South Carolina

Visual and Performing Arts

Curriculum Standards 2003

 

Office of Curriculum and Standards

South Carolina Department of Education

Columbia, South Carolina

 

Inez Moore Tenenbaum

State Superintendent of Education

 

South Carolina

Visual and Performing Arts

Curriculum Standards

 

 

Preface

 

South Carolina Visual and Performing Arts Curriculum Standards 2003 presents what all of our state’s children should know and be able to do in the arts. This comprehensive document addresses dance, music, theatre, and visual arts standards from preschool through advanced high school arts courses. It is intended to be used by policy makers, education administrators, teachers, and instructional and community leaders as a concise statement about expectations for learning in the arts and as the basis for curricula, instruction, and assessment in the four arts disciplines.

 

This document represents a statewide consensus that has evolved from the dedicated work of hundreds of educators and artists. The process began with the development of the South Carolina Visual and Performing Arts Framework in 1993. The next year, the document National Standards for Arts Education was made available nationwide, and in 1999 the State Department of Education’s South Carolina Visual and Performing Arts Curriculum Standards was published. Dance, music, theatre, and visual arts students are heirs to excellent arts opportunities and programs because of the vision and resolve of generations of devoted arts educators in our state and throughout the nation. The South Carolina Visual and Performing Arts Curriculum Standards 2003 should serve as the foundation of a complete quality arts education system.

 

All children deserve access to the rich education that the arts provide, regardless of their background, talents, or disabilities. Students with disabilities can derive great benefit from the arts; therefore, arts specialists should be involved in the planning for the education of students with special needs. Arts specialists should also take part in the planning and implementation of artistically gifted and talented programs. Students in these programs in the elementary and middle grades are expected to achieve all the standards listed at their grade levels as well as to demonstrate higher levels of skills and knowledge, deal with more complex examples, and respond to works of art in increasingly sophisticated ways.

 

The arts standards for young children described in this document were developed through the collaboration of arts specialists and South Carolina Department of Education early childhood consultants. As a result, prekindergarten through kindergarten (preK–K) standards are presented as a separate grade level. The standards for all grades describe the knowledge and skills that should be addressed. However, several preK–K standards start with the phrase “begin to,” which means that student mastery is not expected and that formal assessment is not appropriate for these standards. When the standards continue without the “begin to” phrase, however, mastery and assessment of the grades 1–2 standards are expected. The preK–K visual and performing arts standards were developed with the intention that instruction would be provided in schools (with sufficient arts staff and appropriate funding) by arts specialists or by early childhood teachers who had received extensive professional development in arts education. A systematic collaborative effort between elementary arts specialists and early childhood teachers is highly recommended.

 

Two sets of standards have been created for grades 9–12 because of the enormous differences in the knowledge and skills needed by those students who are specializing in the arts (9–12 advanced). All students are expected to master the 9–12 standards. The advanced standards are provided to help eligible students qualify for honors credit as described in the State Board of Education’s uniform grading policy for students in their third and fourth years of course work.

 

The implementation of the standards will be supported by a companion document that will include exemplary standards-based lessons, examples of classroom assessment, and excellent recommendations for integrating the arts across the curriculum. The companion document will also address technological needs in the arts and will provide a comprehensive overview of the components (e.g., facilities, staff, schedules, resources, equipment) necessary to provide students opportunities to learn the arts standards.

 

Both South Carolina Visual and Performing Arts Curriculum Standards 2003 and the companion document drew on the expertise of many preK–16 arts teachers and administrators that were nominated by the professional arts education organizations for dance, music, theatre, and visual arts. We are grateful to all that contributed to this effort.

 

The legacy of strong arts education in South Carolina continues.

 

 

Using This Document

 

South Carolina’s curriculum standards for the arts are based on both the content standards and the achievement standards that are set forth in National Standards for Arts Education: What Every Young American Should Know and Be Able to Do in the Arts, a document developed by the Consortium of National Arts Education Associations and published in 1994.

 

In South Carolina Visual and Performing Arts Curriculum Standards 2003, each of the sections for the four arts disciplines—dance, music, theatre, and visual arts—is introduced by a brief essay that describes and explains the appropriate use of the South Carolina standards in the state’s classrooms. Next, in each of the four sections, the national content standards are given verbatim. These national content standards are also repeated throughout the South Carolina curriculum standards in the primary headings (i.e., those designated with roman numerals).

 

While some changes in the wording of the discipline-specific national achievement standards have been made here, the essential beliefs and intent of these standards remain intact. In addition, our document contains standards that are original and unique to South Carolina.

