Due to the natural of the course and the length of the state issued standards, we implant all standards throughout every nine weeks. 

IDOE General Standards for Choir

In 6th Grade Choir, we will be covering the following topics throughout the year:

Posture

• How to properly sing sitting and standing 

  • Where each part of the body should go (ie. Feet shoulder width apart, shoulders back and relaxed..)

Breathing Technique 

• The proper use of the diaphragm 

  • Identifying and demonstrating proper and incorrect ways to breathe while singing

• Diaphragmatic breathing 

  • Focusing on depth of breath to achieve a relaxed and supported sound

• Phrasing 

  • What makes a musical sentence and when do we breathe? 

Tone Quality and Blend 

• Resonance 

  • How the voice sounds when the sound is placed in different parts of the body (ie nasaly, breathe, swallowed)

• Blending 

  • How to blend one's voice among an ensemble

Note Accuracy 

• how to read treble clef pitches 

• how to identify and demonstrate the different solfege syllables

• how to find both pitches and solfege syllables in context of their repertoire 

• how to sing a major scale 

Intonation 

• how to identify if a note is flat or sharp 

• how to sing in the middle of the pitch  (in tune)

Rhythmic Accuracy

• Understand notes values of: whole, half, quarter, and eighth notes and the correspond rests

• How to read and count rhythms both isolated and within context 

• Develop the ability to transfer rhythmic counting to singing both isolated and within context

• Perform music in basic time signatures such as 4/4, 2/4, 3/4 and 2/2 

Diction and Enunciation

• How to sing vowels in  choral music 

• How to enunciate their words in conjunction with tall shaped vowels and clear consonants 

Dynamics and Balance 

Dynamics 

• How to sing music at a variety of different dynamics 

• identify different dynamic markings