentals, including flats, sharps, and naturals within selected repertoire.
    • Develop criteria based on the elements of music to support personal preferences for specific music works.
    • Compare and contrast selections using appropriate terminology.
    Responding/ Evaluating
    • Examine performances of self and others to evaluate the quality and effectiveness while identifying areas for improvement.
    • Describe the tone or mood of a selection and identify musical elements within a piece of music that contribute to the overall mood.
    • Reflect on the relationship between music and the social and political events at various times in American history.
    • Reflect on various live or recorded performances.
    Interpret
    Arts Education (2017)
    Grade(s): 6 - 12
    Music: Harmonizing Instruments - Proficient
    All Resources: 0
    12) Explain and support interpretations of the expressive intent and meaning of musical selections, citing as evidence the treatment of the elements of music, context (personal, social, and cultural), the setting of the text (when appropriate), and outside sources.

    Unpacked Content
    Artistic Process: Responding
    Anchor Standards:
    Anchor Standard 9: Apply criteria to evaluate artistic work.
    Process Components: Interpret
    Essential Questions:
    EU: Through their use of elements and structures of music, creators and performers provide clues to their expressive intent.
    EQ: How do we discern musical creators' and performers' expressive intent?
    Concepts & Vocabulary:
    Rhythm
    • Beat (strong and weak beats, backbeat, division/ subdivision)
    • Notes and Rests (dotted eighth, sixteenth)
    • Meter (duple, triple, and quadruple simple and compound meters [2/2, 2/4, 6/8; 3/2, 3/4, 9/8; 4/2, 4/4, 12/8], asymmetrical meters [5/4, 7/8, etc.])
    • Tempo (all standard Italian tempo terms, using the metronome to practice)
    • Other (triplet, swing eighths)
    Melody
    • Scales (3 minor scale forms: natural, harmonic, melodic; relative and parallel minor)
    • Intervals (compound)
    • Staff Notation (double sharps and flats)
    • Melodic Figures (motive, theme, trill, passing tone)
    Harmony
    • Triads (suspended chords)
    • Seventh Chords (five qualities, four inversions, suspensions)
    • Function (all diatonic chord functions)
    • Cadences (half, authentic, deceptive)
    • Lead Sheets
    Form
    • Forms (AABA song form, verse, chorus, bridge, 12-bar blues, sonatina, rondo, theme and variations
    • Texture (homophonic, polyphonic)
    Expression
    • Dynamics (all standard Italian terms, abbreviations, and symbols)
    • Articulation (all standard terms and symbols characteristic to the instrument)
    • Tempo and Changing Tempo (all standard Italian, English terms and abbreviations, exposure to French, German terms)
    • Character/ Style (all standard Italian and English terms, exposure to French and German terms)
    Other
    • Playing techniques/ practice techniques
    • Scales and Arpeggios
    • I-IV-V7-I/ i-iv-V7-i cadences
    • Improvisation (e.g., around circle of fifths)
    • Sight-Reading
    • Ensemble Playing
    • Repertoire, representative of various styles and style periods, memorized and performed
    Skill Examples:
    Performing
    • Guitar: Demonstrate proficiency by using the following the following open chords while maintaining a quality tone: A, Am, A7, C, D, D7, E, Em, E7, G.
    • Piano: Play I IV V (or I, iv, V) chords (with inversions), hands separately or together.
    • Perform a varied repertoire of music while demonstrating technical accuracy, dynamic contrast with an emerging sense of musicality.
    • Create small ensembles to allow for a peer-evaluation process.
    • Perform a varied repertoire of music representing diverse genres and cultures and showing expression and technical accuracy at a level that includes changes in tempo, meter and key signature.
    Creating
    • Identify and interpret music symbols and terms appropriately while sight-reading a varied repertoire of music.
    • Discuss current trends in music and their impact on today's society.
    • Create an appropriate melodic line and accompaniment and notate using a technology source.
    • Describe ways that technology has altered how humans create, perform and listen to music.
    Reading/ Writing
    • Develop sight-reading benchmarks and growth goals in line with local guidelines.
    • Analyze tempo, dynamics and form in a given piece of music.
    • Identify accidentals, including flats, sharps, and naturals within selected repertoire.
    • Develop criteria based on the elements of music to support personal preferences for specific music works.
    • Compare and contrast selections using appropriate terminology.
    Responding/ Evaluating
    • Examine performances of self and others to evaluate the quality and effectiveness while identifying areas for improvement.
