Kentucky K–6 music standards

With guidance, explore and experience music concepts.

With guidance, generate musical ideas.

With guidance, explore and choose favorite musical ideas.

With guidance, organize personal musical ideas using iconic notation and/or recording technology.

With guidance, apply various feedback to refine personal musical ideas.

With guidance, present a version of personal musical ideas.

With guidance, explore the intent of various musical selections and state personal interests.

With guidance, explore and demonstrate awareness of music contrasts in a variety of music selected for performance.

With guidance, demonstrate awareness of expressive qualities that support the creators’ expressive intent.

With guidance, use feedback and suggested strategies in rehearsal to improve the expressive qualities of music.

With guidance, perform music with expression.

Perform appropriately for the audience.

With guidance, list personal interests and experiences and demonstrate why some music selections are preferred over others.

With guidance, demonstrate how a specific music concept is used in music.

With guidance, explore expressive qualities that reflect creators’/performers’ expressive intent.

With guidance, apply personal and expressive preferences in the evaluation of music.

Recognize an experience and/or emotion that is conveyed when listening to, improvising or performing music.

With guidance, describe and demonstrate the sounds in a piece of music from various cultures.

With limited guidance, create musical ideas for a specific purpose.

With limited guidance, generate musical ideas in multiple tonalities and meters.

With limited guidance, explore and choose favorite musical ideas.

With limited guidance, use iconic or standard notation and/or recording technology to document and organize personal musical ideas.

With limited guidance, discuss and apply various feedback to refine personal musical ideas.

With limited guidance, present a version of personal musical ideas that conveys expressive intent for a specific purpose.

With limited guidance, explore and discuss the purpose of, and knowledge about, varied musical selections and personal interests.

With limited guidance, demonstrate knowledge of music concepts in music from a variety of cultures selected for performance.

When analyzing selected music, read and perform rhythmic patterns using iconic or standard notation.

With limited guidance, demonstrate and describe music’s expressive qualities that support the creators’ expressive intent.

With guidance, use feedback and suggested strategies in rehearsal to address interpretive challenges of music.

With limited guidance, perform music for a specific purpose with expression.

Perform appropriately for the audience and purpose.

With limited guidance, identify and demonstrate how personal interests and experiences influence musical selection for specific purposes.

With limited guidance, demonstrate and identify how specific music concepts are used in various styles of music for a purpose.

With limited guidance, explore and identify expressive qualities that reflect creators’/performers’ expressive intent.

With limited guidance, apply personal and expressive preferences in the evaluation of music for specific purposes.

Relate a familiar experience and/or emotion expressed in a piece of music. Identify the elements that communicate this connection.

With limited guidance, discuss and demonstrate the sounds in a piece of music from various cultures.

Improvise rhythmic patterns, melodic patterns and musical ideas for a specific purpose.

Generate musical patterns and ideas within the context of a given tonality and meter.

Create and explain personal reasons for selecting patterns and ideas for music that represent expressive intent.

Use iconic or standard notation and/or recording technology to combine, sequence and document personal musical ideas.

Interpret and apply various feedback to revise personal music. Feedback might include personal, peer and/or teacher.

Present a version of personal musical ideas that conveys expressive intent for a specific purpose.

Identify and explain the purpose of, and knowledge about, varied musical selections and personal interests. Students might choose their favorite song from class repertoire and explain why they chose it.

Demonstrate knowledge of music concepts in music from a variety of cultures selected for performance.

When analyzing selected music, read and perform rhythmic patterns and melodic patterns using iconic or standard notation. Students might demonstrate music contrasts (high/low, loud/soft, fast/slow or same/different) through observable behaviors such as moving, chanting, singing or playing instruments.

Demonstrate understanding of expressive qualities and how creators use them to convey expressive intent. Students might demonstrate expressive qualities such as voice types (whisper, speaking or singing) dynamics and tempo through observable behavior such as moving, chanting, singing or playing instruments. Students might demonstrate expressive qualities of dynamics and tempo through observable behavior such as moving, chanting, singing or playing instruments.

Rehearse, identify and apply feedback and strategies to address interpretive, performance and technical challenges of music.

Perform music for a specific purpose with expression and technical accuracy.

Perform appropriately for the audience and purpose.

Explain how personal interests and experiences influence musical selection for specific purposes. Students might demonstrate through observable behavior such as moving, chanting, singing or playing instruments.

Describe how specific music concepts are used to support a specific purpose in music. Students might demonstrate music concepts such as high/low, loud/soft, fast/slow or same/different through observable behaviors such as moving, chanting, singing or playing instruments. Students might demonstrate music concepts such as beat, melodic contour and pitch through observable behaviors such as moving, chanting, singing or playing instruments. Concepts might include tonality (happy/sad) and meter.

Share knowledge of expressive qualities and how they support creators’/performers’ expressive intent.

Apply personal and expressive preferences in the evaluation of music for specific purposes.

Describe, create and/or perform a piece of music that expresses personal meaning and explain how certain Elements of Music express this personal meaning.

Relate an observed musical performance to the culture or environment in which the music was created and performed. Students might demonstrate through observable behavior such as moving, chanting, singing or playing instruments.

Improvise rhythmic and melodic ideas and describe connection to specific purpose and context.

Generate musical ideas within a given tonality and/or meter.

Create selected musical ideas for a simple improvisation or composition to express intent and describe connection to a specific purpose and context.

Use standard and/or iconic notation and/or recording technology to document personal rhythmic and melodic musical ideas.

Evaluate, refine and document revisions to personal musical ideas, applying teacher-provided and collaboratively developed criteria and feedback.

Present the final version of personally created music to others and describe expressive intent.

Identify and explain how the selection of music to perform is influenced by personal interest, knowledge, purpose and context.

Demonstrate understanding of the form in music selected for performance.

When analyzing selected music, read and perform rhythmic patterns and melodic phrases using iconic and standard notation.

Describe how personal and social context informs a performance.

Demonstrate and describe how intent is conveyed through expressive qualities including dynamics and tempo.

Apply teacher-provided and collaboratively developed criteria and feedback to refine technical accuracy, expressive qualities and identified performance challenges.

Perform music with expression and technical accuracy.

Demonstrate performance decorum and audience etiquette appropriate for the context and venue.

Describe how selected music connects to, and is influenced by, specific interests, experiences or purposes.

Describe how a response to music can be informed by the structure, the use of the Elements of Music and personal and social context.

Describe how the expressive qualities are used in performers’ interpretations to reflect expressive intent.

Evaluate musical works and performances, applying established criteria, and describe appropriateness to the context.

Compare the musical relationships expressed in a piece of music to relationships with another piece of music. Explain how they are the same or different.

Explain how a musical performance communicates authentic aspects of the culture, society or community from which the music originated.

Improvise rhythmic, melodic and harmonic ideas and explain connection to specific purpose and context.

Create musical ideas within a chosen tonality and meter.

Create selected and organized musical ideas for an improvisation, arrangement or composition to express intent and explain connection to purpose and context.

Use standard and/or iconic notation and/or recording technology to document personal rhythmic, melodic and simple harmonic musical ideas.

Evaluate, refine and document revisions to personal music, applying teacher-provided and collaboratively developed criteria and feedback to show improvement over time.

Present the final version of personally created music to others and explain connection to expressive intent.

Demonstrate and explain how the selection of music to perform is influenced by personal interest, knowledge, context and technical skill.

Demonstrate understanding of the form and the Elements of Music in music selected for performance.

When analyzing selected music, read and perform using iconic and/or standard notation.

Explain how social and cultural context informs a performance.

Demonstrate and explain how intent is conveyed through interpretive decisions and expressive qualities including dynamics, tempo and timbre.

Apply teacher-provided and collaboratively developed criteria and feedback to refine technical accuracy and expressive qualities and address performance challenges.

Perform music, alone or with others, with expression and technical accuracy.

Demonstrate performance decorum and audience etiquette appropriate for the context, venue and genre.

Explain how selected music connects to, and is influenced by, specific interests, experiences, purposes or contexts.

Explain how responses to music are informed by the structure, the use of the Elements of Music and social and cultural context.

Explain how the expressive qualities are used in performers’ and personal interpretations to reflect expressive intent.

Evaluate musical works and performances, applying established criteria, and explain appropriateness to the context.

Compare the main idea of a piece of music to personal experiences, relationships, ideas or perspectives.

Select and describe music from a specific genre or style and explain how the music relates to the culture, society, community or historical period from which the music originated.

Improvise rhythmic, melodic and harmonic ideas and explain connection to specific purpose and context.

Create musical ideas within a specific tonality and meter with simple chord changes.

Create selected and developed musical ideas for improvisations, arrangements or compositions to express intent and explain connection to purpose and context.

Use standard and/or iconic notation and/or recording technology to document personal rhythmic, melodic and two-chord harmonic musical ideas.

Evaluate, refine and document revisions to personal music, applying teacher-provided and collaboratively developed criteria and feedback and explain rationale for changes. Forms of documentation might include written formats or recording technologies.

Present the final version of personally created music to others that demonstrates craftsmanship and explain connection to expressive intent.

Demonstrate and explain how the selection of music to perform is influenced by personal interest, knowledge and context, as well as their personal and others’ technical skill. Students might select a piece of music from a predetermined list and explain why the piece was chosen for performance. Students might select a piece of music to perform based on the skill set of oneself and others.

Demonstrate understanding of the form and the Elements of Music in music selected for performance.

When analyzing selected music, read and perform using standard notation.

Explain how social, cultural and historical context informs performances.

Demonstrate and explain how intent is conveyed through interpretive decisions and expressive qualities including dynamics, tempo and articulation/style. Observable behavior might include moving, chanting, singing or playing instruments. Observable behavior might include moving, chanting, singing or playing instruments. Observable behavior might include moving, chanting, singing or playing instruments.

Apply teacher-provided and established criteria and feedback to refine technical accuracy and expressive qualities to address challenges and show improvement over time.

Perform music, alone or with others, with expression, technical accuracy and appropriate interpretation.

Demonstrate performance decorum and audience etiquette appropriate for the context, venue, genre and style.

Explain, citing evidence, how selected music connects to, and is influenced by, specific interests, experiences, purposes or contexts.

Explain, citing evidence, how responses to music are informed by the structure, the use of the Elements of Music and social, cultural and historical context.

Explain, and cite evidence, how the expressive qualities are used in performers and personal interpretations to reflect expressive intent.

Evaluate musical works and performances, applying established criteria, and explain appropriateness to the context, citing evidence from the Elements of Music.

Compare two pieces of music with contrasting themes or musical material. Discuss emotions, feelings and ideas evoked by each.

Describe how the musical elements and expressive qualities in a selected genre or style communicate the ideas and perspectives of the culture, community or historical period from which the music originated.

Generate simple rhythmic, melodic and harmonic phrases within AB and ABA forms.

Create personal musical ideas for arrangements and compositions that demonstrate a beginning, middle and ending and convey expressive intent.

Use standard and/or iconic notation and/or recording technologies to document personal simple rhythmic phrases, melodic phrases and two- chord harmonic musical ideas.

Evaluate and rationalize revisions to their own work by applying teacher-provided criteria.

Present the final version of personally created compositions or arrangements to others and describe the craftsmanship and connection to expressive intent.

Apply teacher-provided criteria for selecting music to perform for a specific purpose and/or context and explain why each was chosen.

Explain how understanding the structure and the Elements of Music are used in music selected for performance.

When analyzing selected music, read and identify by name or function, standard symbols for rhythm, pitch, articulation and dynamics.

Identify how cultural and historical context inform performances.

Perform a selected piece of music demonstrating how their interpretations of the Elements of Music and the expressive qualities convey intent.

Identify and apply teacher-provided criteria to rehearse, refine and determine when a piece is ready to perform.

Perform the music with technical accuracy to convey the creator’s intent.

Demonstrate performance decorum and audience etiquette appropriate for venue and purpose.

Select or choose music to listen to and explain the connections to specific interests or experiences for a specific purpose.

Describe how the Elements of Music and expressive qualities relate to the structure of the pieces.

Identify the context of music from a variety of genres, cultures and historical periods.

Describe a personal interpretation of how creators’ and performers’ application of the Elements of Music and expressive qualities convey expressive intent.

Apply teacher-provided criteria to evaluate musical works or performances and explain appropriateness to the context, citing evidence from the Elements of Music.

Identify musical characteristics of specific music genres and compare to personal perspectives and musical preferences.

Describe how musical elements and expressive qualities communicate cultural, historical and/or community context.