Washington K–6 music standards

Demonstrate how interests, knowledge, and skills relate to personal choices and intent when creating, performing, and responding to music.

Demonstrate understanding of relationships between music and the other arts, other disciplines, varied contexts, and daily life.

With guidance, explore and experience music concepts (such as beat and melodic contour).

With guidance, generate musical ideas (such as movements or motives).

With guidance, demonstrate and choose favorite musical ideas.

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

With guidance, apply personal, peer, and teacher feedback in refining personal musical ideas.

With guidance, demonstrate a final version of personal musical ideas to peers.

With guidance, demonstrate and state personal interest in varied musical selections.

With guidance, explore and demonstrate awareness of music contrasts (such as high/low, loud/soft, same/different) in a variety of music selected for performance.

With guidance, demonstrate awareness of expressive qualities (such as voice quality, dynamics, and tempo) that support the creators’ expressive intent.

With guidance, apply personal, teacher, and peer feedback to refine performances.

With guidance, use 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 they prefer some music selections over others.

With guidance, demonstrate how a specific music concept (such as beat or melodic direction) is used in music.

With guidance, demonstrate awareness of expressive qualities (such as dynamics and tempo) that reflect creators’/performers’ expressive intent.

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

Demonstrate how interests, knowledge and skills relate to personal choices and intent when creating, performing, and responding to music.

Demonstrate how interests, knowledge and skills relate to personal choices and intent when creating, performing, and responding to music.

Demonstrate understanding of relationships between music and the other arts, other disciplines, varied contexts, and daily life.

Demonstrate understanding of relationships between music and the other arts, other disciplines, varied contexts, and daily life.

Compose and improvise melodic and rhythmic ideas or motives that reflect characteristic(s) of music or text(s) studied in rehearsal.

Generate melodic, rhythmic, and harmonic ideas for simple melodies (such as two-phrase) and chordal accompaniments for given melodies.

Select and develop draft melodic and rhythmic ideas or motives that demonstrate understanding of characteristic(s) of music or text(s) studied in rehearsal.

Preserve draft compositions and improvisations through standard notation and audio recording.

Select, develop, and use standard notation or audio/video recording to document melodic, rhythmic, and harmonic ideas for drafts of simple melodies (such as two-phrase) and chordal accompaniments for given melodies.

Evaluate and refine draft compositions and improvisations based on knowledge, skill, and teacher-provided criteria.

Apply teacher-provided criteria to critique, improve, and refine drafts of simple melodies (such as two-phrase) and chordal accompaniments for given melodies.

Share personally-developed melodic and rhythmic ideas or motives—individually or as an ensemble—that demonstrate understanding of characteristics of music or texts studied in rehearsal.

Share final versions of simple melodies (such as two-phrase) and chordal accompaniments for given melodies, demonstrating an understanding of how to develop and organize personal musical ideas.

Select varied repertoire to study based on interest, music reading skills (where appropriate), an understanding of the structure of the music, context, and the technical skill of the individual or ensemble.

Describe and demonstrate how a varied repertoire of music that includes melodies, repertoire pieces, and chordal accompaniments is selected, based on personal interest, music reading skills, and technical skill, as well as the context of the performances.

Demonstrate, using music reading skills where appropriate, how knowledge of formal aspects in musical works inform prepared or improvised performances.

Identify prominent melodic and harmonic characteristics in a varied repertoire of music that includes melodies, repertoire pieces, and chordal accompaniments selected for performance, including at least some based on reading standard notation.

Identify expressive qualities in a varied repertoire of music that can be demonstrated through prepared and improvised performances.

Demonstrate and describe in interpretations an understanding of the context and expressive intent in a varied repertoire of music selected for performance that includes melodies, repertoire pieces, and chordal accompaniments.

Use self-reflection and peer feedback to refine individual and ensemble performances of a varied repertoire of music.

Apply teacher-provided criteria to critique individual performances of a varied repertoire of music that includes melodies, repertoire pieces, and chordal accompaniments selected for performance, and apply practice strategies to address performance challenges and refine the performances.

Demonstrate attention to technical accuracy and expressive qualities in prepared and improvised performances of a varied repertoire of music.

Demonstrate an awareness of the context of the music through prepared and improvised performances.

