Massachusetts K–6 music standards

Dance Connection: Students select a rhythm instrument to represent the sounds a chosen creature makes and choreograph appropriate motions to represent it.

Move to different genres and styles of music (e.g., classical, jazz, rock, country, hip-hop

With prompting and support, sing or play short original musical ideas

Focus on and pursue a process or idea to completion during play and experimentation with music.

Name and demonstrate vocal production types (including speaking, singing, whispering).

With prompting and support, choose favorite musical ideas, practicing and demonstrating them vocally or on an instrument.

Demonstrate beat competency by using a steady beat when performing pieces that incorporate simple rhythmic patterns (e.g., body percussion, classroom instruments, or movement).

Perform a short original musical idea through singing and playing with expression.

Meet expectations of an audience member (e.g., listening quietly, clapping at the end).

Share observations regarding diverse musical works (e.g., world, popular, folk, classical, etc.).

Articulate personal responses to music (e.g., “this piece made me feel…” “this piece made me think…”).

Identify different genres and styles of music (e.g., folk songs, lullaby, jazz, reggae).

Improvise short original musical ideas.

Connect multiple original musical ideas together into a single piece.

Explore different musical ideas by experimenting with the voice or instruments.

Sing songs using head voice, appropriately produced tone quality, and correct posture.

Individually sing and play simple phrases following basic standard notation (e.g., half and quarter notes or matching simple pentatonic patterns).

Sing and play in groups matching dynamic levels and responding to the cues of a conductor.

With support, identify basic elements in familiar songs (including tempo, dynamics, rhythm, melody).

Categorize musical works by feeling or mood.

Demonstrate active listening as an audience member (e.g., noticing details, making connections).

Sing or play original musical ideas that explore more complex rhythmic and melodic concepts (including, syncopation, three-four time signature, and minor keys).

Organize original musical ideas with clear beginnings, middles, and endings; using simple binary or ternary forms.

Respond to a musical challenge and hypothesize possible solutions.

Sing and play musical canons, rounds, and music in at least two parts.

Sing and play in groups responding appropriately to cues of a conductor.

Analyze how expressive qualities (e.g. tempo, dynamics, timbre) are used to demonstrate a composer’s musical intent.

Explain the relationship between culture, venue, and audience behavior (e.g., street performance, symphony).

Identify how the elements of music (e.g., tempo, dynamics, rhythm, melody, harmony) can be used to support the artist's purpose.

Describe and demonstrate one’s personal musical style and preferences.

Identify influential music from different periods and how they impacted music at the time and potentially today.

Generate interdisciplinary musical ideas using a variety of non-traditional sound sources (e.g., found sounds, digital technology, unusual voices).

Document original simple melodic ideas with standard notation.

Organize musical ideas using expanded forms such as rondo and theme and variations.

Improvise and compare different versions of a single musical idea (e.g., adding flourishes, altering rhythms).

Identify standard notation symbols and musical terms referring to dynamics, tempo, articulations, meter, and expression and apply them when performing.

Sing and play music written in 3 parts using appropriate technique.

Develop awareness of where the natural break in one’s singing range is located and how to cross the break and even out the voice in this range.

Sing and play in groups responding to cues from a conductor exhibiting stylistic elements.

Analyze how an artwork's form (e.g., use of repetition, contrasting patterns, phrases, and themes) supports the composer's intention.

Use specific vocabulary to identify details about a musical work.

Apply a rubric to evaluate a musical work (e.g. a rubric that includes accuracy, sound quality, and expressiveness).