Goals for my students include the following:

• Melodic competency: Playing songs and scales on their instruments in the concert pitch keys of Eb Major, F Major, Bb Major, G minor, C minor, and F minor through note-reading and playing songs by ear
• Rhythmic competency: Note-reading and echo-response patterns in duple and triple meters including 4/4, 2/4, 3/4, and 6/8 with quarter notes, half notes, whole notes, eighth notes and sixteenth notes
• Solo, small ensemble and large ensemble performances with note-reading and memorized literature
• Aural identification, with musical terminology, for tonic and dominant chord functions plus an introduction to sub-dominant chord functions. Students should be able to state tonic and dominant qualities and both major and minor tonalities. Students should also be able to sing and play by ear those chord functions
• Improvisation through singing and with instruments using tonic and dominant chord functions in both major and minor tonalities
• Student compositions of at least 8 measures in length using tonic and dominant functions in major and minor in at least two key signatures.
• Complete self-assessment rating scales accurately portraying their own performance, thereby displaying critical thinking skills in music.
• Identify and describe basic form structures including a round, ABA, and Rondo.
• Discuss artistic and historical concepts for the pieces studied; understand and describe the differences between folk songs and other composed pieces of literature

The chart below is a brief outline of the instructional content chosen to complete the above goals. Songs and repertoire can vary as long as they retain similar chord functions, rhythmic content and form.