Perform with expression and technical accuracy in individual performances of a varied repertoire of music that includes melodies, repertoire pieces, and chordal accompaniments, demonstrating understanding of the audience and the context.

Identify reasons for selecting music based on characteristics found in the music, connection to interest, and purpose or context.

Demonstrate and describe reasons for selecting music, based on characteristics found in the music and connections to interest, purpose, or personal experience.

Identify how knowledge of context and the use of repetition, similarities, and contrasts inform the response to music.

Demonstrate and explain, citing evidence, the use of repetition, similarities, and contrasts in musical selections and how these and knowledge of the context (social or cultural) inform the response.

Identify interpretations of the expressive intent and meaning of musical works, referring to the elements of music, contexts, and (when appropriate) the setting of the text.

Identify interpretations of the expressive intent and meaning of musical selections, referring to the elements of music, context (personal or social), and (when appropriate) the setting of the text.

Identify and describe the effect of interest, experience, analysis, and context on the evaluation of music.

Identify and describe how interest, experiences, and contexts (personal or social) affect the evaluation of music.

Demonstrate how interests, knowledge, and skills relate to personal choices and intent when creating, performing, and responding to music.

Demonstrate understanding of relationships between music and the other arts, other disciplines, varied contexts, and daily life.

With limited guidance, create musical ideas (such as answering a musical question) for a specific purpose.

With limited guidance, generate musical ideas in multiple tonalities (such as major and minor) and meters (such as duple and triple).

With limited guidance, demonstrate and discuss personal reasons for selecting musical ideas that represent expressive intent.

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 personal, peer, and teacher feedback to refine personal musical ideas.

With limited guidance, demonstrate and discuss personal interest in, knowledge about, and purpose of varied musical selections.

With limited guidance, demonstrate knowledge of music concepts (such as beat and melodic contour) in music from a variety of cultures selected for performance.

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

Demonstrate and describe music’s expressive qualities (such as dynamics and tempo).

With limited guidance, apply personal, teacher, and peer feedback to refine performances.

With limited guidance, use 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 (such as beat or pitch) are used in various styles of music for a purpose.

With limited guidance, demonstrate and identify expressive qualities (such as dynamics and tempo) that reflect creators’/performers’ expressive intent.

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

Interpret and apply personal, peer, and teacher feedback to revise personal music.

Demonstrate how interests, knowledge, and skills relate to personal choices and intent when creating, performing, and responding to music.

Demonstrate understanding of relationships between music and the other arts, other disciplines, varied contexts, and daily life.

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

Generate musical patterns and ideas within the context of a given tonality (such as major and minor) and meter (such as duple and triple).

Demonstrate 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.

Convey expressive intent for a specific purpose by presenting a final version of personal musical ideas to peers or an informal audience.

Demonstrate and explain personal interest in, knowledge about, and purpose of varied musical selections.

Demonstrate knowledge of music concepts (such as tonality and meter) in music from a variety of cultures selected for performance.

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

Demonstrate understanding of expressive qualities (such as dynamics and tempo) and how creators use them to convey expressive intent.

Apply established criteria to judge the accuracy, expressiveness, and effectiveness of performances.

Rehearse, identify and apply 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 and demonstrate how personal interests and experiences influence musical selection for specific purposes.

Describe how specific music concepts are used to support a specific purpose in music.

Demonstrate knowledge of music concepts and how they support creators’/performers’ expressive intent.

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

Demonstrate how interests, knowledge, and skills relate to personal choices and intent when creating, performing, and responding to music.

Demonstrate understanding of relationships between music and the other arts, other disciplines, varied contexts, and daily life.

Improvise rhythmic and melodic ideas, and describe connection to specific purpose and context (such as personal and social).

Generate musical ideas (such as rhythms and melodies) within a given tonality and/or meter.

Demonstrate 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 personal created music to others, and describe connection to expressive intent.

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

Demonstrate understanding of the structure in music selected for performance.

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

Describe how context (such as personal and social) can inform a performance.

Demonstrate and describe how intent is conveyed through expressive qualities (such as dynamics and tempo).

Apply teacher-provided and collaboratively-developed criteria and feedback to evaluate accuracy of ensemble performances.

Rehearse 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.

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

Demonstrate and describe how a response to music can be informed by the structure, the use of the elements of music, and context (such as personal and social).