 

 

Introduction

The South Carolina music curriculum standards are designed to embrace the national standards for music education. Educational systems in the United States have recognized the need for national standards to provide the basis for a common curricula and academic programs throughout the country.

 

Studies in general, choral, and instrumental (band and orchestra) music are components of a comprehensive music program and are part of the overall school curriculum. One component cannot be the sole provider of music education. A school’s music curriculum should include general, choral, and instrumental music courses that encompass all of the national standards and yet place greater emphasis on certain of those standards, depending upon the focus of study. For example, the national content standard 1, “Singing alone and with others, a varied repertoire of music,” is best addressed in the general or the choral music programs, although instrumental programs should have children sing their instrumental parts. The South Carolina music curriculum standards—which are divided into general, choral, and instrumental sections—support this position.

 

Choral and instrumental music instruction is not always offered at every grade level in a given school district. Therefore, music teachers—who are held accountable for students’ attainment of the music standards—must understand how the music standards provide for sequential learning. The scale used in this document for choral and instrumental music corresponds to the scale used in the national standards. The 3–5/6–8 beginning level standards are for students who have little or no previous training in choral or instrumental methods. The 6–8/9–12 intermediate level provides standards for the middle school student who has some experience or the high school student who is in the first year of study. The 9–12 proficient level is intended for students who have completed courses involving relevant skills and knowledge for one to two years beyond the eighth grade. Students at the 9–12 advanced level are expected to achieve the standards established for all students as well as the advanced-level standards.

 

Many school districts in South Carolina do not introduce choral and instrumental music courses into the curriculum until the middle school level, and most of these courses are offered as electives. Because some students may enter middle school music programs with little or no prior training, it is imperative that the 3–5/6–8 beginning level years be regarded as foundational. It is therefore of critical importance that the scheduling of music classes at the middle school level allow enough instructional time for these beginning standards to be addressed. Teachers for whom contact hours are limited to nine-week exploratory courses or semester-long courses cannot realistically be expected to address all of these standards. Many middle school students can be expected to make progress toward mastering the 6–8/9–12 intermediate level standards.

 

The scheduling of 6–8/9–12 intermediate level music courses that serve as a student’s initial exposure to choral and instrumental music instruction should allow sufficient time for the music educator to provide background instruction and the student to build basic skills as well as for the educator to address the 9–12 proficient level standards.

 

The 9–12 advanced level standards are designed to reflect the highest possible degree of achievement in music at the high school level. High schools that aspire to build advanced courses to meet the 9–12 advanced level standards should have strong feeder elementary or middle school music programs in place to ensure that these higher standards can be met. The South Carolina uniform grading policy will allow the advanced standards to qualify eligible students for honors credit in their third and fourth years of course work.

 

National Music Content Standards

 

 

     I.        SINGING. Singing, alone and with others, a varied repertoire of music.

 

  II.      PERFORMING ON INSTRUMENTS. Performing on instruments, alone and with others, a varied repertoire of music.

 

III.        IMPROVISING. Improvising melodies, variations, and accompaniments.

 

IV.        COMPOSING AND ARRANGING. Composing and arranging music within specified guidelines.

 

  V.        READING AND NOTATING. Reading and notating music.

 

VI.        ANALYZING. Listening to, analyzing, and describing music.

 

VII.        EVALUATING. Evaluating music and music performances.

 

VIII.      MAKING CONNECTIONS. Understanding relationships between music, the other arts, and disciplines outside the arts.

 

IX.        RELATING TO HISTORY AND CULTURE. Understanding music in relation to history and culture.

 

 

General Music Standards for the Individual Grade Levels

 

Grades 9–12

 

I.       SINGING. Singing, alone and with others, a varied repertoire of music.

      Students will

A.    Sing expressively, with technical and stylistic accuracy, a varied repertoire of music with expanded range and interpretive requirements.

B.     Sing two- and three-part songs, accompanied or unaccompanied, demonstrating well-developed ensemble skills including balance, intonation, rhythmic accuracy, phrasing, and interpretation.

C.     Demonstrate skills for singing in various type of ensembles, including small (duet, trio, quartet) and large (all male, all female, and mixed voices) configurations.

II.       PERFORMING ON INSTRUMENTS. Performing on instruments, alone and with others, a varied repertoire of music.

      Students will

A.    Play a varied repertoire on a classroom instrument while demonstrating musical expression and technical and stylistic accuracy.

B.     Play instruments accurately and independently in small and large ensembles, demonstrating the skills of balance, intonation, rhythmic unity, and independence.

