(a) General requirements. Students may fulfill fine arts and elective requirements for graduation by successfully completing one or more of the following music courses: Band IV, Choir IV, Orchestra IV, Jazz Ensemble IV, Jazz Improvisation IV, Instrumental Ensemble IV, Vocal Ensemble IV, World Music Ensemble IV, Applied Music IV, Mariachi IV, Piano IV, Guitar IV, Harp IV, International Baccalaureate (IB) Music Standard Level (SL), or IB Music Higher Level (HL) (one credit per course). The prerequisite for all Music, Level IV courses is one credit of Music, Level III in the corresponding discipline.
(b) 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.
(c) Knowledge and skills.
  (1) Foundations: music literacy. The student describes and analyzes music and musical sounds. The student develops organizational skills, engages in problem solving, and explores the properties and capabilities of various musical idioms. The student is expected to:
    (A) evaluate exemplary musical examples using technology and available live performances;
    (B) analyze advanced musical textures while using a melodic reading system;
    (C) analyze concepts of music notation, intervals, and chord structure using appropriate terminology;
    (D) analyze concepts of rhythm and meter using appropriate terminology and counting system;
    (E) analyze musical forms in music selected for performance and listening;
    (F) analyze concepts of balance and blend using appropriate terminology;
    (G) analyze musical styles and genres such as cantata, opera, zydeco, motet, hip-hop, symphony, anthem, march, beats, musical theatre, gospel jazz, and spirituals;
    (H) analyze concepts of music such as rhythm, meter, melody, harmony, texture, key, expression markings, dynamics, and timbre using literature selected for performance; and
    (I) analyze and apply health and wellness concepts related to music practice such as body mechanics, repetitive motion injury prevention, first-aid training, hearing protection, vocal health, hydration, and appropriate hygienic practices.
  (2) Foundations: music literacy. The student reads and notates music using an appropriate notation system. The student is expected to:
    (A) read and notate music that incorporates advanced melodies and rhythms; and
    (B) interpret music symbols and expressive terms.
  (3) Creative expression. The student demonstrates musical artistry by singing or playing an instrument individually and in groups. The student performs music in a variety of genres at an increasing level of difficulty. The student performs from notation and by memory as appropriate. The student develops cognitive, affective, and psychomotor skills. The student is expected to:
    (A) demonstrate mature, characteristic sound appropriate for the genre;
    (B) analyze and apply psychomotor and kinesthetic skills such as appropriate posture, breathing, text, diction, articulation, vibrato, bowings, fingerings, phrasing, independent manual dexterities, and percussion techniques;
    (C) demonstrate rhythmic accuracy using complex patterns at an appropriate tempo;
    (D) demonstrate observance of key signatures and modalities;
    (E) demonstrate correct intonation, appropriate phrasing, and appropriate dynamics; and
    (F) create and notate or record original musical phrases at an increasing level of difficulty.
  (4) Creative expression. The student sight reads, individually and in groups, by singing or playing an instrument. The student reads from notation at an increasing level of difficulty in a variety of styles. The student is expected to:
    (A) exhibit mature, characteristic sound appropriate for the genre while sight reading;
    (B) refine and apply psychomotor and kinesthetic skills such as appropriate posture, breathing, text, diction, articulation, vibrato, bowings, fingerings, phrasing, independent manual dexterities, and percussion techniques while sight reading;
    (C) demonstrate correct articulation and rhythmic accuracy while sight reading using a counting system within an appropriate tempo;
    (D) demonstrate observance of multiple key signatures and changing modalities while sight reading;
    (E) demonstrate use of a melodic reading system such as solfège, numbers, letter names, note names, or scale degrees while sight reading;
    (F) demonstrate application of dynamics and phrasing while sight reading; and
    (G) demonstrate accurate intonation while sight reading using concepts such as vowel shapes, ensemble blend, and just intonation.
  (5) Historical cultural relevance. The student relates music to history, culture, and the world. The student is expected to:
    (A) discriminate representative examples of music by genre, style, culture, and historical period;
    (B) evaluate the relevance of music to societies and cultures;
    (C) define the relationships between music content and concepts and other academic disciplines;
    (D) explain a variety of music and music-related career options;
    (E) analyze and evaluate the impact of technologies, ethical issues, and economic factors on music, performers, and performances; and
    (F) generate tools for college and career preparation such as curricula vitae, electronic portfolios, personal resource lists, performance recordings, social media applications, repertoire lists, and audition and interview techniques.
  (6) Critical evaluation and response. The student responds to and evaluates written music and musical performance in formal and informal settings. The student is expected to:
    (A) exhibit informed concert etiquette as a performer and an audience member during live and recorded performances in a variety of settings;
    (B) create and apply specific criteria for evaluating performances of various musical styles;
    (C) create and apply specific criteria for offering constructive feedback using a variety of musical performances;
    (D) develop processes for self-evaluation and select tools for personal artistic improvement; and
    (E) evaluate musical performances and compositions by comparing them to similar or exemplary models and offering constructive suggestions for improvement.

Source Note: The provisions of this §117.313 adopted to be effective July 28, 2013, 38 TexReg 4575; amended to be effective August 1, 2020, 45 TexReg 1708