    • Describe the tone or mood of a selection and identify musical elements within a piece of music that contribute to the overall mood.
    • Reflect on the relationship between music and the social and political events at various times in American history.
    • Reflect on various live or recorded performances.
    Evaluate
    Arts Education (2017)
    Grade(s): 6 - 12
    Music: Harmonizing Instruments - Proficient
    All Resources: 0
    13) Develop and apply teacher-provided criteria based on personal preference, analysis, and context (personal, social, and cultural) to evaluate individual and small group musical selections for listening.

    Unpacked Content
    Artistic Process: Responding
    Anchor Standards:
    Anchor Standard 9: Apply criteria to evaluate artistic work.
    Process Components: Evaluate
    Essential Questions:
    EU: The personal evaluation of musical works and performances is informed by analysis, interpretation, and established criteria.
    EQ: How do we judge the quality of musical work(s) and performance(s)?
    Concepts & Vocabulary:
    Rhythm
    • Beat (strong and weak beats, backbeat, division/ subdivision)
    • Notes and Rests (dotted eighth, sixteenth)
    • Meter (duple, triple, and quadruple simple and compound meters [2/2, 2/4, 6/8; 3/2, 3/4, 9/8; 4/2, 4/4, 12/8], asymmetrical meters [5/4, 7/8, etc.])
    • Tempo (all standard Italian tempo terms, using the metronome to practice)
    • Other (triplet, swing eighths)
    Melody
    • Scales (3 minor scale forms: natural, harmonic, melodic; relative and parallel minor)
    • Intervals (compound)
    • Staff Notation (double sharps and flats)
    • Melodic Figures (motive, theme, trill, passing tone)
    Harmony
    • Triads (suspended chords)
    • Seventh Chords (five qualities, four inversions, suspensions)
    • Function (all diatonic chord functions)
    • Cadences (half, authentic, deceptive)
    • Lead Sheets
    Form
    • Forms (AABA song form, verse, chorus, bridge, 12-bar blues, sonatina, rondo, theme and variations
    • Texture (homophonic, polyphonic)
    Expression
    • Dynamics (all standard Italian terms, abbreviations, and symbols)
    • Articulation (all standard terms and symbols characteristic to the instrument)
    • Tempo and Changing Tempo (all standard Italian, English terms and abbreviations, exposure to French, German terms)
    • Character/ Style (all standard Italian and English terms, exposure to French and German terms)
    Other
    • Playing techniques/ practice techniques
    • Scales and Arpeggios
    • I-IV-V7-I/ i-iv-V7-i cadences
    • Improvisation (e.g., around circle of fifths)
    • Sight-Reading
    • Ensemble Playing
    • Repertoire, representative of various styles and style periods, memorized and performed
    Skill Examples:
    Performing
    • Guitar: Demonstrate proficiency by using the following the following open chords while maintaining a quality tone: A, Am, A7, C, D, D7, E, Em, E7, G.
    • Piano: Play I IV V (or I, iv, V) chords (with inversions), hands separately or together.
    • Perform a varied repertoire of music while demonstrating technical accuracy, dynamic contrast with an emerging sense of musicality.
    • Create small ensembles to allow for a peer-evaluation process.
    • Perform a varied repertoire of music representing diverse genres and cultures and showing expression and technical accuracy at a level that includes changes in tempo, meter and key signature.
    Creating
    • Identify and interpret music symbols and terms appropriately while sight-reading a varied repertoire of music.
    • Discuss current trends in music and their impact on today's society.
    • Create an appropriate melodic line and accompaniment and notate using a technology source.
    • Describe ways that technology has altered how humans create, perform and listen to music.
    Reading/ Writing
    • Develop sight-reading benchmarks and growth goals in line with local guidelines.
    • Analyze tempo, dynamics and form in a given piece of music.
    • Identify accidentals, including flats, sharps, and naturals within selected repertoire.
    • Develop criteria based on the elements of music to support personal preferences for specific music works.
    • Compare and contrast selections using appropriate terminology.
    Responding/ Evaluating
    • Examine performances of self and others to evaluate the quality and effectiveness while identifying areas for improvement.
    • Describe the tone or mood of a selection and identify musical elements within a piece of music that contribute to the overall mood.
    • Reflect on the relationship between music and the social and political events at various times in American history.
    • Reflect on various live or recorded performances.
    Connecting
    Arts Education (2017)
    Grade(s): 6 - 12
    Music: Harmonizing Instruments - Proficient
    All Resources: 0
    14) Connecting standards 1 and 2 are to be embedded while teaching the Creating, Performing, and Responding standards. See page 86.