C.     Play an accompaniment on an instrument while singing the melody.

D.    Use notation and ear instincts to play melodies and accompaniments on a variety of classroom instruments.

E.     Participate in organized ensembles such as the Stewart Orff Ensemble and World Music Drumming.

III.       IMPROVISING. Improvising melodies, variations, and accompaniments.

      Students will

A.    Improvise stylistically appropriate harmonizing parts.

B.     Improvise rhythmic and melodic variations on given melodies in pentatonic, major, and minor keys.

C.     Improvise melodies over given chord progressions in a consistent style, meter, and tonality.

IV.    COMPOSING AND ARRANGING. Composing and arranging music within specified guidelines.

      Students will

A.    Compose music in several distinct styles, demonstrating creativity in using the elements of music for expressive effect.

B.     Arrange short pieces that use voices or instruments other than those for which the particular piece was originally written but that preserve or enhance the expressive effect of that piece.

C.     Arrange simple pieces for acoustic and electronic instruments.

D.    Compose and arrange using computer and electronic technology.

 

V.    READING AND NOTATING. Reading and notating music.

      Students will

A.       Use standard and nontraditional symbols to notate musical ideas.

B.       Read and notate chord symbols for classroom instruments.

C.     Read an instrumental or vocal score of up to four staves.

D.    Record the musical ideas of others through the use of standard notation.

VI.    ANALYZING. Listening to, analyzing, and describing music.

      Students will

A.    Describe the uses of music elements and expressive devices in analyzing aural examples of a varied repertoire of music from diverse genres and cultures.

B.     Demonstrate a knowledge of the technical vocabulary of music.

C.     Identify and explain compositional techniques that are used to provide unity, variety, and tension and release in a musical work.

D.    Compare and contrast the sound sources (e.g., reeds, strings) of a variety of musical instruments including orchestral, band, multicultural, and digital.

E.     Explain emotional responses to various musical effects.

VII.    EVALUATING. Evaluating music and music performances.

      Students will

A.    Apply and refine specific criteria for making informed critical evaluations of the quality and effectiveness of performances and apply the criteria when participating in music.

B.     Evaluate a performance, composition, arrangement, or improvisation by comparing it to similar or exemplary models.

C.     Develop criteria to judge the quality of their own performances and those of others.

VIII.    MAKING CONNECTIONS. Understanding relationships between music, the other arts, and disciplines outside the arts.

      Students will

A.    Compare and contrast the ways that organizational principles and artistic elements and processes are used in the various arts disciplines.

B.     Compare and contrast two or more arts disciplines within a particular historical period and cite relevant examples.

C.     Explain how the principles and subject matter of various disciplines outside the arts interrelate with those of music.

 

IX.    RELATING TO HISTORY AND CULTURE. Understanding music in relation to history and culture.

      Students will

A.    Describe distinguishing characteristics of representative music genres and styles from a variety of cultures.

B.     Identify sources of American music genres, trace the evolution of those genres, and name well-known musicians associated with them.

C.     Identify the various roles of musicians in society, name representative individuals who have functioned in each role, and describe their activities and achievements.

D.    Compare and contrast the roles of musicians in various cultures of the world.

E.     Refine criteria to determine appropriate audience behavior for the context and style of music being performed.

 

Grades 9–12 Advanced

I.       SINGING. Singing, alone and with others, a varied repertoire of music.

      Students will

A.    Sing expressively, with technical and stylistic accuracy, a varied repertoire including unusual meters, complex rhythms, key changes, accidentals, and subtle dynamics.

B.     Sing large ensemble music written in four or more parts and small ensemble music with one student on a part.

C.     Demonstrate skills for singing in various type of ensembles, including small (duet, trio, quartet) and large (all male, all female, and mixed voices) configurations.

II.    PERFORMING ON INSTRUMENTS. Performing on instruments, alone and with others, a varied repertoire of music.

      Students will

A.    Play a varied repertoire including unusual meters, complex rhythms, key changes, accidentals, and subtle dynamics.

B.     Play instruments accurately and independently in small and large ensembles, demonstrating the skills of balance, intonation, rhythmic unity, and independence.

C.     Play an accompaniment on an instrument while singing the melody.

D.    Use notation and ear instincts to play melodies and accompaniments on a variety of classroom instruments.

E.     Participate in organized ensembles such as the Stewart Orff Ensemble and World Music Drumming.

F.      Play classroom instruments accurately and independently in small and large ensembles and alone.

III.    IMPROVISING. Improvising melodies, variations, and accompaniments.

Students will

A.    Improvise stylistically appropriate harmonizing parts in a variety of styles.

B.     Improvise rhythmic and melodic variations on given melodies in pentatonic, major, and minor keys.

C.     Improvise melodies over given chord progressions in a consistent style, meter, and tonality.

IV.    COMPOSING AND ARRANGING. Composing and arranging music within specified guidelines.

      Students will

A.    Compose music that demonstrates both imagination and technical skill in the application of the principles of composition.

