(a) Introduction.      
        (1) The fine arts incorporate the study of dance, music, theatre, and the visual arts to offer unique experiences and empower students to explore realities, relationships, and ideas. These disciplines engage and motivate all students through active learning, critical thinking, and innovative problem solving. The fine arts develop cognitive functioning and increase student academic achievement, higher-order thinking, communication, and collaboration skills, making the fine arts applicable to college readiness, career opportunities, workplace environments, social skills, and everyday life. Students develop aesthetic and cultural awareness through exploration, leading to creative expression. Creativity, encouraged through the  study of the fine arts, is essential to nurture and develop the whole child.       
        (2) Four basic strands--foundations: music literacy; creative expression; historical and cultural relevance; and critical evaluation and response--provide broad, unifying structures for organizing the knowledge and skills students are expected to acquire. The foundation of music literacy is fostered through reading, writing, reproducing, and creating music, thus developing a student's intellect. Through creative expression, students apply their music literacy and the critical-thinking skills of music to sing, play, read, write, and/or move. By experiencing musical periods and styles, students will understand the relevance of music to history, culture, and the world, including  the relationship of music to other academic disciplines and the vocational possibilities offered. Through critical listening, students analyze, evaluate, and respond to music, developing criteria for making critical judgments and informed choices.       
        (3) Statements that contain the word "including" reference content that must be mastered, while those containing the phrase "such as" are intended as possible illustrative examples.       
      (b) Knowledge and skills.      
        (1) Foundations: music literacy. The student describes and analyzes musical sound. The student is expected to:                  (A) identify choral voices, including unison versus ensemble;                   (B) identify instruments visually  and aurally;                   (C) use known music terminology to explain musical examples of tempo, including presto, moderato, and andante, and dynamics, including fortissimo and pianissimo; and                   (D) identify and label simple small forms such as aaba and abac.         
        (2) Foundations: music literacy. The student reads, writes, and reproduces music notation. Technology and other tools may be used to read, write, and reproduce musical examples. The student is expected to:                  (A) read, write, and reproduce rhythmic patterns using standard notation in 2/4 meter, including half note/half rest;                   (B) read, write, and reproduce pentatonic melodic patterns using standard staff  notation; and                   (C) read, write, and reproduce basic music terminology, including allegro/largo and forte/piano.         
        (3) Creative expression. The student performs a varied repertoire of developmentally appropriate music in informal or formal settings. The student is expected to:                  (A) sing tunefully or play classroom instruments, including rhythmic and melodic patterns, independently or in groups;                   (B) sing songs or play classroom instruments from diverse cultures and styles, independently or in groups;                   (C) move alone or with others to a varied repertoire of music using gross and fine locomotor and non-locomotor movement;                   (D) perform  simple part work, including rhythmic ostinato, and vocal exploration such as singing, speaking, and chanting; and                   (E) perform music using tempo, including presto, moderato, and andante, and dynamics, including fortissimo and pianissimo.         
        (4) Creative expression. The student creates and explores new musical ideas. The student is expected to:                  (A) create rhythmic phrases using known rhythms;                   (B) create melodic phrases using known pitches; and                   (C) explore new musical ideas in phrases using singing voice and classroom instruments.         
        (5) Historical and cultural relevance. The student examines music in relation to history and  cultures. The student is expected to:                  (A) sing songs and play musical games, including patriotic, folk, and seasonal music;                   (B) examine short musical excerpts from various periods or times in history and diverse and local cultures; and                   (C) identify simple interdisciplinary concepts relating to music.         
        (6) Critical evaluation and response. The student listens to, responds to, and evaluates music and musical performances. The student is expected to:                  (A) begin to practice appropriate audience behavior during live or recorded performances;                   (B) recognize known rhythmic and melodic elements in simple aural examples using known  terminology;                   (C) distinguish between rhythms, higher/lower pitches, louder/softer dynamics, faster/slower tempos, and simple patterns in musical performances; and                   (D) respond verbally or through movement to short musical examples.         
     Source Note:        The provisions of this §117.109 adopted to be effective July 28, 2013, 38 TexReg 4575