    Unpacked Content
    Artistic Process: Connecting
    Anchor Standards:
    Anchor Standard 10: Synthesize and relate knowledge and personal experiences.
    Essential Questions:
    EU: Musicians connect their personal interests, experiences, ideas, and knowledge to creating, performing, and responding.
    EQ: How do musicians make meaningful connections to creating, performing, and responding?
    Concepts & Vocabulary:
    Rhythm
    • Beat (strong and weak beats, backbeat, division/ subdivision)
    • Notes and Rests (dotted eighth, sixteenth)
    • Meter (duple, triple, and quadruple simple and compound meters [2/2, 2/4, 6/8; 3/2, 3/4, 9/8; 4/2, 4/4, 12/8], asymmetrical meters [5/4, 7/8, etc.])
    • Tempo (all standard Italian tempo terms, using the metronome to practice)
    • Other (triplet, swing eighths)
    Melody
    • Scales (3 minor scale forms: natural, harmonic, melodic; relative and parallel minor)
    • Intervals (compound)
    • Staff Notation (double sharps and flats)
    • Melodic Figures (motive, theme, trill, passing tone)
    Harmony
    • Triads (suspended chords)
    • Seventh Chords (five qualities, four inversions, suspensions)
    • Function (all diatonic chord functions)
    • Cadences (half, authentic, deceptive)
    • Lead Sheets
    Form
    • Forms (AABA song form, verse, chorus, bridge, 12-bar blues, sonatina, rondo, theme and variations
    • Texture (homophonic, polyphonic)
    Expression
    • Dynamics (all standard Italian terms, abbreviations, and symbols)
    • Articulation (all standard terms and symbols characteristic to the instrument)
    • Tempo and Changing Tempo (all standard Italian, English terms and abbreviations, exposure to French, German terms)
    • Character/ Style (all standard Italian and English terms, exposure to French and German terms)
    Other
    • Playing techniques/ practice techniques
    • Scales and Arpeggios
    • I-IV-V7-I/i-iv-V7-i cadences
    • Improvisation (e.g., around circle of fifths)
    • Sight-Reading
    • Ensemble Playing
    • Repertoire, representative of various styles and style periods, memorized and performed
    Skill Examples:
    Performing
    • Choose and perform a repertoire piece from a wide selection in at least two of the following styles/ periods.
      • Baroque
      • Classical
      • Romantic
      • Impressionist
      • Modern
      • Pop/ Rock/ Jazz/ World
    • Understand and interpret all expression markings in repertoire played.
    • Perform at least one duet or ensemble piece; discuss the challenges of ensemble work.
    • Perform a composition of your own.
    Creating
    • Learn basic chord changes with appropriate rhythm and voicing in a few popular styles (progressive rock, smooth jazz, R&B, gospel, etc.). Choose your favorite and improvise in that style.
    • Choose from a selection of lead sheets in a variety of styles. First, "comp" the chords in an appropriate style; then play the melody over chords.
    • Choose a familiar melody harmonized with I-IV-V7 chords. Use the Circle of Fifths chart to transpose your performance to a different key.
    Reading/ Writing
    • Recognize and write seventh chord shapes (root position and inversions). Transpose to different keys, based on shape.
    • Write melodic minor scales in various keys. Notice that "correct spelling" makes the scales easy to read.
    • With links to Music Theory.Net Customized Exercises provided by your teacher, become proficient at exercises on Keyboard/ Fretboard Note Identification, Note Identification, Note Construction, Note Ear Training (Advanced Levels), Interval Identification and Construction, Keyboard and Fretboard Interval Identification and Chord Identification, Scale Ear Training (Proficient Levels).
    Responding/ Evaluating
    • Given a list of styles/periods (Baroque, Classical, Romantic, Impressionist, Modern, Pop, Rock, Jazz, World, etc.), identify the style of listening examples, and learn the names of the composers.
    • With your teacher's help, analyze the form of a repertoire piece.
    • Evaluate the texture of a repertoire piece, and play each element separately (melody, bassline, harmony).
    • Analyze and block the chords in a piece with arpeggios/ figuration.
    • Video yourself performing a repertoire piece. Notice your posture and hand position, good points of the performance, and spots that need practice. Work on problem spots and re-record. Repeat several times during the last two weeks before the performance of a piece.
    • Become proficient at Music Theory.Net Customized Exercises provided by teacher on Note, Interval, Chord, and Scale Ear Training on several advancing levels.