High School Chamber Choir Performing

Standard 1 & 2 1. Students will sing correct pitches and rhythms with musical expression and phrase. 2. Students will demonstrate their abilities to work together by participating in a quartet (SATB). Complex Communication, Productivity & Accountability, Collaboration, Flexibility & Adaptability

Creating
Standard 3 & 4 3. Students will improvise melodies over chordal progressions to show an understanding of chord movement. 4. Students will re-compose an 8measure phrase from their AllState music to a re-imagination of existing material. Complex Communication, Productivity & Accountability, Critical Thinking, Creativity, Collaboration, Flexibility & Adaptability

Receive and Respond

Standard 5 & 6 5. Students will sight-read up to 3 melodies per semester in a Skills Check using hand-sign solfege. 6. Students will analyze and describe a piece from their AllState repertoire in a written reflection. Complex Communication, Productivity & Accountability, Critical Thinking, Collaboration, Flexibility & Adaptability

Contextual Knowledge
Standard 7, 8, & 9 7. Students will evaluate a concert performance with a written reflection using specific musical language. 8. Students will write and reflect intelligently using specific musical language about a text from a piece of music in our spring concert. 9. Students will identify and describe the stylistic time periods of each All-State piece. Complex Communication, Critical Thinking, Collaboration, Flexibility & Adaptability

Performing
Outcome 1: Students will sing correct pitches and rhythms with musical expression and phrase. Assessment: A graded (individual) singing check in which students sing repertoire we have studied in class. 1 Pitch No accurate pitches were sung. No accurate rhythms were sung. Tone was raw and unpleasant. 2 A few accurate pitches were sung. A few accurate rhythms were sung. Tone was somewhat raw and, at times, unpleasant. A few expressive elements were sung. 3 Most pitches sung were accurate. Most rhythms sung were accurate. Tone was mostly well refined and nice to listen to. Basic crescendo, decrescendo and dynamic accuracies were sung. 4 All pitches sung were accurate. All rhythms sung were accurate. Tone was quite refined and very pleasant to listen to. Very expressive performance will all elements present.

Rhythm

Tone Quality

Expression No expressive elements were sung.

Outcome 2: Students will demonstrate their abilities to work together by participating in a quartet (SATB). Assessment: A graded quartet check in which students perform repertoire we have studied in class; A quartet reflection in which students rate their quartet experience. 1 Pitch/Rhythmic Accuracy Balance and Blend Expression
No pitches or rhythms were sung accurately. No balance or blend present in the sound. No expressive elements in the sound. No communication between quartet members.

2
A few pitches and rhythms were sung accurately Very little balance and blend were present in the sound. A few expressive elements in the sound. Very little communication between quartet members.

3
Most pitches and rhythms were sung accurately. Balance and blend were uneven (i.e., good balance, bad blend, vice versa, or inconsistency. Basic expressive elements were sung. Quartet was looking up and communication via facial expression most of the time.

4
All pitches and rhythms were sung accurately. Balance and blend were sung were with conscientiousness and accuracy. All expressive elements were sung with accuracy and attention to musicality. Quartet was always looking up and communicating with confidence.

Quartet Communication

Quartet Reflection Questions: 1. What were the successful aspects of your quartet? (3 pts.) 2. Why do you think they were successful? (3 pts.) 3. What were the unsuccessful aspects of your quartet? (3 pts.) 4. Why do you think they were unsuccessful? (3 pts.) /12 pts.

Creating
Outcome 3: Students will improvise melodies over chordal progressions to show an understanding of chord movement. Assessment: After class discussions about why our music progresses in the way it does, students will be allowed to volunteer either in class or in private to demonstrate what they learned. Students will be given a lead sheet with a basic I vi IV V I progression. They will hear the progression once through, and then be asked to sing a melodic phrase over it. 1 Chord No pitches Accuracy sung were accurate to the chord progression. Melodic Melodic Material material was boring nonsensical, and uncreative (very little material). 2 A few pitches sung were accurate to the chord progression. Melodic material wasnt interesting, but made sense. 3 Most pitches sung were accurate to the chord progression. Melodic material had interesting aspects. 4 All pitches sung were accurate to the chord progression. Melodic material was very creative and exciting to listen to.

Outcome 4: Students will re-compose an 8-measure phrase from their All-State music to a re-imagination of existing material. Assessment: Students will be given one week to chose a passage from their All-State music that they would like to recompose. After a decision is made, the student will tell me what theyve chosen so that I may approve their choice (5 points, pass/fail). They will be given 2 weeks to prepare their re-imagination and turn it in for a grade; Students will reflect on what they did and why they made certain decisions.

Melodic Choices

1 No melodic changes were made.

2 Very few melodic changes were made.

Rhythmic Choices

No rhythmic changes were made.

Creativity

No creativity, piece remained (basically) the same.

3 Melodic changes were made, but material was unoriginal and lacked creativity. Very few Rhythmic rhythmic changes changes were were made, but made. material was stale and lacked critical thought. Little Creativity creativity, was piece had a evident, few but some changes, choices but not were much. bizarre or nonsensical.

4 Melodic choices were accurate and creative; pleasant to listen to. Rhythmic changes were fun and creative.

Very creative changes were made; pleasant to listen to.

