AERO Music Standards
PERFORM
Standard 1: Sing and play a varied repertoire of music
By the end of grade 2
a. Echo a variety of short rhythmic and melodic patterns
b. Demonstrate a steady beat and accuracy on age appropriate rhythm patterns when
singing, speaking, and playing classroom instruments
c. Sing and play simple songs from various cultures in tune, accurately, and expressively
(by imitation) with appropriate posture
d. Maintain melodic and rhythmic accuracy when singing ostinati, partner songs, or
simple canons in a group
e. Accompany simple harmonic songs on classroom instruments with appropriate
dynamics
f. Demonstrate proper performance skills:
- Respond to cues of a conductor (tempo, start and stop)
- Use correct performance etiquette
By the end of grade 5
a. Sing or play ostinati, partner songs, canons, and simple two-part harmony
b. Demonstrate a steady beat and accuracy on age appropriate rhythm patterns when
singing, speaking, and playing instruments in both small and large ensembles
c. Sing and play simple songs from the host country and large subgroups of the school
population accurately and expressively (by imitation) with appropriate posture
d. Sing and play songs from a variety of historical periods and world cultures
expressively with appropriate dynamics, phrasing, tone, diction, and posture
e. Perform simple harmonic accompaniments with appropriate phrasing, dynamics, and
chordal sequence/structure
f. Demonstrate proper performance skills:
- Respond to cues of a conductor (phrasing, dynamics, and style)
- Use performance etiquette appropriate to a variety of styles of performance
By the end of grade 8
a. Sing or play music representing diverse genres and cultures, with appropriate style for
the work being performed, including three-part harmony
b. Perform accurately and expressively in small and large ensembles, in a
developmentally appropriate range, demonstrating expressiveness, style, technique, and
stage presence
c. Perform independent parts accurately within an ensemble demonstrating well-
developed ensemble skills
By the end of grade 12
a. Perform a moderately difficult repertoire of music representing various genres, styles,
and cultures, including that of the host country and large subgroups of the school
population, with expression and technical accuracy
b. Independently select repertoire, prepare, and perform alone and with others in an
expressive and accurate manner (considering: length of program, intended audience,
rehearsal preparation, stylistic considerations, and individual interpretation)
PERFORM
Standard 2: Read music from traditional and nontraditional notation
By the end of grade 2
a. Read simple rhythmic and melodic patterns (e.g. using eighth, quarter, half notes, rests,
and the do-pentatonic scale)
b. Use a system (e.g. solfege syllables, numbers, letters) to read simple pitch notation in
the treble clef
c. Sightread simple rhythmic and melodic patterns
By the end of grade 5
a. Read rhythmic and melodic patterns (e.g. sixteenth notes, dotted rhythms, diatonic
scale, and letter names)
b. Identify, interpret, and use standard notation symbols for meter, pitch, rhythm,
dynamics, tempo, articulation, and expression
c. Sightread simple rhythms and melodies
By the end of grade 8
a. Recognize and interpret symbols and terms referring to the elements of music
(including but not limited to: pitch, rhythm, articulation, tempo, meter, dynamics,
melody, harmony)
b. Sightread accurately at a developmentally appropriate level
By the end of grade 12
a. Read a musical score with enough fluency to lead a small ensemble
b. Sightread music of a medium level of difficulty accurately and expressively
PERFORM
Standard 3: Analyze and evaluate own performances
By the end of grade 2
a. Describe and reflect on musical performances using age-appropriate criteria (e.g.
clarity of words, pitch accuracy, speed, steady beat)
b. Describe and reflect on performance etiquette (e.g. stage behavior)
By the end of grade 5
a. Describe and critique musical performances using appropriate music terminology (e.g.
