Scope and Sequence for Choral Music

Grade 10
Jeff Johannsen MUS 162 Fall 2014

Creating

Compose an 8 bar melody over a I, IV,

vi, V progression in a given key
(creativity, complex communication,
critical thinking)
Improvise a rhythm by clapping over a
tempo given on the metronome
(creativity, complex communication)

Performing

Sing a major scale on pitch using handsign solfege

(complex communication)

Sing la-based minor scale on pitch

using hand-sign solfege
(complex communication)

Sing in assigned quartet expressively

(collaboration, complex
communication)

Responding

Listen and discuss from selected

recordings of pieces what was
representative of good choral singing
and what was not.
(critical thinking)

Connecting

Analyze pieces of choral repertoire and

how the text corresponds to how the
piece was composed
(critical thinking)

Discuss how a particular piece of music

relates to personal life experiences
(critical thinking, complex
communication)

Make connections between an ethnic

group and how their lives may have
affected their music
(critical thinking, complex
communication)

Sight read selected excerpts on solfege

(critical thinking, complex
communication)

Creating
Compose a 8 bar melody over a I, IV, vi, V progression in a given key
Criteria: Students will be given a I, IV, vi, V progression that spans 8 bars on staff paper. They
will compose a simple melody over it that is compatible with the key and fits well with each
chord of the progression.
Rubric:
Does not meet

Needs improvement

Meets criteria

Exceeds

No melody composed

Melody contains
errors in rhythm and
in writing

Melody contains few

to no rhythmic or
writing errors

Melody is
exceptionally written
contains no errors

Not written in given

key

Melody contains
errors with given key

Melody has few to no

errors concerning the
key

Melody is exceptional
and fits the key

Not compatible with

given progression

Melody contains
errors with given
progression

Melody has few to no

errors concerning the
chord progression

Melody is exceptional
and contains no
errors with chord
progression

Improvise a rhythm by clapping over a tempo given on the metronome

Criteria: Students while in individual lessons will have a metronome set and they will clap an
improvised rhythm over the steady beat. The improvised rhythm should fit appropriately with the
steady beat.
Rubric:
Does not meet

Needs improvement

Meets criteria

Exceeds

Does not improvise a

rhythm

Student has difficulty

staying with the
steady beat

Student claps an
improvised rhythm
that corresponds to
the steady beat

Students rhythm
demonstrates
exceptional rhythmic
abilities (triplets,
syncopation, hemiola)

Performing
Sing a major scale on pitch using hand-sign solfege
Criteria: Students will sing a major scale using hand-sign solfege in an individual lesson. They
sing with accurate pitch ascending and descending.

Rubric:
Does not meet

Needs improvement

Meets criteria

Exceeds

Does not sing or sign

with solfege

Has several errors

regarding pitch, handsigns and solfege
syllables

Has few errors

regarding pitch, handsigns and solfege
syllables

Has no errors with

pitch, hand-signs or
solfege syllables

Sing la-based minor scale on pitch using hand-sign solfege

Criteria: Students will sing a la-based minor scale using hand-sign solfege in an individual
lesson. They sing with accurate pitch ascending and descending.
Rubric:
Does not meet

Needs improvement

Meets criteria

Exceeds

Does not sing or sign

with solfege

Has several errors

regarding pitch, handsigns and solfege
syllables

Has few errors

regarding pitch, handsigns and solfege
syllables

Has no errors with

pitch, hand-signs or
solfege syllables

Sing in assigned quartet expressively

Criteria: Students will sing with assigned quartets and sing selected excerpts from their concert
repertoire. They can sing as an expressive and cohesive member of the group, they
balance/blend well and stay in tune with the group.
Rubric:
Does not meet

Needs improvement

Meets criteria

Exceeds

Does not sing with

assigned group

Sings with little to no

expression

Sings with expression

and communicates
well as a group
member

Sings with
exceptional
expressive qualities

Does not sing with

assigned group

Does not balance or

blend well with the
group

Balances and blends

well with the group

Sings with
exceptional balance
and blend

Does not sing with

assigned group

Does not sing well in

tune with the group

Sings well in tune with

the group

Sings in tune with no

hesitation in pitch
confidence

Responding
Listen and discuss from selected recordings of pieces what was representative of good
choral singing and what was not.
Criteria: Students will listen at home to assigned recordings and be able to discuss on a 3x5
note card points of good or poor choral singing regarding balance/blend, technique, pitch
accuracy and expressive qualities.
Rubric:
Does not meet

