Unit 2 — Performing
Description
Students develop technical proficiency and expressiveness in singing and playing instruments using proper breathing, posture, sound production, intonation, and musicality. Instruction emphasizes following conducting cues, developing diction and articulation, and demonstrating appropriate concert etiquette and stage presence. A diverse repertoire is selected with attention to composer backgrounds and social themes including spirituals and protest songs. Students select music based on personal interest, technical skill, and context, analyzing compositions using standard notation before performance.
Essential Questions
- How do performers select repertoire?
- How do musicians improve the quality of their performance?
- When is a performance judged ready to present?
- How do context and the manner in which musical work is presented influence audience response?
Learning Objectives
- Demonstrate and explain how music selection is influenced by personal interest, knowledge, technical skill, and context
- Demonstrate understanding of structure and expanded music concepts in selected music
- Analyze selected music by reading and performing using standard notation
- Explain how personal, social, cultural, and historical context informs performance choices
- Convey creator's intent through interpretive decisions about expressive qualities
- Apply criteria and feedback to evaluate accuracy and expressiveness of performance
- Rehearse to refine technical accuracy and expressive qualities
- Perform with expression, technical accuracy, and appropriate interpretation and decorum
Supplemental Resources
- Printed sheet music and lyric sheets for performer reference
- Markers for annotating musical scores during rehearsal
- Sticky notes for marking performance goals and reminders on sheet music
Music - Performing
Students apply mathematical thinking when creating rhythmic patterns, analyzing musical structure, and responding to music through counting, measurement, and pattern recognition.
Students explore scientific concepts through music by investigating sound, patterns, and cause-and-effect relationships in musical performance and creation.
Students develop communication skills through discussing musical choices, writing about compositions, listening to and interpreting lyrics and musical narratives, and engaging in collaborative dialogue about artistic intent.
Students examine music from diverse cultural, historical, and social perspectives, learning about composers and musicians from varied backgrounds and exploring how music reflects social issues and cultural traditions.
Formative Assessments
- Teacher observation of rehearsal process and application of feedback
- Group discussion about repertoire selection and performance choices
- Question and answer about musical structure and context
- Skill testing on conducting cue following and technical elements
Summative Assessment
Students perform recorder playing tests at assigned levels and lead solfege echoing, demonstrating proper technique, intonation, and musicality
Benchmark Assessment
A performance task in which students play or sing a short prepared piece using standard notation, demonstrating proper posture, breathing, intonation, and response to conducting cues. Students also explain orally or in writing how their music selection connects to personal interest or a specific social theme studied in the unit.
Alternative Assessment
Students may demonstrate understanding of proper technique and intonation through teacher-led one-on-one performance checks with simplified repertoire or reduced musical phrases. Visual supports such as posture diagrams, breathing reminders, or conducting gesture cards may be provided to scaffold technique application.
IEP (Individualized Education Program)
Students may demonstrate understanding of musical structure, conducting cues, and expressive choices through verbal explanation, physical gesture, or modeling on an instrument rather than written response. Visual supports such as color-coded notation, fingering charts, and solfege hand sign reference cards can help scaffold technical skill development during recorder and solfege work. Directions for rehearsal tasks should be broken into small, sequential steps with frequent check-ins, and students may benefit from additional processing time before responding to Q&A or skill-testing moments. Feedback on accuracy and expressiveness should be delivered in clear, specific language, with opportunities to rehearse and re-attempt in a low-stakes setting before any summative performance.
Section 504
Students should be provided preferential seating during rehearsal to minimize auditory or visual distractions and support focus on conducting cues. Extended time for skill-based testing, such as recorder playing assessments, allows students to demonstrate their technical proficiency without the added pressure of time constraints. Physical accommodations for posture and breathing support, such as adjusted seating or a footrest, should be in place as needed to ensure full access to performance instruction.
ELL / MLL
Visual supports such as fingering charts, solfege hand sign posters, and picture-supported vocabulary for musical terms like intonation, dynamics, and posture help make unit content accessible across language levels. Directions for rehearsal tasks and performance expectations should be given using clear, simple language and demonstrated physically whenever possible. When discussing the cultural and historical context of repertoire — including spirituals and protest songs — teachers should build background knowledge using images, short video clips, or connections to students' own cultural experiences, and honor students' home language as a bridge to understanding social and emotional themes in the music.
At Risk (RTI)
Students benefit from entry points that connect the unit's performance skills to familiar musical experiences, such as songs they know or movement they associate with music, before introducing more technical demands like standard notation or solfege echoing. Recorder and vocal tasks can be scaffolded by focusing first on a small, manageable range of notes or patterns before expanding complexity, allowing students to build confidence through early success. Discussion-based formative moments — such as talking about why a piece was chosen or how it should feel in performance — offer accessible ways for students to engage with musical thinking even when technical skills are still developing.
Gifted & Talented
Students who demonstrate early mastery of assigned recorder levels should be encouraged to explore more complex fingering patterns, ornamentation, or harmonic accompaniment parts that deepen their understanding of musical structure. In discussions about repertoire selection and performance interpretation, these students can be challenged to research the historical and social context of spirituals or protest songs more independently, drawing connections between a composer's background and the expressive choices appropriate for performance. Leadership opportunities — such as modeling solfege patterns for peers, leading small-group rehearsals, or articulating evaluative criteria for expressive accuracy — extend learning by asking students to synthesize and apply musical understanding at a higher level.