Music Curriculum

Northern Illinois District

Grade 7

 

 

XXV.  Elements of the Arts (Music Theory – Listening/ Describing)

 

State Goal:  Know the language of the arts.

 

Why This Goal Is Important:  Through observation, discussion, interpreta­tion and analysis, students learn the “language” of the arts.  They learn to understand how others express ideas in dance, drama, music and visual art forms.  In addition to acquiring knowledge essential to performance and production, students become arts consumers (e.g., attending live performances or movies, purchasing paintings or jewelry, or visiting museums) who understand the basic elements and principles underlying artworks and are able to critique them.

 

 

Learning Standard  A:  Understand the sensory elements, organizational principles, and expressive qualities of the arts.

 

Sensory elements

 

Objective 1:  Identify different tempos

Objective 2:  Identify and label different dynamic levels

Objective 3:  Hear, identify, and perform syncopation

Objective 4:  Identify and perform rhythmic/melodic ostinatos

Objective 5:  Hear and identify vocal timbre (soprano, alto, tenor, bass)

 

Organizational principles (Formal/ technical elements)

 

Objective 6:  Identify different simple and compound meters

Objective 7:  Conduct simple patterns in meter of 2, 3, and 4

Objective 8:  Hear, identify, and perform triplets

Objective 9:  Hear, identify, and sing major/minor scales

Objective 10:  Identify whole/half step structure

Objective 11:  Explain the concept of chordal harmony and the construction of triads

Objective 12:  Hear and identify chords and progressions in major/minor (I, IV, V, i, iv)

 

Expressive qualities

 

Objective 13:  Discuss the concept of mood and expression

Objective 14:  Hear, identify, and sing musical forms (including canon)

 

Changes in elements and expressive qualities

 

Objective 15:  Recognize the use of composite forms

 

 

Learning Standard B:  Understand the similarities, distinctions, and connections in and among the arts.

 

Characteristics of musical styles

 

Objective 1:  Recognize and identify acapella/accompanied

Objective 2:  View and/or participate in a musical production or worship service

 

Similarities, contrasts, and relationships between music and the other fine arts

 

Objective 3:  Compare and contrast music with visual art of the same period

Objective 4:  Compare and contrast musical and poetical form

Objective 5:  Discuss how music, dance, and drama work together

 

 

 

XXVI.  Performance of the Arts (Applied Music – Creating/ Reading/ Performing)

 

State Goal:  Through creating and performing, understand how works of art are produced.

 

Why This Goal Is Important:  Students acquire skills to produce and perform dance, drama, music and visual art.  They learn to use media, tools and technologies.  They learn to shape ideas and emotions into sounds, images and actions.  As students create and perform their own artworks and review the works of others, they become more imaginative, strengthen their problem-solving skills and learn to respond to the creativity of others.  Creating and performing are at the core of the fine arts.  Students also learn about the role of the artist (e.g., dancer, painter, actor, director, scriptwriter, musician).

 

 

Learning Standard A:  Understand processes, traditional tools, and modern technologies used in the arts.

 

Processes used to create solo, ensemble, and choral music

 

Objective 1:  Evaluate the effectiveness and performance of a performer, conductor, and ensemble

Objective 2:  Evaluate the conductors’ and/or performers’ interpretation of a piece in a performance

 

Instrumental and electronic music

 

Objective 3:  Compare and contrast sounds of instruments and how they are produced from different cultures

 

Use of musical notation

 

Objective 4:  Sight-read simple melodies and rhythms

Objective 5:  Use standard notation to record/write musical ideas

 

 

Learning Standard B:  Apply skills and knowledge neces­sary to create and perform in one or more of the arts.

 

Musical performance techniques

 

Objective 1:  Sing or play music accurately, reading standard music notation; on pitch; in rhythm; maintaining a steady tempo; using appropriate volume; demonstrating breath control; demonstrating proper singing and/or playing technique; and demonstrating proper articulations/diction

Objective 2:  Sing from “All God’s People Sing” hymnal

Objective 3:  Sing songs appropriate to the seasons of the Church year for performance at worship service

 

Vocal or instrumental writing and improvisational techniques

 

Objective 4:  Improvise rhythmic, melodic, and harmonic variations of a given song in a given style

XXVII.  The History and Application of the Arts (Music Appreciation)

 

State Goal:  Understand the role of the arts in civilizations, past and present.

 

Why This Goal Is Important: The arts are a record of civilizations, past and present.  Artists are influenced by—and influence—the times and places in which they live and work.  As students learn through the arts about people and civilizations, they learn about others and themselves.  Also, students learn about careers related to this goal (e.g., animator, curator, art historian, sound technician).

 

 

Learning Standard A:  Analyze how the arts function in history, society, and everyday life.

 

Roles of artists and audiences

 

Objective 1:  Discuss the roles of performers, composers, and directors in various styles of music

Objective 2:  Distinguish between appropriate and inappropriate behaviors in a performance setting

 

Influence of music on societies, civilizations, cultures, and the church

 

Objective 3:  Analyze how the art form of music informs and persuades through movement, sound, and image

Objective 4:  Justify an opinion on the effects of music in terms of how it informs and persuades the public

Objective 5:  Explain that our hymnals contain psalms, hymns, and liturgical music that connect us with people from many cultures and across many centuries (Psalm 117)

 

How music can express universal and specific Christian themes

 

Objective 6:  Discuss and demonstrate proper worship behavior

Objective 7:  Sing songs appropriate to the seasons of the church year

Objective 8:  Identify and discuss different musical ensembles and how they are used in church

 

How God’s Word can be communicated and remembered effectively when joined together with music

 

Objective 9:  Give examples of how music is utilized in daily Christian life

Objective 10:  Participate in Lutheran worship experiences where God is praised with various instruments and voices

Objective 11:  Listen to and/or learn songs based on various scriptures and Christian concepts

 

 

Learning Standard B:  Understand how the arts shape and reflect history, society, and everyday life.

 

Changes in music through the ages: their classification by artistic periods, and their relationships to historical periods and cultures

 

Objective 1:  Discuss and or classify selected works of music by style, periods, or cultures (e.g., Classical, Renaissance, Romanticism, and Jazz)

Objective 2:  Trace how music styles have changed in response to cultural, historical, and technological events (e.g., inventions, transportation, economics, and wars)

Objective 3:  Discuss how music can be used as a tool to make social, political, cultural, and religious statements

Objective 4:  Sing hymns and songs from various times in our church’s history

Objective 5:  Discuss the historical, social, and theological roots of hymns and liturgy used in the Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod