Maryland K–6 music standards

Generate musical ideas for an artistic purpose, using appropriate technology as available.

With teacher guidance, create musical ideas for classroom composition activities, using appropriate technology as available.

Create music with simple melodic, rhythmic, dynamic, and formal elements, in response to artistic stimuli, using appropriate technology as available.

Select, discuss, and document musical ideas.

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

Apply feedback to develop and refine personal musical ideas.

Present a classroom version of personal musical ideas demonstrating artistic purpose.

Refine personal musical ideas in response to feedback.

Present a classroom version, incorporating refinements, and demonstrate artistic purpose, using appropriate technology as available.

Describe personal preferences when making musical selections from a variety of contexts.

Make appropriate performance choices according to context.

Demonstrate artistic qualities in performing musical ideas.

Read and perform from iconic or standard notation.

With teacher guidance, select a piece of music to read and perform, considering creative intent.

Demonstrate knowledge of musical contexts when describing choices of music selected for performance.

Demonstrate awareness of artistic qualities when performing musical ideas.

Read iconic or standard notation in preparing for performance.

Apply feedback to rehearse and refine performance.

With teacher guidance, identify feedback and explore multiple points of view during the rehearsal process, in order to address performance suggestions.

Apply feedback to improve and refine music in rehearsal.

Communicate purpose through music performance.

Perform appropriately for audience and purpose.

Perform varied examples of music with artistic purpose.

Communicate effectively with audience and other performers in music performance. Reflect with the listeners in discussion or other activity appropriate to the context.

Discuss readiness of music for public performance, based on experience of time, place, and culture from which the music is chosen.

Select music and describe how personal interests and experiences influence musical choice.

Describe how musical concepts and contrasts may be used for specific purposes.

When presented with options, choose a piece of music for a specific purpose and describe how the musical elements are used to make the selection suitable for the purpose.

In response to teacher prompts, describe the use of musical elements and contexts.

Use a variety of drawing, writing or discussion techniques to reflect the musicians’ creative intent.

When listening to music, identify the musical elements in the performance and show through drawing, writing, or discussion how they may reflect the creative intent.

Apply personal and artistic preferences when evaluating music, using appropriate musical vocabulary.

Clearly communicate preferences and include supporting statements when listening to a piece of music, using appropriate musical vocabulary.

Engage appropriately as an active listener in formal and informal settings, paying attention to audience etiquette appropriate to the genre of music.

Compare musical elements from two or more contrasting selections of music.

Describe how personal interests and experiences, including familial, cultural, and environmental experience, may relate to musical choices when creating, performing, and responding to music.

Identify personal and creative preferences in creating, performing, and responding to music.

Identify and document ways to make music outside of school and/or music class, including after-school programs and extracurricular opportunities.

Describe how music can be a part of personal daily life experiences.

Describe the role of music in other people’s daily lives.

Describe the relationships of music to other arts subjects in school.

With teacher guidance, connect music to personal experience through creating, performing, or responding to music.

With teacher guidance, connect music to other people’s personal experiences when creating, performing, or responding to music.

With teacher guidance, make connections between music and other common core subjects, including the arts, through creating, performing, or responding to music.

Compare and contrast cultural purposes for composing, listening and performing, by examining music from other times and places.

Conceptualize and generate musical ideas for an artistic purpose and context, using appropriate technology as available.

With increasing independence, create musical ideas for classroom and personal composition activities, using appropriate technology as available.

Create music with intermediate-level melodic, rhythmic, dynamic, and formal elements, in response to artistic stimuli, using appropriate technology as available.

Select, present, explain, and document musical choices with connections to purpose and context.

With increasing independence, use standard notation, iconic notation or recording technology effectively to create and document personal musical ideas. Clearly communicate creative choices.

Apply given criteria to evaluate and summarize refinements to personal musical ideas.

Present a classroom version of personal musical ideas and summarize connections to artistic purpose.

Think critically to evaluate and refine personal musical ideas in response to feedback and document revisions.

Present a classroom version, incorporating refinements, and explain connections to the artistic purpose, using appropriate technology as available.

Describe personal preferences for the selection of music for performance based on purpose, context, and technical skill.

Describe and analyze how context (historical, cultural, social, and personal) informs performance.

Demonstrate and explain how intent is conveyed through artistic qualities.

Read and perform from iconic and/or standard notation.

With teacher guidance, select a piece of music to read, analyze, and perform with attention to context and creative intent. Justify and support performance decisions.

Demonstrate an understanding of musical contexts when describing choices of music selected for performance.

Demonstrate and explain artistic qualities when performing musical ideas.

Read iconic and/or standard notation in performance of musical ideas.

Identify and apply appropriate feedback to rehearse and refine performance.

With teacher guidance, identify feedback and explore multiple points of view during the rehearsal process, in order to improve performance quality, technical accuracy and artistic purpose.

Apply feedback to improve and refine music in rehearsal.

Communicate purpose through music performance, paying attention to accuracy and interpretation.

Perform appropriately for audience and purpose.

Perform a varied repertoire of music with artistic purpose, demonstrating technical accuracy.

Interact effectively with the audience and other performers to convey the artistic purpose of the piece. Reflect with the listeners in discussion or other activity appropriate to the context.

Discuss readiness of a varied repertoire of music for public performance, based on experience of time, place, and culture from which the music is chosen.

Select music and describe, citing evidence, how personal interests, experiences, and purposes influence musical choice.

Demonstrate and describe, citing evidence, how responses to music are informed by structure, use of musical elements, and context (social, cultural, and historical).

Clearly communicate personal preferences when selecting music for listening or performing and describe how the use of musical elements and context influence the choice.

With limited guidance, communicate clearly the importance of structure, musical elements, and context.

Summarize and explain how artistic qualities are used in musicians’ interpretations.

When listening to music, communicate clearly how the use of musical elements and performance choices might create the intended effect.

Describe personal evaluation of musical works or performances based on criteria, using appropriate musical vocabulary.

Choose a piece of music or a musical performance and evaluate the quality according to specified criteria. Support point of view with evidence and appropriate musical vocabulary.

Engage appropriately as an active listener in formal and informal settings, paying attention to audience etiquette appropriate to the genre of music.

Compare and document musical elements from two or more contrasting selections of music.

Describe how interests, experiences, knowledge, and skills relate to personal choices and musical intentions when creating, performing, and responding to music.

Identify personal and cultural influences as well as creative preferences in creating, performing, and responding to music.

Identify and document the benefits of, and opportunities for, making music both inside and outside of school and/or music class, including after- school programs and extracurricular opportunities.

Describe and justify how music is a form of personal communication and expression.

Describe and explain factors that impact the role of music in the lives of people.

Describe the relationships of music to dance, theatre, the visual arts, media arts and other disciplines.

With limited guidance, connect music to personal experience through creating, performing, or responding to music.

With limited guidance, connect music to other people’s personal experiences when creating, performing, or responding to music.

With limited guidance, make connections between music and other common core subjects, including the arts, through creating, performing, or responding to music.

Analyze and document how music is used to inform or change beliefs, values, and/or behaviors of an individual or society.

Conceptualize and generate musical works, within a variety of forms, for given contexts and artistic purposes, using appropriate technology as available.

Working both independently and in collaboration with others, create musical works that clearly communicate personal, cultural, or historical experience, using appropriate technology as available.

Create music with advancing melodic, rhythmic, dynamic, and formal elements, including simple harmony, in response to artistic stimuli, using appropriate technology as available.

Use a variety of media and methods, including available technology, to select, present, explain, and document musical ideas with connections to context and artistic purpose.

Apply tools, which may include standard notation, iconic notation, or recording technology, to notate or record personal musical ideas. Craft a composer’s statement that clearly summarizes and supports creative and conceptual choices.

Apply given and self-selected criteria (including elements of context and intent) to evaluate and summarize refinements to personal musical ideas.

Support rationale for refinements to personal musical ideas based on feedback from multiple sources.

Present a performance-ready version of personal musical ideas demonstrating a developing level of craft and artistic purpose.

Think critically to evaluate and refine personal musical ideas in response to feedback and document revisions.

Incorporate refinements to personal musical ideas through analysis and implementation of feedback.

Present a performance-ready version and clearly support judgments and decisions made during the creative process, including refinement, using appropriate technology as available.

Apply criteria to determine the selection of music for performance based on purpose, context, technical skill, and artistic qualities.

Describe and analyze how context (historical, cultural, social, and personal) informs performance.

Describe and explain how intent is communicated through interpretation, including expressive aspects and musical elements.

Read and perform from iconic and/or standard notation, considering appropriate context for different notation systems.

With limited guidance, select a piece of music to read, analyze, and perform with attention to context and artistic purpose. Justify and support performance decisions.

Explain and compare the use of musical contexts in describing choices of music selected for performance.

Support and justify the use of artistic qualities when interpreting music for performance.

Read from iconic notation, standard notation, or alternative notation systems in preparation for performance, considering appropriate context.

Identify and apply appropriate feedback to determine rehearsal practices, areas of refinement, and readiness of performance.

With limited teacher guidance, identify and apply collaboratively developed criteria to explore multiple ideas during the rehearsal process, in order to improve performance quality, technical accuracy and artistic purpose.

Apply feedback to improve and refine music in rehearsal.

As self-directed learners and with teacher assistance, manage goals and time with flexibility, to address newly identified challenges, in order to improve quality of musical experience for performers and listeners.

Communicate purpose through music performance, paying attention to accuracy, interpretation, and composer’s intent.

Demonstrate performance decorum appropriate to the context.

Perform a varied repertoire of music with artistic purpose, demonstrating technical proficiency.

Interact effectively with the audience and other performers to convey the artistic purpose of the piece as well as intended interpretation. Reflect with the listeners in discussion or other activity appropriate to the context.

Determine readiness of a varied repertoire of music for public performance, based on experience of time, place, and culture from which the music is chosen.

Select musical programs for listening, and demonstrate connections to interests, experiences, and purposes.

Demonstrate, describe, and compare the structure, use of musical elements, and context (social, cultural, and historical) in a variety of musical pieces.

Compare the use of musical elements and contexts when selecting a variety of music for listening or performing. Justify the choices with evidence based on the comparison.

With increasing independence, communicate the importance of structure, musical elements, and context when listening to music.

Describe and support personal interpretations of music and analyze how use of musical elements, attention to context, and artistic qualities convey intent.

When listening to music, describe how the performers’ personal interpretation and musical choices convey creative intent.

Describe and support personal evaluation of musical works or performances based on existing or developed criteria, using appropriate musical vocabulary.

Choose pieces of music or musical performances from both familiar and unfamiliar styles, and evaluate the quality according to given criteria. Clearly communicate and support a point of view using appropriate musical vocabulary, citing evidence based on the given criteria.

Engage appropriately as an active listener in formal and informal settings, paying attention to audience etiquette appropriate to the genre of music.

Compare and contrast musical elements from two or more selections of music.

Describe how interests, experiences, knowledge, and skills relate to personal choices and musical intentions when creating, performing, and responding to music.

Identify and describe personal and cultural influences as well as creative preferences in creating, performing, and responding to music.

Use musical skills learned in class as part of music making both inside and outside the classroom and school, including after- school programs, community music- making, and extracurricular opportunities.

Describe and justify how music is a form of personal, societal, cultural, and historical communication and expression.

Describe and explain factors that impact the roles of music in the lives of people.

Describe the relationships of music to dance, theatre, visual arts, media arts, and other disciplines.

With increasing independence, connections between music and other personal, societal, cultural, and historical ways of communication through creating, performing, or responding to music.

With increasing independence, connect music to other people’s personal life experiences, when creating, performing, or responding to music.

With increasing independence, make connections between music and other common core subjects, including the arts, through creating, performing, or responding to music.

Analyze and document how music is influenced by understanding the time and place in which it was created, the available resources, and cultural uses.