intonation, balance, phrasing, dynamics) and criteria
b. Describe and reflect on performance etiquette (e.g. solo and ensemble stage presence)
By the end of grade 8
a. Identify and apply stylistically appropriate criteria for evaluating the effectiveness of a
variety of performances, using music vocabulary,
b. Critique performance etiquette using appropriate criteria
By the end of grade 12
a. Analyze the effectiveness of musical choices, including interpretation, in performances
PERFORM
Standard 4: Improvise melodies, variations, and accompaniments
By the end of grade 2
a. Improvise matching “answers” to given simple rhythmic and melodic phrases
By the end of grade 5
a. Improvise phrases that include both rhythm and melody
b. Improvise a simple variation on a familiar melody (e.g. melodic embellishment,
rhythmic alteration)
By the end of grade 8
a. Improvise short melodies, unaccompanied and with given rhythmic accompaniments,
each in a consistent style, meter, and tonality
b. Improvise variations on a simple melody that involve both rhythm and pitch
By the end of grade 12
a. Improvise extended melodies, unaccompanied and with given rhythmic
accompaniments, each in a consistent style, meter, and tonality
b. Improvise variations in different styles based on a melody
c. Improvise simple harmonizations (e.g. vocalize harmony line, guitar or keyboard
chords)
CREATE
Standard 5: Compose and arrange music using notation
By the end of grade 2
a. Create and notate simple rhythmic and melodic patterns
b. Create simple arrangements and accompaniments of known songs using classroom
instruments
By the end of grade 5
a. Compose and notate melodies using traditional notation
b. Arrange accompaniments to familiar songs (e.g. bass lines, chords)
c. Create and arrange short songs/ accompaniments to stories, poems, dramatizations
and/or instrumental pieces using pitched and unpitched instruments
d. Read and play standard chord symbols on classroom instruments (e.g. I, IV, and V
chords) to accompany a melody
By the end of grade 8
a. Compose and notate a medium-length song for two to four voices using teacher-
specified guidelines
b. Arrange a given piece of music for different instrumentation
c. Compose a short piece for non-traditional sounds or electronic media
d. Explain why various forms of notation evolved (i.e., chant, guitar tablature, lead
sheets, percussion notation, 20th century)
e. Create and notate a harmonic accompaniment for a simple melody (e.g. I, IV, V)
By the end of grade 12
a. Create and notate a four-voice composition using appropriate conventions suitable to
the style chosen
b. Arrange a given piece of music for different instrumentation using at least one
transposing instrument
c. Compose and notate a piece for non-traditional sounds or electronic media
d. Create a composition demonstrating functional harmony that incorporates modulations
and secondary dominants
CREATE
Standard 6: Analyze and evaluate own creations
By the end of grade 2
a. Describe and reflect on own musical creations using age-appropriate language
By the end of grade 5
a. Describe and critique own musical creations using appropriate music terminology and
criteria
b. Compare own creations with the creations of other students using appropriate
terminology and criteria
By the end of grade 8
a. Explain own compositional choices using appropriate music terminology and criteria
b. Compare own compositions with those of established composers using appropriate
terminology and style-appropriate criteria
c. Compare own improvisations with those of established improvisers using appropriate
terminology and style-appropriate criteria
By the end of grade 12
a. Justify own compositional choices using appropriate music terminology and criteria
b. Compare the effectiveness of own compositions to those of other students and masters
based on stylistic conventions
c. Compare the effectiveness of own improvisations to those of other students and
masters based on stylistic conventions
RESPOND
Standard 7: Understand the historical contributions and cultural dimensions of
music
By the end of grade 2
a. Identify connections between music of various time periods, cultures, and composers
b. Sing, listen to and describe music representative of different activities and celebrations
in a variety of world cultures
By the end of grade 5
a. Compare and contrast characteristics of music from various time periods, cultures, and
composers (e.g. Baroque style, programmatic music, instrumentation, folk songs)
b. Explain or demonstrate how music is used in various world cultures (including host
country and subgroups of the student population)
c. Analyze the contributions and life histories of a variety of composers and musicians
from different cultures and places
By the end of grade 8
a. Identify and explain the stylistic characteristics of various periods of Western classical
music
b. Explain the roles of musicians and composers (e.g., orchestra conductor, folk singer,
church organist) in various musical settings and cultures
c. Explain how political, historical and cultural norms and expectations influence the
creation of music and vice versa
By the end of grade 12
a. Research and explain the cultural and historical influences of individual and societal
music preferences
b. Analyze music from various cultures on the basis of its functions, giving examples and
describing its uses
RESPOND
Standard 8: Understand relationships among the arts and disciplines outside the
arts
By the end of grade 2
a. Identify similar themes in stories, songs and art forms
b. Relate musical concepts to disciplines outside of the arts (e.g. form to mathematical
pattern)
By the end of grade 5
a. Compare how the elements of two or more art forms can be used to reflect similar
events, scenes, emotions, or ideas (e.g., visual components of classical landscape painting
and sound elements in Beethoven’s Sixth Symphony).
