Below is an example of the Music History Module:
Unit Cover Page
Unit Title: Finding the Roots – European Music
Grade Level: 8
Subject/Course: Music History
Topic: ”Music through Time”
Designed by: Angela Marcone
Time Frame: 2 weeks (5 days per week, 41 minutes per session) = 10 Days total.
This unit will provide a brief overview and comparison of the six European music eras.
The content seeks to fulfill National Content Standards 6a, 6b, and 9 for understanding
culture and history and analysis of musical elements found in composition.
Included in the unit is a performance task that guide student understanding of music’s
relationship to history and culture. The tasks focus on the overall culture, music,
composers, and descriptions of each era. Through analysis of each musical period,
students will discover how cultural changes influence artistic endeavors. Students will
listen to and compare compositions from each era to uncover these changes.
Both informal and formal assessments along with structured essential questions will
encourage students to gain insightful knowledge regarding European musical eras.
Title of Unit: Finding the Roots
Unit Designer: Angela Marcone
Desired Results
Established Goals/National Standards:
Content Standard 6: Listening to, analyzing, and describing music.
Achievement Standard, Proficient:
Students will…
A. Describe specific music events in a given aural example, using appropriate
terminology.
B. Analyze the uses of elements of music in aural examples representing diverse
genres and cultures.
Content Standard 9: Understanding music in relation to history and culture.
Achievement Standard, Proficient:
Students will…
A. Describe distinguishing characteristics of representative music genres and styles
from a variety of cultures
Understandings:
Students will understand that…
 Artistic endeavors represent cultural influence.
 Music is a vital part of culture and society.
 Historical analysis provides an opportunity to learn how music evolved.
 Identifying a composer’s life, work, and intentions provides a greater insight
into his musical works.
 Comparing qualities of music and lifestyles, from each of the six European
eras, identifies factors that contributed to compositional techniques, choice of
instrumentation, musical forms, and presentations.
Essential Questions:
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How can analysis of historical music provide understanding for today’s musical
practices?
What roles do music and art play to assist in visualizing historical changes in
culture and society?
Why is an understanding of musical concepts such as form and structure,
dynamics, instrument pairings, and melodic shaping important for a composer?
What factors influence compositional techniques from each of the six European
eras?
 What is the relationship between the names of each of the six musical eras
and the cultural changes at the time?
 What were the strongest societal influences on music composition in the
Romantic Era?
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Why was there such a radical change in musical concepts and
compositional techniques during the Modern music era?
Skills:
Students will demonstrate the ability to…
 Identify and describe cultural and societal components of a particular era.
o Eras:
 Medieval, Renaissance, Baroque, Classical, Romantic, Modern
 Explain the role of music in society for one of the six European Eras.
 Identify at least two major composers of each European era.
o Examples:
 Leonin, Perotin, DeVitry
 Palestrina, Byrd, DeLasso, Des Prez
 Bach, Vivaldi, Handel
 Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert
 Tchaikovsky, Liszt, Chopin
 Bernstein, Joplin, Schoenberg, Webern
 Listen and identify specific music compositions from the Medieval, Renaissance,
Baroque, Classical, Romantic, and Modern music eras.
o Examples:
 Hildegard von Bingen – “O quam miribalis”
 Olrando Gibbons – “Silver Swan”
 Antonio Vivaldi – “Four Seasons – Spring”
 Ludwig von Beethoven – “Symphony No. 5”
 Frederic Chopin - ”Prelude in E Minor”
 Arnold Schoenberg – “String Quartet # 4”
Knowledge:
Students will know…
 Culture is customs, art, social infrastructures, and achievements of a social group.
 Analysis is necessary to provide a basis for discussion and interpretation.
 Chant is unaccompanied homophonic music used for the Mass.
 A motet is a vocal composition intended for church service.
 Polyphony is lines of music interweaved forming two distinct melodies.
 Scared music is a composition for religious purposes
 Secular music is music composed with non-religious lyrics.
 Ornamental is a term used to describe the musical techniques and the architectural
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growth of the Baroque era.
Oratorio is a dramatic musical piece, based on religious theme for solo, chorus,
and orchestra.
“Rococo” is a term used to describe and relate musical and architectural changes
between the Baroque and Classical eras.
“Rebirth” is a term often used to describe the Renaissance era.
Madrigal is unaccompanied secular vocal music.
Counterpoint is a musical style that uses two or more independent melodic lines
with varied rhythms. Each interacts with the other harmonically
A symphony is a composition for full orchestra, usually in four movements.
Sonata allegro form is a composition in three sections, with themes or subjects,
and tonal changes.
Nocturne is a name given to a piece of music suggestive of the night and usually
written for piano.
Prelude is a short independent composition that usually precedes a more
important or dramatic movement.
Dissonance is a lack of harmony and creates tension between musical notes.
Retrograde is a compositional technique in which the order of patterns are
reversed
Aleatoric music leaves some part to chance or random composition.
Minimalism is an avant-garde movement in music characterized by short hypnotic
phrases.
Experimental music challenges commonly accepted notions of composition.
Title of Unit: Finding the Roots
Unit Designer: Angela Marcone
Stage 2: Assessment Evidence
Performance Task
 Performance Task 1:
Remembering An Era
“You are given the challenge to frame the life of an era. Assigned to the music
history department of a local college, you will assume the role of explaining one
of the six European musical eras to a group of young students touring the campus.
Design a storyboard showing famous composers, samples of musical works, key
terms used to describe compositional styles and techniques such as fugue,
symphony, or nocturne. You should create a short summary to use as a guide for
explanation that captures information such as timeline dates, biography data about
the composers, and interesting facts the music played to societal functions and
culture.”
Key Criteria:
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Key criteria for Performance Task 1:
o Did the student create a storyboard that reflects accurate and thorough
knowledge of the musical era?
o Did the student show creativity in the storyboard?
Other Evidence:
1. Quiz – Through multiple choice students will match musical terms, composer
names, and periods to each of the six European eras.
2. Informal checks and prompts – Listening exercises: Students will look at
musical scores from each of the six European eras. While listening, students
will use guided prompts such as complex, emotional, formal, structured, simple,
polyphonic, and homophonic to describe the music.
3. Unit Test – Students will complete a blank history chart reflective of the work
done in the unit. Through listening, the students will also name musical eras
associated with the musical example.
Student Self-Assessment and Reflection:
1. Students will discuss their personal opinion of the evident musical changes
that occurred from one musical era to another such as texture, form and
structure, ornamentation, and instrumentation.
2. Students will write in their own words how culture and society affects musical
compositions and choices made by composers.
3. Students will review peer assessment forms to evaluate results and reflect
upon possible improvements.