Demonstrate and describe how the expressive qualities (such as dynamics and tempo) are used in performers’ interpretations to reflect expressive intent.

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

Demonstrate how interests, knowledge, and skills relate to personal choices and intent when creating, performing, and responding to music.

Demonstrate understanding of relationships between music and the other arts, other disciplines, varied contexts, and daily life.

Improvise rhythmic, melodic, and harmonic ideas, and explain connection to specific purpose and context (such as social and cultural).

Generate musical ideas (such as rhythms, melodies, and simple accompaniment patterns) within related tonalities (such as major and minor) and meters.

Demonstrate 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 personal 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 structure and the elements of music (such as rhythm, pitch, and form) in music selected for performance.

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

Explain how context (such as social and cultural) informs a performance.

Demonstrate and explain how intent is conveyed through interpretive decisions and expressive qualities (such as dynamics, tempo, and timbre).

Apply teacher-provided and collaboratively-developed criteria and feedback to evaluate accuracy and expressiveness of ensemble and personal performances.

Rehearse to refine technical accuracy and expressive qualities, and address performance challenges.

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

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

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

Demonstrate and explain how responses to music are informed by the structure, the use of the elements of music, and context (such as social and cultural).

Demonstrate and explain how the expressive qualities (such as dynamics, tempo, and timbre) 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.

Demonstrate how interests, knowledge, and skills relate to personal choices and intent when creating, performing, and responding to music.

Demonstrate understanding of relationships between music and the other arts, other disciplines, varied contexts, and daily life.

Improvise rhythmic, melodic, and harmonic ideas, and explain connection to specific purpose and context (such as social, cultural, and historical).

Generate musical ideas (such as rhythms, melodies, and accompaniment patterns) within specific related tonalities, meters, and simple chord changes.

Demonstrate 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 twochord 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.

Present to others the final version of personal created music 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.

Demonstrate understanding of the structure and the elements of music (such as rhythm, pitch, form, and harmony) in music selected for performance.

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

Explain how context (such as social, cultural, and historical) informs performances.

Demonstrate and explain how intent is conveyed through interpretive decisions and expressive qualities (such as dynamics, tempo, timbre, and articulation/style).

Apply teacher-provided and established criteria and feedback to evaluate the accuracy and expressiveness of ensemble and personal performances.

Rehearse 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.

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

Demonstrate and explain, citing evidence, how responses to music are informed by the structure, the use of the elements of music, and context (such as social, cultural, and historical).

Demonstrate and explain how the expressive qualities (such as dynamics, tempo, timbre, and articulation) 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.

Demonstrate how interests, knowledge, and skills relate to personal choices and intent when creating, performing, and responding to music.

Demonstrate how interests, knowledge and skills relate to personal choices and intent when creating, performing, and responding to music.

Demonstrate how interests, knowledge and skills relate to personal choices and intent when creating, performing, and responding to music.

Demonstrate understanding of relationships between music and the other arts, other disciplines, varied contexts, and daily life.

Demonstrate understanding of relationships between music and the other arts, other disciplines, varied contexts, and daily life.

Demonstrate understanding of relationships between music and the other arts, other disciplines, varied contexts, and daily life.

Generate simple rhythmic, melodic, and harmonic phrases within AB and ABA forms that convey expressive intent.

Compose and improvise ideas for melodies and rhythmic passages based on characteristic(s) of music or text(s) studied in rehearsal.

Generate melodic, rhythmic, and harmonic ideas for melodies (created over specified chord progressions or AB/ABA forms) and two-to-three-chord accompaniments for given melodies.

Select, organize, construct, and document personal musical ideas for arrangements and compositions within AB or ABA form that demonstrate an effective beginning, middle, and ending, and convey expressive intent.

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

Select and develop draft melodies and rhythmic passages that demonstrate understanding of characteristic(s) of music or text(s) studied in rehearsal.

Preserve draft compositions and improvisations through standard notation and audio recording.

Select, develop, and use standard notation and audio/video recording to document melodic, rhythmic, and harmonic ideas for drafts of melodies (created over specified chord progressions or AB/ABA forms) and two-to-three-chord accompaniments for given melodies.

Evaluate their own work, applying teacher-provided criteria such as application of selected elements of music, and use of sound sources.