B.     Arrange short pieces that use voices or instruments other than those for which the particular piece was originally written but that preserve or enhance the expressive effect of that piece.

C.     Arrange simple pieces for acoustic and electronic instruments.

D.    Compose and arrange using computer and electronic technology.

 

V.     READING AND NOTATING. Reading and notating music.

      Students will

A.    Describe how the elements of music enable musicians to read a full vocal or instrumental score containing transpositions and changing clefs.

B.     Interpret nonstandard notation symbols used by some twentieth-century composers.

C.     Read an instrumental or vocal score of up to four staves.

D.    Record the musical ideas of others through the use of standard notation.

VI.    ANALYZING. Listening to, analyzing, and describing music.

      Students will

A.    Explain why certain musical events in an aural selection are significant to perceiving and remembering them.

B.     Analyze and describe the ways in which elements of music and expressive devices are used in music compositions of the same genre and style.

C.     Analyze and describe uses of the elements of music in a given work that make it unique, interesting, and expressive.

D.    Compare and contrast the sound sources (e.g., reeds, strings) of a variety of musical instruments including orchestral, band, multicultural, and digital.

E.     Explain emotional responses to various musical effects.

VII.    EVALUATING. Evaluating music and music performances.

      Students will

A.    Evaluate a given musical work in terms of its aesthetic qualities and explain the musical means used to evoke feeling and emotions.

B.     Evaluate a performance, composition, arrangement, or improvisation by comparing it to similar or exemplary models.

C.     Develop criteria to judge the quality of their own performances and those of others.

 

 

VIII.    MAKING CONNECTIONS. Understanding relationships between music, the other arts, and disciplines outside the arts.

      Students will

A.    Explain how the roles of creators, performers, and others involved in the production and presentation of the various arts are similar to and different from one another.

B.     Compare the ways in which the characteristic media of two or more arts disciplines can be used to transform similar events, scenes, emotions, or ideas into works of art.

C.     Explain how the principles and subject matter of various disciplines outside the arts interrelate with those of music.

 

IX.  RELATING TO HISTORY AND CULTURE. Understanding music in relation to history and culture.

      Students will

A.    Identify and explain the stylistic features of a given musical work that serve to define its aesthetic tradition and its historical or cultural context.

B.     Identify and describe music genres or styles that show the influence of two or more cultural traditions, identify the source of each influence, and trace the historical condition that produced the synthesis of influence.

C.     Identify the various roles of musicians in society, name representative individuals who have functioned in each role, and describe their activities and achievements.

D.    Compare and contrast the roles of musicians in various cultures of the world.

E.     Refine criteria to determine appropriate audience behavior for the context and style of music being performed.

 

 General Music Standards across All Grade Levels

 

I.  SINGING. Singing, alone and with others, a varied repertoire of music.

Students will

PreK–K	1–2	3–5	6–8	9–12	9–12 Advanced
A. Sing songs in a developmentally appropriate range (using head tones), match pitch, echo short melodic patterns, and maintain a steady tempo.		A. Sing independently, on pitch and in rhythm, using appropriate timbre, diction, and posture while maintaining a steady tempo.	A. Sing with stylistic accuracy and good breath control, alone or in small and large ensembles.	A. Sing expressively, with technical and stylistic accuracy, a varied repertoire of music with expanded range and interpretive requirements.	A. Sing expressively, with technical and stylistic accuracy, a large and varied repertoire including unusual meters, complex rhythms, key changes, accidentals, and subtle dynamics.
B. Speak, chant, and sing using expressive voices and move to demonstrate awareness of beat, tempo, dynamics, and melodic direction.		B. Sing expressively, alone or in groups, blending vocal timbres, matching dynamic levels, and responding to the cues of a conductor.	B. Sing with expression and technical accuracy unison songs and two- and three-part songs, including some by memory.	B. Sing two- and three-part songs, accompanied or unaccompanied, demonstrating well-developed ensemble skills including balance, intonation, rhythmic accuracy, phrasing, and interpretation.	B. Sing large ensemble music written in four or more parts and small ensemble music with one student on a part.
C. Sing from memory age-appropriate songs representing varied styles of music.		C. Sing, alone and with others, a varied repertoire of music including partner songs, descants, ostinati, and rounds.	C. Demonstrate skills for singing in various type of ensembles, including small (duet, trio, quartet) and large (all male, all female, and mixed voices) configurations.

