standards
A Final TripTik With the WMEA Standards Laura Burns, WMEA State Chair, Standards
In 2017, Nadia So- rota interviewed Paul Simon on the podcast, Meet the Composer. At the beginning of the in- terview, Ms. Sorota asked Simon if he found the process of creating oppressive.
Simon responded with the following: “‘Oppressive’ shouldn’t be allowed into the process… ‘oppressive’ is only if you believe that you have to achieve something and that there is a penalty for not achiev- ing it. The more you can remove your ego, the more your curiosity will lead you to a place and if that place is rewarding, well great, that’s a gift, if not, well not every voyage ends up as ‘that was the best trip I ever took!’”
I think it is an effective analogy to think of standards as a map. This map, created by educators, gives recommended destina- tions, “tried and true” travel routes along with new places you may have not thought about visiting. A map is meant to be a resource from which to build your trip. Ultimately, the people you travel with, what route you choose, how long you stay, and what you explore creates unique experi-
ences, connections, stories and memories about the world we live in.
Let’s take a trip with scales. Scales offer us a window into understanding world cul- tures and the music created by them. Scales also serve as a way for music educators to teach students different techniques specific to their instrument of study. I think it is a common occurrence to see scales taught in music classrooms as a warmup from a scale or technique book. Scales are also often taught as a learned warmup routine that incorporates different articulations, dynamics and techniques specific to the repertoire that the students are working on. Students may also be assigned scales and asked to record them as a way of measuring growth and ensuring that they are develop- ing instrument specific technique. Let’s pull out the connecting standard map from the 2017 WMEA Standards and plan a new trip with scales.
Connecting Standard: Synthesize and relate knowledge and personal experi- ences to make art. PERSONALIZE (WI) – Synthesize and relate knowledge and per- sonal experiences to make music. Endur- ing Understanding – Musicians connect their personal interests, experiences, ideas and knowledge to creating, performing and responding.
“I think it is an effective analogy to think of standards as a map. This map, created by educators, gives recommended
destinations, ‘tried and true’ travel routes along with new places you may have not thought about visiting.”
How can I teach scales in a way that students relate knowledge and personal experiences to them? Why not expand outward from major and minor scales and teach modes from western classical music? Violinist Chris- tian Howes teaches the modes using the acronym LIMDAPL. (L=Lydian, I=Ionian, M=Mixolydian, D=Dorian, A=Aeolian, P=Phrygian, L=Locrian.) The way they are arranged creates a color spectrum of scales from “bright like the sun” Lydian to the “darker, brooding thunderclouds” of Locrian. Students can experiment with modifying the whole step and half step fin- ger patterns and make connections between the key signatures and the scales.
What scale appeals to them in a given day? What does the scale remind them of? What are you listening to on Spotify today? What scale is it based on? All of a sudden, our standard map has given us a new route for students to explore scales, which in turn changes and expands how students relate to scales and connect them
24 September 2026
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