Describe the rationale for making revisions to the music based on evaluation criteria and feedback from their teacher.

Evaluate and refine draft compositions and improvisations based on knowledge, skill, and collaboratively-developed criteria.

Apply teacher-provided criteria to critique, improve, and refine drafts of melodies (created over specified chord progressions or AB/ABA forms) and two-to-three-chord accompaniments for given melodies.

Present the final version of their documented personal composition or arrangement, using craftsmanship and originality to demonstrate an effective beginning, middle, and ending, and convey expressive intent.

Share personally-developed melodies and rhythmic passages—individually or as an ensemble—that demonstrate understanding of characteristics of music or texts studied in rehearsal.

Share final versions of melodies (created over specified chord progressions or AB/ABA forms) and two-to-three-chord accompaniments for given melodies, demonstrating an understanding of how to develop and organize personal musical ideas.

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

Select a varied repertoire to study based on music reading skills (where appropriate), an understanding of formal design in the music, context, and the technical skill of the individual and ensemble.

Describe and demonstrate how a varied repertoire of music that includes melodies, repertoire pieces, and chordal accompaniments is selected, based on personal interest, music reading skills, and technical skill (citing technical challenges that need to be addressed), as well as the context of the performances.

Explain how understanding the structure and the elements of music is 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.

Demonstrate, using music reading skills where appropriate, how the setting and formal characteristics of musical works contribute to understanding the context of the music in prepared or improvised performances.

Identify prominent melodic, harmonic, and structural characteristics and context (social, cultural, or historical) in a varied repertoire of music that includes melodies, repertoire pieces, and chordal accompaniments selected for performance, including at least some based on reading standard notation.

Perform a selected piece of music, demonstrating how their interpretations of the elements of music and the expressive qualities (such as dynamics, tempo, timbre, articulation/style, and phrasing) convey intent.

Demonstrate understanding and application of expressive qualities in a varied repertoire of music through prepared and improvised performances.

Demonstrate and describe in interpretations an understanding of the context (social, cultural, or historical) and expressive intent in a varied repertoire of music selected for performance that includes melodies, repertoire pieces, and chordal accompaniments.

Identify and apply teacher-provided criteria (such as correct interpretation of notation, technical accuracy, originality, and interest) to rehearse, refine, and determine when a piece is ready to perform.

Develop strategies to address technical challenges in a varied repertoire of music and evaluate their success using feedback from ensemble peers and other sources to refine performances.

Apply teacher-provided criteria to critique individual performances of a varied repertoire of music that includes melodies, repertoire pieces, and chordal accompaniments selected for performance, and identify practice strategies to address performance challenges and refine the performances.

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

Demonstrate performance decorum (such as stage presence, attire, and behavior) and audience etiquette appropriate for venue and purpose.

Demonstrate attention to technical accuracy and expressive qualities in prepared and improvised performances of a varied repertoire of music representing diverse cultures and styles.

Demonstrate an understanding of the context of the music through prepared and improvised performances.

Perform with expression and technical accuracy in individual performances of a varied repertoire of music that includes melodies, repertoire pieces, and chordal accompaniments, demonstrating sensitivity to the audience and an understanding of the context (social, cultural, or historical).

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

Explain reasons for selecting music, citing characteristics found in the music and connections to interest, purpose, and context.

Explain reasons for selecting music, citing characteristics found in the music and connections to interest, purpose, and context.

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 how understanding context and the way the elements of music are manipulated inform the response to music.

Describe how the way that the elements of music are manipulated and knowledge of the context (social and cultural) inform the response.

Describe a personal interpretation of how creators’ and performers’ application of the elements of music and expressive qualities, within genres and cultural and historical context, convey expressive intent.

Identify and support interpretations of the expressive intent and meaning of musical works, citing as evidence the treatment of the elements of music, contexts, and (when appropriate) the setting of the text.

Identify and support interpretations of the expressive intent and meaning of musical selections, citing as evidence the treatment of the elements of music, context, and (when appropriate) the setting of the text.

Apply teacher-provided criteria to evaluate musical works or performances.

Explain the influence of experiences, analysis, and context on interest in and evaluation of music.

Explain the influence of experiences and contexts (personal, social, or cultural) on interest in and the evaluation of a varied repertoire of music.