b. Relate music elements and concepts to disciplines outside of the arts (e.g. science of
sound, notes and division)
c. Reflect on personal musical involvement and possible lifetime paths in music
By the end of grade 8
a. Describe similarities and differences among the characteristics of music, theatre, visual
arts, and dance within a particular historical period or culture
b. Identify and describe the cultural, political, and historical influences on works of all art
forms from various time periods (e.g., the influence of Napoleon on Beethoven’s Third
Symphony and …)
c. Describe how music is interpreted through science, math, and physiology
d. Describe how personal musical taste has evolved over time
By the end of grade 12
a. Explain the elements and techniques characteristic of music, theatre, visual arts, and
dance of various styles in a non-Western culture.
b. Analyze how the characteristics of music within a particular historical period or style
were influenced by ideas, humanities, or sciences
c. Describe the role of music in various careers (e.g., multi-media entertainment, acoustic
sciences, prenatal research etc.) and reflect on personal lifetime involvement with music
RESPOND/LISTEN
Standard 9: Analyze, evaluate, and respond to varied musical repertoire and
performances
By the end of grade 2
a. Identify age-appropriate music concepts (e.g. fast/slow, loud/soft, and rhythms) and
forms (e.g. verse/refrain, AB, ABA) in musical selections
b. Classify common instruments by method of sound production
c. Describe and reflect on others’ musical performances and repertoire using age-
appropriate language and criteria
d. Demonstrate appropriate audience behavior for in-school performances
By the end of grade 5
a. Identify and analyze, using music terminology, the use of forms (e.g. rondo, theme and
variations) and musical elements (tonality, tempo, dynamics, timbre) in a variety of
music
b. Visually and aurally identify major instruments of the orchestra and their sections
c. Aurally identify adult voices as soprano, alto, tenor and bass
d. Describe and critique others’ musical performances and creations using appropriate
music terminology (e.g. intonation, balance, phrasing, dynamics) and criteria
e. Demonstrate appropriate audience behavior for a variety of musical styles
By the end of grade 8
a. Identify and analyze, using music terminology, the use of complex forms (e.g. sonata
allegro, fugue) and musical elements in a variety of music
b. Identify/classify world music (non-Western, including host country and subgroups of
the student population) by style, using musical terminology
c. Visually and aurally identify common instruments from a variety of cultures
d. Identify and apply stylistically appropriate criteria, using music vocabulary, for
evaluating the effectiveness of a variety of others’ musical performances and creations
e. Use appropriate musical terminology and criteria to compare different performances of
the same work
f. Demonstrate appropriate audience behavior for a variety of musical styles and settings
By the end of grade 12
a. Classify unfamiliar works of art by genre, style, culture, and historical period,
supporting the classification using musical terminology
b. Identify the characteristics of quality music criticism through the analysis of critiques
from professional publications
c. Apply criteria of professional criticism to create own critique of live performance
