7-12 Vocal Essential Skills and Concepts

National Standards for Music Ed.

I can...
Music National Standard 1: Singing, alone and with others, a varied
repertoire of music.
1. Sing my music using accurate notes, rhythms, expression (dynamics,
accents, phrasing, etc.), and vocal projection (body alignment, open throat,
breath intake, breath support etc.) at the junior high or high school level.
2. Sing my voice part (ex: Alto) while balancing, tuning, and blending with the
rest of the ensemble.
3. Perform in a small ensemble where I am the only one singing my part.
4. Perform music written in three and four parts, with and without
accompaniment, including music performed for memory.
5. Perform wide varieties of concert literature (Concert, Winter-Themed,
Variety Show, Festival)
6. Demonstrate well-developed ensemble skills.
Music National Standard 3: Improvising melodies, variations, and
accompaniments
1. Improvise rhythms by changing a given rhythm pattern, dynamics, and note
duration.
2. Improvise my own original rhythmic pattern at a given tempo.
Music National Standard 5: Reading and Notating Music
1. Establish Do or La without the aid of an instrument.
2. Set myself up in any major (Do-Based) or minor (La-Based) key signature.
3. Sight-read new music while maintaining tempo/pulse, and reading correct
pitches/rhythms.
4. Sight-read new music at the junior high or high school ability level.
5. Read music at the junior high or high school ability level.
6. Identify characteristics of the music, including: note names, musical symbols
(for pitch, dynamics, articulations, style, etc.), rhythms, and more.
7. Show my ability to count, clap, and play the music that I read.
Music National Standard 6 & 7: Listening to, analyzing, and describing
music; Evaluating music & music performances.
1. Describe and compare musical performances of different styles using musical
terms I have learned.
2. Evaluate my own performance in an ensemble by describing the positive and
negative aspects of our recording.
3. Describe the formal structure (major/minor, repetition/new parts) of the
music that I listen to.
Music National Standard 8: Understanding relationships between music,
the other arts, and disciplines outside the arts.
1. Explain how elements of music (imagination, organization, repetition,
contrast) can be seen in other art forms and subjects.

2. Explain how other subjects/situations use the same skills as when performing
music (ex: expressing feelings, working with others, physics of sound, reading
ability, etc.).
Music National Standard 9: Understanding Music in Relation to History and
Culture
1. Explain the background and history of the music I am performing.
2. Name and describe important composers, piece, and types of music that are
important in history.
3. Identify music that began in America (swing, jazz, country, pop, musical
theatre).
4. Discuss how music influences our culture and the different roles people play
in music.