2017 WMEA Wisconsin Music Standards Paul J. Budde, Ph.D., WMEA Music Standards Revision Committee Member
This past July, the Wisconsin Music Stan- dards Revision Committee released the 2017 WMEA Wisconsin Music Standards (
wmeamusic.org/standards). These stan- dards represent a broad-scale adoption of the 2014 National Core Music Standards and, as such, highlight processes that lead to understanding, independence and music literacy, while providing a holistic guide for music education in the 21st
century.
While Wisconsin Standards Revision Committee members (see end of article) found great value in maintaining a strong connection between the national and state music standards, they also recognized the need to make modifications to the national standards in order to better meet the needs of Wisconsin music educators.
This article will provide information regarding the organization of the 2017 WMEA Wisconsin Music Standards as well as distinctions between the national and state standards. Both of these topics are also addressed in video format on the WMEA website (
wmeamusic.org/ standards/format).
Organization
Strands Aligning with the 2014 National Core Music Standards, the 2017 WMEA Wis- consin Music Standards are organized into broad Strands, including (a) PK-8 General Music, (b) Ensemble, (c) Guitar - Keyboard - Harmonizing Instruments, (d) Composition - Theory and (e) Music Technology. In addition, the 2017 WMEA Wisconsin Music Standards include Sec- ondary General Music as a separate strand;
this was added to better meet the needs of secondary general music teachers in our state.
Whereas the general music strands contain standards categorized by grade level (e.g., 2nd Grade, 7th Grade, and Secondary), the remain- ing strands are grouped by Levels of Proficiency, including Novice, Inter- mediate, Proficient, Accomplished and Advanced. These Levels of Pro- ficiency represent the full array of achievement levels, from beginner-level to collegiate-level students. Since they are not tied to specific grade levels, the Levels of Proficiency allow for consider- able flexibility, making them usable with a diversity of students and within varied teaching settings. For example, when working with an ensemble that is made up of students from multiple grade levels and with a broad range of experience levels, a teacher can assign appropriate Levels of Proficiency to match the needs of indi- vidual students within the group.
Categories Within Each Strand Each of the strands within the 2017 WMEA Wisconsin Music Standards are further organized in multiple ways. First, each strand includes four Artistic Pro- cesses: Creating, Performing, Respond- ing and Connecting. These categories align with the 2014 National Core Music Standards, and they also connect with core concepts from the 1997 Wisconsin Music Standards.
The music standards are also aligned with Anchor Standards, which are broad ob- jectives that are common across all Art forms, including music. For ex- ample, standards within the artistic process Cre- ating align with one of three anchor standards: (a) generate and concep- tualize artistic ideas and work, (b) organize and develop artistic ideas and work, or (c) refine
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and complete artistic work. The Anchor Standards themselves are further clarified by the inclusion of Enduring Under- standings (EU’s) and Essential Ques- tions (EQ’s). EU’s and EQ’s help to frame the Anchor Standards, providing educators with the thinking behind the standards themselves. For example, Anchor Stan- dard #1 (generate and conceptualize artistic ideas and work) is clarified with the Enduring Understanding: the creative ideas, concepts and feelings that influence musicians’ work emerge from a variety of sources, as well as the Essential Ques- tion: how do musicians generate creative ideas? The Wisconsin Standards Revi- sion Committee chose to include Anchor Standards, EU’s and EQ’s on a separate page within all standards maps; this was done so that the framework behind the standards was easily accessible, yet did not overwhelm educators who were utilizing the standards maps.
Next, each of the Artistic Processes are subdivided into Process Components, which are categories unique to music edu- cation. For example, Creating is broken down into (a) Imagine, (b) Plan and Make, (c) Evaluate and Refine and (d) Present. It is important to recognize that the Process Components aligned with each of the Artistic Processes fit together in a set; for example, when creating music, students should engage their imagination before creating music, and they should refine their composition before presenting it.
Finally, each Process Component contains one or more Performance Standards.
September 2017
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