Big Ideas
Big Ideas
Music reflects aspects of time, place, and community.
The nuances of musical expression are understood through deeper study and performance.
A musician’s interpretation of existing work is an opportunity to represent identity and culture.
Enduring understanding of music is gained through perseverance, resilience, and risk taking.
Instrumental music offers aesthetic experiences
emotional, cognitive, or sensory responses to works of art
that can transform our perspective.
Content
Learning Standards
Content
musical elements, principles, vocabulary, symbols, and theory
metre, duration, rhythm, dynamics, harmony, timbre, tonality, instrumentation, notation, pitch, texture, register, terms in Italian and other languages, expressive markings, abbreviations; methods, processes, and concepts used in creating and performing music
techniques specific to individual or families of instruments, including:
- winds
- fingerings/slide positions, including alternate and trill fingering
- intonation
- articulation (e.g., tonguing, multiple tonguing)
- ornamentation (e.g., trills, glissando, grace notes)
- embouchure
- breath control
- tone quality (including vibrato)
- use of mutes
- percussion
- stick, mallet, beater, and brush technique
- hand-drumming technique
- pitched percussion technique
- articulation
- fills, shots, tone quality, intonation
- keyboard
- articulation: techniques that use touch or pedals to alter the transitions between notes (e.g., staccato, legato, phrasing, use of pedals)
- fingering and chording technique
- chord voicing
- comping technique: chords, rhythms, and patterns played to accompany an improvised solo or melody (e.g., ii-V-I)
- keyboard instrumentation: keyboard alone or with bass and/or guitar
- blend and balance: the use of relative volume and tonal techniques to highlight certain instruments or create a homogeneous timbre (e.g., accompaniment versus solo technique)
- orchestral strings
- left-hand technique (e.g., vibrato, double-stopping, triple-stopping, shifting)
- finger pattern profiles
- bowing technique (e.g., detaché, martelé, spiccato)
- pizzicato
- intonation
- tone quality
- harmonics
- guitar
- chord playing (open and arpeggiated chords)
- single note playing
- picking, fingering, strumming; hand positions
- articulation: techniques affecting transitions between notes (e.g., legato, staccato, slurs, damping, bends, hammer-ons)
- intonation
- tone quality: techniques that affect timbre or the overall sound of the instrument
- voicings: the distribution or vertical arrangement of notes in a chord (e.g., rootless, R37, R73)
- acoustic versus electric guitar technique
- rhythm guitar patterns and accompaniment techniques
- single-line melody reading, tablature, modes
- Note: Students are only expected to know techniques related to their instrument(s) of choice.
technical skills, strategies, and technologies
creative processes
the means by which an artistic work (in dance, drama, music, or visual arts) is made; includes multiple processes, such as exploration, selection, combination, refinement, reflection, and connection
movement, sound, image, and form
influences of time and place on the emergence of musical forms
roles of performer, audience, and venue
traditional and contemporary First Peoples worldviews and cross-cultural perspectives, as communicated through music
contributions of innovative artists from a variety of genres, contexts, periods, and cultures
history
the influences across time of social, cultural, historical, political, and personal contexts on musical works; includes the influences of historical and contemporary societies on musical works
of a variety of musical genres
ethics of cultural appropriation
use of a cultural motif, theme, “voice,” image, knowledge, story, song, or drama, shared without permission or without appropriate context or in a way that may misrepresent the real experience of the people from whose culture it is drawn
and plagiarism
health and safety issues and procedures
Curricular Competency
Learning Standards
Curricular Competency
Explore and create
Perform in large ensemble
ensemble in which many musicians perform the same part (e.g., concert band, jazz band, string or symphony orchestra, guitar ensemble)
, small ensemble ensemble in which musicians play alone or with only a few others, performing a particular part (e.g., rock band or similar contemporary genre, jazz combo, brass quintet, string quartet)
, and solo contexts
Explore a composer’s musical and expressive intentions
Improvise
spontaneously compose or embellish musical phrases, melodies, or excerpts; improvisation provides a means for high-level reasoning, creative thinking, and problem solving in a variety of ways
and take creative risks make an informed choice to do something where unexpected outcomes are acceptable and serve as learning opportunities
in instrumental music
Adapt performance techniques, processes, and skills for use in innovative ways
Study and perform a variety of musical styles and genres
Explore a variety of contexts
for example, personal, social, cultural, environmental, and historical contexts
and their influences on musical works, including place Any environment, locality, or context with which people interact to learn, create memory, reflect on history, connect with culture, and establish identity. The connection between people and place is foundational to First Peoples perspectives on the world.
and time
Develop and refine technical and expressive skills
Reason and reflect
Analyze and interpret musicians’ use of technique, technology, and environment in musical composition and performance, using musical language
vocabulary, terminology, and non-verbal methods of communication that convey meaning in music
Reflect on personal rehearsal and performance experiences and musical growth
Consider the function of their instrument or role within the ensemble
Analyze styles of music to inform musical decisions
Communicate and document
Document
through activities that help students reflect on their learning (e.g., drawing, painting, journaling, taking pictures, making video clips or audio-recordings, constructing new works, compiling a portfolio)
and share musical works and experiences in a variety of contexts
Use musical vocabulary
descriptive and instructive terms with specific application in music; can be in English or other languages commonly used by composers (e.g., Italian); includes musical literacy which is the ability to read, write, notate, or otherwise communicate using musical language, vocabulary, and/or symbols
in response to musical experiences and by observing context
Receive and apply constructive feedback
Use discipline-specific language to communicate and interpret ideas
Express personal voice
a style of expression that conveys an individual's personality, perspective, or worldview
, cultural identity, and perspective through music
Express emotions and ideas through music
Connect and expand
Demonstrate personal and social responsibility associated with creating, performing, and responding to instrumental music
Develop a diverse repertoire of instrumental music that includes multiple perspectives and contexts
Explore personal, educational, and professional opportunities in music or music-related industries
Explore the relationships between the arts, culture, and society
Demonstrate safe care, use, and maintenance
the appropriate inspection, diagnosis, and basic repair of instruments and equipment
of instruments and equipment
Identify and practise appropriate self-care to prevent performance-related injury
for example, repetitive stress injuries, vocal strain, other harm to oral and aural health