Needs improvement

Meets criteria

Exceeds

Does not complete

assignment or cannot
identify balance/blend

Shows little ability to

identify the recorded
choirs balance and
blend

Shows ability to
identify the recorded
choirs balance and
blend

Shows exceptional
ability to identify the
recorded choirs
balance and blend

Does not complete

assignment or cannot
identify technique

Shows little ability to

identify the recorded
choirs technique

Shows ability to
identify the recorded
choirs technique

Shows exceptional
ability to identify the
recorded choirs
technique

Does not complete

assignment or cannot
identify pitch accuracy

Shows little ability to

identify the recorded
choirs pitch accuracy

Shows ability to
identify the recorded
choirs pitch accuracy

Shows exceptional
ability to identify the
recorded choirs pitch
accuracy

Does not complete

assignment or cannot
identify expressive
qualities

Shows little ability to

identify the recorded
choirs expressive
qualities

Shows ability to
identify the recorded
choirs expressive
qualities

Shows exceptional
ability to identify the
recorded choirs
expressive qualities

Sight read selected excerpts on solfege

Criteria: Students will sight read excerpts of music individually on hand-sign solfege with specific
attention to pitch, rhythmic and dynamic accuracy.
Rubric:
Does not meet

Needs improvement

Meets criteria

Exceeds

Unable to read on
solfege

Has several errors

regarding pitch, handsigns and solfege
syllables

Has few errors

regarding pitch, handsigns and solfege
syllables

Has no errors with

pitch, hand-signs or
solfege syllables

Does not do sight

reading assessment

Has several errors

regarding rhythm

Has few errors

regarding rhythm

Has no errors
regarding rhythm

Does not do sight

reading assessment

Has several errors

regarding dynamics

Has few errors

regarding rhythm

Has no errors
regarding rhythm

Connecting
Analyze pieces of choral repertoire and how the text corresponds to how the piece was
composed
Criteria: Students will review excerpts of their choral repertoire and make connections based on
the text and the way the music was written by writing on a 3x5 note card.
Rubric:
Does not meet

Needs improvement

Meets criteria

Exceeds

Does not complete

the assignment or
makes connections
that are not coherent
or relevant

Makes few
connections or
connections with little
higher level thinking

Makes connections
that show how the
text is correlated to
the composition of the
piece

Makes astute
observations between
the text and
compositional style

Discuss how a particular piece of music relates to your own life experiences
Criteria: Student is able to make relevant connections between a selected piece of their choral
repertoire and their own lives by writing on a 3x5 note card.

Rubric:

Does not meet

Needs improvement

Meets criteria

Exceeds

Does not complete

the assessment or
has irrelevant
connections

Makes few
connections or
connections with little
higher level thinking

Makes connections
that show how the
piece has relevance
to their own life

Makes deep,
thoughtful
connections between
piece and their own
life

Make connections between an ethnic group and how their lives may have affected their
music
Criteria: Students will read selected material over an ethnic group that correlates with a piece in
the choral repertoire and be able to write on a 3x5 note card how the specific ethnic group
affected the way the piece was written.
Rubric:
Does not meet

Needs improvement

Meets criteria

Exceeds

Does not complete

the assessment or
has irrelevant
connections

Discovers few
correlations between
the ethnic culture and
compositional style

Makes correlations
between the ethnic
culture and the
compositional style

Makes exceptional
correlations between
the ethnic culture and
the compositional
style

10th Grade Chorus Performance Assessment

Creating
Composes a melody with correct
rhythmic notations
Composes a melody that fits in
given key
Composes a melody that fits within
given chord progression
Improvises a rhythmic pattern

1
2
1
1
2
1
1

2
3
2
2
3
2
2

3
4
3
3
4
3
3

2
2
2

3
3
3

4
4
4

Performing
Sings major scale with pitch and
solfege accuracy
Sings minor scale with pitch and
solfege accuracy
Responding
Identifying balance/blend
Identifying singing technique
Identifying pitch accuracy
Identifying expressive qualities
Sight reading pitch/solfege accuracy
Sight reading rhythmic accuracy
Sight reading dynamic accuracy

1
1

Connecting
Making connections between text and music
Making connections between music and self
Making connections between culture and music

1
1
1

4
4
4
4