Music Education is crucial to personal success as we move forward in the 21 st
Century. In preparing to enter today’s ever- changing workplace, students are asked to demonstrate skills in communication, technology and teamwork. Music Education is a tremendous vehicle to develop these highly- desired skills. Music is a rich and fundamental subject with a compelling history and vibrant culture. Music is a common language that reaches across boundaries to bring cultures together and creates a global understanding. Music allows high school students to explore the vast expanse of feeling and emotion beyond the limitations of words. These experiences inspire them to become lifelong learners who appreciate and value music.
By grade 12, students should demonstrate the ability to:
GOAL 1: perform music alone and with others.
GOAL 2: read and write musical notation.
GOAL 3: analyze, describe, and evaluate musical performances.
GOAL 4: create original music within specified guidelines.
GOAL 5: understand the relationships between music, other arts, history, and culture.

1.
Singing, alone and with others, a varied repertoire of music
5.
Reading and notating music
6.
Evaluating music and music performances
2.
Performing on instruments, alone and with others, a varied repertoire of music
3.
Improvising melodies, variations, and accompaniments
5. Reading and notating music
Evaluating music and music performances 7.
6. Listening to analyzing, and describing music
7.
Evaluating music and music performances
8.
Understanding relationships between music, the other arts, and other disciplines
9.
Understanding music in relation to history and culture
4.
Composing and arranging music within specifies guidelines
5.
Reading and notating music
6.
Listening to, analyzing and describing music

GOAL 1: Perform music alone and with others.
Learning Outcomes
Student will:
1.1
Sing, alone and with others, a varied repertoire of music
As evidenced by written, oral and/or performance:
 Sing with expression and technical accuracy a varied repertoire of vocal literature at a level of difficulty
between 2-5 on a scale of 1-6.
 Sing up to 4 part music with or
 without accompaniment
 Demonstrate ensemble skills
Perform solo repertoire for class and/or adjudication with appropriate stage presence and tone quality
Assessments:

Individual aural assessments

Small group aural assessments

Concert assessments*

Student self-assessment

Adjudicator evaluation forms*

Visual assessment of ensemble skills

Written assessment of ensemble skill knowledge*
Sample Collection for Portfolio
Refer to items with asterisks.
Student reflection on choices.

GOAL 2: Read and write musical notation.
Learning Outcomes
Student will:
2.1 Read and write musical notation
As evidenced by written, oral and/or performance:
 Identify and demonstrate musical symbols related to rhythm, pitch,

 tempo, dynamics and style
Identify and write all major key signatures
Identify and demonstrate time signatures
 Interpret, and perform at sight, written notation at grade level 2 on a scale of 1-6
Assessments:
 Individual hearings
 Written classwork/quizzes*
Sample Collection for Portfolio
Refer to items with asterisks.
Student reflection on choices.

GOAL 3: Describe, analyze, and evaluate musical performances.
Learner Outcomes
Student will:
3.1
Analyze and describe musical performances


As evidenced by written, oral and/or performance:
 Understand basic genres and musical elements (melody, harmony, rhythm,

 form, and timbre)
Identify elements in musical performances
Describe the effect of musical elements on expressive qualities of music
Classify music by genre upon listening
Compare and contrast musical performances orally and in writing
3.2
Evaluate music and musical performances


Create criteria for judging musical performances
Critically evaluate recordings in terms of technical accuracy (rhythm, pitch, dynamics, tempo, intonation, etc.)


Evaluate peer performances
Watch/listen to recordings of solo and/or ensemble performances and self-evaluate
Assessments:
 Performance rubric*
 Written peer evaluations*
 Written self-evaluations*
Sample Collection for Portfolio
Refer to items with asterisks.
Student reflection on choices.

GOAL 4: Create original music within specified guidelines.
Learner Outcomes
Student will:
4.1 Compose and arrange music within
specified guidelines
As evidenced by written, oral and/or performance:
 Write an original melody
 Arrange a familiar melody for vocal solo
(with accompaniment) or for 2+ voices
4.2
Improvise melodies, variations, and
accompaniments  During class, students “call” an
 improvised rhythm (clapping, neutral syllable) to have class “respond”
Sing basic improvised melodies over
 simple chord progressions
Perform improvised solos when appropriate to style of repertoire
Assessments:
 Student compositions/arrangements*
 Student hearings
Sample Collection for Portfolio
Refer to items with asterisks.
Student reflection on choices.

GOAL 5: Understand the relationships between music, other arts, history, and culture.
Learner Outcomes
Student will: As evidenced by written, oral and/or performance:
5.1
Understand the relationship between
music and other arts.  Identify renaissance, baroque, classical, romantic, impressionist, and major 20 th century periods
 Explain similarities between music and
5.2
Understand relationships between music
and history. other arts from the same period
 Identify important historical periods as above
 Classify music by historical period/style
 Explain the effect of historical events on the elements of music being performed when applicable
5.3
Understand the relationship between 
music and culture.
Identify the cultural origin of music in listening examples
 Perform music from a variety of
 cultures, and identify its cultural origin
Recognize differences in aesthetic between various cultures (i.e. tone quality in Eastern Europe vs. West, etc.)
Assessments:
 Written classwork/quizzes*
 Class discussion with questioning
Sample Collection for Portfolio
Refer to items with asterisks.
Student reflection on choices.
Based on CT Common Core of Learning, and Madison Public Schools Music Curriculum