(a) General requirements. Students may fulfill fine arts and elective requirements for graduation by successfully completing one or more of the following music courses: Music Theory I-II; Music Appreciation I-II; Music Business I-II; Music Composition I-II; Music Production I-II; Music and Media Communications I-II; or College Board Advanced Placement (AP) Music Theory. There are no prerequisites for Music Study Level I courses. Students may take Music Studies with different course content for a maximum of three credits.
(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 read, write, create, 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) experience and explore exemplary musical examples using technology and available live performances;
    (B) identify and describe melodic and harmonic parts when listening to and performing music using a melodic reading system such as solfège, numbers, letter names, note names, or scale degrees;
    (C) define concepts of music notation, intervals, and chord structure using appropriate terminology;
    (D) define concepts of rhythm and meter using appropriate terminology and counting system;
    (E) explore elements of music such as rhythm, meter, melody, harmony, key, expression markings, texture, form, dynamics, and timbre through literature selected for performance; and
    (F) apply health and wellness concepts related to music practice such as body mechanics, 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 notation systems or manipulate sounds as appropriate to the course of study;
    (B) read and notate or record and produce music that incorporates rhythmic patterns in simple, compound, and asymmetric meters as appropriate;
    (C) interpret music symbols and expressive terms referring to concepts such as dynamics, tempo, and articulation as appropriate;
    (D) demonstrate cognitive skills, including observance of key signature and modalities, while studying or producing music at an appropriate level of difficulty; and
    (E) demonstrate music-making skills such as appropriate use of technology in recording, notating, editing, manipulating, arranging, Standard Motion Picture Time Encryption (SMPT), and emergent technologies.
  (3) Creative expression. The student, individually and in groups, makes music of an appropriate level of difficulty in a variety of genres from notation, recording, or by memory as appropriate. The student is expected to:
    (A) demonstrate, create, or apply characteristic sounds appropriate for the genre;
    (B) create, examine, or perform a repertoire of music representing a variety of styles, including those from diverse cultures;
    (C) demonstrate understanding of correct articulation and rhythmic accuracy;
    (D) demonstrate understanding of correct dynamics and phrasing;
    (E) demonstrate understanding of correct intonation; and
    (F) exhibit and explain appropriate performance techniques for formal and informal concerts or recording sessions.
  (4) Creative expression. The student creates original music within specified guidelines. The student is expected to:
    (A) create original musical phrases; and
    (B) notate or record original musical phrases.
  (5) Historical and cultural relevance. The student relates music to history, culture, and the world. The student is expected to:
    (A) compare and contrast music by genre, style, culture, and historical period;
    (B) identify music-related vocations and avocations;
    (C) identify and describe the uses of music in societies and cultures;
    (D) identify and explore the relationship between music and other academic disciplines;
    (E) identify and explore the impact of technologies, ethical issues, and economic factors on music, musicians, and performances; and
    (F) identify and explore tools for college and career preparation such as social media applications, repertoire lists, and audition and interview techniques.
  (6) Critical evaluation and response. The student listens to, responds to, and evaluates music and musical performance in formal and informal settings. The student is expected to:
    (A) practice informed concert etiquette as a performer and an audience member during live and recorded performances in a variety of settings;
    (B) design and apply criteria for making informed judgments regarding the quality and effectiveness of musical performances;
    (C) develop processes for self-evaluation and select tools for personal artistic improvement such as critical listening and individual and group performance recordings; and
    (D) evaluate musical performances by comparing them to exemplary models.

Source Note: The provisions of this §117.314 adopted to be effective July 28, 2013, 38 TexReg 4575; amended to be effective August 1, 2020, 45 TexReg 1708