Reflection Questions: 1. Why did you make the changes you made? (5 pts.) 2. How do these changes reflect your understanding of musical material? (5 pts.) 3. Why do you think the composer made the original choices he/she made? (5 pts.) /15 pts.

Receive and Respond

Outcome 5: Students will sight-read up to 3 melodies per semester in a skills check. Assessment: In said skills check, the student will be given a melody to look over for 20-30 seconds. They will then sing the melody using hand-sign solfege. The melodies will be in three different difficulty levels. ALL STUDENTS will begin the semester with the Easy sight-reading melody. After a successful completion of this melody, the students will have the opportunity to move up the three-tiered scale by performing another one on the spot, or waiting a few weeks to refine their skills. Each melody will be graded as follows:

Pitch Accuracy Rhythmic Accuracy Intonation

1 Pitches were not very accurate. Rhythms were not very accurate. Melody was not in tune/modulated throughout.

2 Pitches were mostly or all accurate. Rhythms were mostly or all accurate. Melody was mostly or all in tune.

Outcome 6: Students will analyze and describe a piece from their All-State repertoire in a written reflection. Assessment: Each student will be given a written reflection to take home and complete. The reflection is worth 50 points. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. Name of piece (2 pts.) Composer (2 pts.) Year of composition (1 pt.) Stylistic period in which it belongs (5 pts.) Meter and key of piece (10 pts.) Description of form (5 pts.) Translation of text (if in foreign language), Description of the context of the text (What greater work is it from? Who wrote it? Why was it written?) (20 pts.) 8. Do you like this piece? Why or why not? (5 pts.) /50 pts.

Contextual Knowledge
Outcome 7: Students will evaluate a concert performance with a written reflection using specific musical language. Assessment: Students will complete a written reflection in class after a concert has been given. The reflection will be worth 52 points. 1. What piece was performed best? How did you come to this decision? (10 pts.) 2. What piece needed the most work? How did you come to this decision? (10 pts.) 3. What piece did you feel the most prepared for leading up to the concert? Why? (10 pts.) 4. If you could have done anything differently, what would it be? If not, why do you feel that way? (10 pts.) 5. What are your goals for the next semester of choir? (Name at least 3 specific ones) (12 pts.) /52 pts. Outcome 8: Students will write and reflect intelligently using specific musical language about a text from a piece of music in our spring concert. Assessment: Students will complete a Text Project in which theyll dive into a particular text from one of our pieces of music in the spring semester. The students will be given a choice of 4 foreign language texts of music (from the Renaissance, Baroque, Classical, and Romantic style periods). The students will analyze the texts and describe its setting in detail. The project is worth 100 points.

Text translation (10 pts.) Style period (5 pts.) Author (5 pts.) Context of poetry (i.e., What larger work does it belong to?, What were the conditions under which it was written?) (10 pts.) Year in which it was written (5 pts.) Poetic interpretation (15 pts.) Why do you think the composer set the text in this way? What does it mean for the singer/performer? BE SPECIFIC! (20 pts.) How could the interpretation change if the composition was altered? EXAMPLES AT LEAST 3! (30 pts.) /100 pts. Outcome 9: Students will identify and describe the stylistic time periods of each All-State piece. Assessment: Students will complete a written quiz over the stylistic periods of each All-State piece. They will need to identify the style period (Renaissance, Baroque, Classical, Romantic, or Contemporary) and give at least one example of evidence from the piece as to why its true.

Quiz: 1. Piece #1 is from the This is evident because: (5 pts.) 2. Piece #2 is from the This is evident because: (5 pts.) Etc. (for all pieces) /70 pts. --- If 7 pieces, negotiable depending on amount of music time period (5 pts). time period (5 pts.).

Chamber Choir Assessments

Performing
Pitch Rhythm Tone Quality Expression Pitch/Rhythmic Accuracy Balance and Blend Expression Quartet Communication Question 1 Question 2 Question 3 Question 4 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4

Creating
Chord Accuracy Melodic Material Melodic Choices Rhythmic Choices Creativity Question 1 Question 2 Question 3 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 5 5 5

Receive and Respond

Pitch Accuracy Rhythmic Accuracy Intonation Question 1 Question 2 Question 3 Question 4 Question 5 Question 6 Question 7 Question 8 1 1 1 2 2 2

1 2 1 2 1 1 2 3 4 5 1 -------------------------------- 10 1 2 3 4 5 1 --------------------------------- 20 1 2 3 4 5

Contextual Knowledge
Question 1 Question 2 Question 3 Question 4 Question 5 Criteria 1 Criteria 2 Criteria 3 Criteria 4 Criteria 5 Criteria 6 Criteria 7 Criteria 8 Quiz Question 1 Quiz Question 2 Quiz Question 3 Quiz Question 4 Quiz Question 5 Quiz Question 6 Quiz Question 7 1 -------------------------------- 10 1 -------------------------------- 10 1 -------------------------------- 10 1 -------------------------------- 10 1 -------------------------------- 12 1 -------------------------------- 10 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 1 -------------------------------- 10 1 2 3 4 5 1 -------------------------------- 15 1 -------------------------------- 20 1 -------------------------------- 30 1 -------------------------------- 10 1 -------------------------------- 10 1 -------------------------------- 10 1 -------------------------------- 10 1 -------------------------------- 10 1 -------------------------------- 10 1 -------------------------------- 10