Unit 2 — Performing
Description
Students develop the ability to sing and play instruments using proper technique and visual cues, including following conducting gestures correctly. Students learn proper breathing, posture, sound production, intonation, musicality, and expression. A diverse repertoire is selected with emphasis on discussing the backgrounds of composers, musicians, and performers. Instruction incorporates a wide variety of social issues such as spirituals and protest songs to develop cultural understanding and awareness.
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 personal interest in, knowledge about, and purpose of varied musical selections.
- Apply established criteria to judge the accuracy, expressiveness and effectiveness of performance.
- Rehearse, identify and apply strategies to address interpretive, performance and technical challenges of music.
- Demonstrate knowledge of basic music concepts such as tonality and meter in music from a variety of cultures selected for performance.
- Read and perform rhythmic and melodic patterns using iconic or standard notation.
- Demonstrate understanding of basic expressive qualities such as dynamics and tempo and how creators use them to convey expressive intent.
- Perform music for a specific purpose with expression and technical accuracy.
- Perform appropriately for the audience and purpose.
Supplemental Resources
- Sheet music and lyric sheets for student reference
- Index cards with conducting gesture descriptions
- Highlighters for marking sections of music
- Clipboard for organizing performance materials
Music - Performing
Students apply mathematical thinking through rhythmic patterns, counting beats, understanding meter and tempo, and analyzing musical structures that involve numeric relationships and spatial organization.
Students use language skills including listening comprehension, verbal expression, and descriptive vocabulary to discuss music, composers, and expressive intent. They engage in discussions and answer questions about musical elements using appropriate terminology.
Students explore sound as a physical phenomenon, investigate how different materials and vibrations produce music, and observe patterns in nature through musical expression and environmental awareness.
Students examine diverse musicians and composers from different cultures and historical periods, learn about social issues expressed through music including spirituals and protest songs, and develop understanding of cultural contributions and community connections.
Formative Assessments
- Teacher observation of vocal and instrumental technique
- Echo singing and playing to demonstrate correct technique
- Discussion of repertoire selection and performance interpretation
- Question and answer exchanges about conducting gestures
- Skill testing on instrument handling and vocal production
Summative Assessment
Students perform songs using proper technique and respond to conducting gestures. Students demonstrate understanding of vocal parts through vocal exploration and differentiate between multiple voices.
Benchmark Assessment
Group performance demonstrating correct posture, breathing, sound production, and response to conducting cues.
Alternative Assessment
Students may demonstrate understanding through simplified singing or playing tasks with reduced complexity, such as singing a single phrase with visual supports like hand signals or pictures representing pitch and rhythm. A teacher-led interview or one-on-one response may replace group performance, allowing students to show technique and following of conducting gestures in a supported setting.
IEP (Individualized Education Program)
Students with IEPs may benefit from additional visual supports during performance instruction, such as picture cards or illustrated diagrams showing correct posture, breathing, and instrument-handling technique. Conducting gestures can be introduced one at a time with repeated modeling and opportunities to respond through imitation rather than verbal explanation. Allow students to demonstrate understanding through physical movement or echo singing rather than written or lengthy oral responses, and provide frequent check-ins and positive reinforcement during skill practice to build confidence and monitor progress.
Section 504
Students with 504 plans should be seated in a location that allows a clear line of sight to the teacher's conducting gestures and any visual demonstration of technique. Extended time and reduced environmental distraction during individual skill checks on vocal production or instrument handling will support accurate demonstration of what the student knows.
ELL / MLL
Multilingual learners benefit from consistent use of visual cues — such as gesture cards, illustrated vocabulary supports for terms like dynamics and tempo, and teacher modeling without reliance on verbal explanation alone — when learning performance concepts and repertoire from diverse cultural backgrounds. Simplified, step-by-step directions paired with demonstration help students access instructions for proper technique, and connecting music selections to students' home cultures or languages when possible supports engagement and comprehension of cultural context discussions.
At Risk (RTI)
Students who need additional support should be given clear, concrete entry points into performance activities, such as beginning with echo singing or steady beat imitation before adding more complex expressive elements. Connecting repertoire selections to familiar experiences or emotions helps build the background knowledge needed to engage meaningfully with discussions of cultural context and performance expression. Reduce the complexity of skill checks by focusing on one technical element at a time, and celebrate incremental growth to sustain motivation and participation.
Gifted & Talented
Students who demonstrate readiness beyond grade-level expectations can be challenged to explore the expressive intent behind repertoire selections in greater depth, such as considering how dynamics, tempo, and cultural context shape the meaning of a piece. Encourage these students to take on leadership roles during echo or call-and-response activities and to begin developing their own interpretive choices about how a piece should be performed and why, drawing on knowledge of the composer or cultural background. Independent inquiry into the historical or social significance of specific genres — such as spirituals or protest songs — can extend their understanding beyond technical performance skills.