 

 

 

III.  IMPROVISING.             Improvising melodies, variations, and accompaniments.

Students will

PreK–K	1–2	3–5	6–8		9–12	9–12 Advanced
A. Improvise songs and rhythm chants with words to accompany play activities accompany play activities.		A. Improvise, in the same style, responses (answers) to given rhythmic and melodic patterns (questions).	A. Improvise simple harmonic accompaniments.		A. Improvise stylistically appropriate harmonizing parts.	A. Improvise stylistically appropriate harmonizing parts in a variety of styles.
B. Improvise instrumental accompaniments to songs, recorded selections, stories, and poems.		B. Improvise simple rhythmic and melodic ostinato patterns and accompaniments.	B. Improvise simple rhythmic variations and melodic embellishments on melodies in pentatonic and major keys.	B. Improvise rhythmic and melodic variations on given melodies in pentatonic, major, and minor keys.
C. Improvise simple rhythmic accompaniments using body percussion and classroom instruments.		C. Improvise simple rhythmic variations and melodic embellishments.	C. Improvise short melodies both without accompaniment and with basic rhythmic accompaniment.	C. Improvise melodies over given chord progressions in a consistent style, meter, and tonality.
		D. Improvise short songs and instrumental pieces using traditional and nontraditional sound sources.	D. Improvise melodies using accurate and consistent style, meter, and tonality.

 

 

IV. COMPOSING AND ARRANGING. Composing and arranging music within specified guidelines.
Students will
PreK–K		1–2	3–5	6–8	9–12	9–12 Advanced
A. Compose using icons or invented symbols to represent music beats.			A. Compose and arrange music using standard and nonstandard notation.	A. Compose short pieces within specified guidelines, using basic music elements to achieve expressive qualities.	A. Compose music in several distinct styles, demonstrating creativity in using the elements of music for expressive effect.	A. Compose music that demonstrates both imagination and technical skill in the application of the principles of composition.
B. Compose using icons or invented symbols to represent musical sounds and ideas.	B. Compose using icons, invented symbols, original graphics, and standard notation to represent musical sounds and ideas.		B. Compose and arrange music to accompany readings and dramatizations.	B. Arrange short pieces using a variety of voices and instruments.	B. Arrange short pieces that use voices or instruments other than those for which the particular piece was originally written but that preserve or enhance the expressive effect of that piece.
			C. Compose and arrange short songs and instrumental pieces within specified guidelines, using basic music elements.	C. Compose and arrange simple pieces using traditional, nontraditional, and electronic sound sources.	C. Arrange simple pieces for acoustic and electronic instruments.
			D. Compose and arrange short songs and instrumental pieces using a variety of sound sources.		D. Compose and arrange using computer and electronic technology.

 

 

V.  READING AND NOTATING. Reading and notating music.
Students will
PreK–K	1–2	3–5	6–8	9–12	9–12 Advanced
A. Begin to read, write, and perform rhythmic notation using traditional, nontraditional, and invented symbols to represent beat, divided beat, and rest.	A. Read, write, and perform rhythmic notation using traditional, nontraditional, and invented symbols to represent beat, divided beat, and rest.	A. Read and write rhythmic notation incorporating syncopation as well as whole, half, quarter, eighth, and sixteenth notes and corresponding rests.	A. Read and write rhythmic notation in simple and compound meters.	A. Use standard and nontraditional symbols to notate musical ideas.	A. Describe how the elements of music enable musicians to read a full vocal or instrumental score containing transpositions and changing clefs.
B. Begin to read and write melodic notation in pentatonic mode, using traditional, nontraditional, and invented symbols to represent pitch.	B. Read and write melodic notation in pentatonic mode, using traditional, nontraditional, and invented symbols to represent pitch.	B. Read and write short melodic notation in pentatonic, major, and minor tonalities.	B. Sight-read simple melodies in both the treble and the bass clef.	B. Read and notate chord symbols for classroom instruments.	B. Interpret nonstandard notation symbols used by some twentieth- century composers.
	C. Identify basic music symbols including staff lines and spaces, the treble clef sign, measures, bar lines, the double bar line, repeat signs, and meter signatures.	C. Identify symbols and terminology for dynamics, tempo, and articulation and interpret them correctly when performing.	C. Identify and define standard notation symbols for pitch, rhythm, dynamics, tempo, articulation, and expression and interpret them correctly when performing.	C. Read an instrumental or vocal score of up to four staves.
		D. Write notation using standard symbols for meter, rhythm, pitch, and dynamics.	D. Record the musical ideas of others through the use of standard notation.