The standards adopted focus on four main areas of musical participation:
Creating
Creating includes any type of improvisation, composition, or arrangement of melodies, rhythms, variations, or accompaniments.
Performing
Performing incorporates both vocal or instrumental performance, either alone or within a group ensemble.
Responding
Responding to music contains a wide spectrum of available options, including moving to music expressively, listening to and describing music with appropriate vocabulary, and evaluating self and peer performances.
Connecting
Connecting incorporates the higher-order thinking skill of identifying musical relations to history and culture as well as drawing connections between music and other disciplines, both within other fine arts and with disciplines outside the fine arts.
These new standards are being implemented for the first time this year. Use this link to the GSE Guide for a more detailed description of music standards by grade level.