THE ARTS
OVERVIEW

        Since 1990 The Arts have been part of core curriculum in Oklahoma.  The Priority Academic Student Skills (PASS) in The Arts is a basic curriculum framework.  The Arts standard at each level will involve students in:

                General Music   Visual Art
                participating in music  making art
                listening/describing music      looking at art
                creating music  analyzing works of art

        A balance of these activities will provide a basic understanding of The Arts and can add to a studentÕs understanding of the creative thinking and problem-solving  processes.  Consequently, it is necessary to teach and assess all the competencies at each grade level.

        ÒIn classrooms across the nation, experience has repeatedly demonstrated that when arts are taught in a comprehensive program, they are also a medium for developing cognitive skills that carry over into other areas.  These include the abilities to see clearly, analyze, reflect, make judgments, and link information from diverse sources to generate new ideas . . .  These are the same qualities embodied in the broader goals of educational reform, and they are exactly the attributes that children will need to succeed in the twenty-first century.Ó  (Excerpt from the Getty Education Institute for the Arts publication.)

NOTE:  Asterisks (*) have been used to identify skills that must be assessed by the local school district.  All other skills may be assessed by the Oklahoma School Testing Program (OSTP).
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

MUSIC GLOSSARY

This is a listing of basic terms in music and is not in any way intended to be comprehensive.

acoustic instruments - traditional musical instruments which produce sound and amplify it by natural means (piano, guitar, trumpet, etc.), as opposed to instruments which produce and amplify sound electronically (synthesizers, sound modules, etc.).

acoustics - the science of sound generation.

alto -  the lowest female voice.

andante (ahn-DAHN-tay) - a walking pace, flowing (tempo).

aural - relating to the sense of hearing, listening.

ballad -  a narrative song.

bar - a vertical line dividing measures on the staff.

bass - the lowest male singing voice.

bass clef - symbol placed on the five-line staff in traditional notation that tells you that the fourth line of the staff is the note F.

beat - the consistent pulse that occurs throughout a rhyme, song or recorded musical selection.

body percussion - sounds produced by the use of the body, i.e, clap, snap, slap, tap, stamp, stomp, whistle, etc.

call and response - a song style that follows a simple question and answer pattern in which a soloist leads and a group responds.

chord - three or more different tones played or sung at the same time.

chorus - the repetitive part of a song that occurs between the verses; also a large group of singers.

classroom instruments - instruments typically used in the general music classroom, including, for example:  recorder-type instruments, autoharp, mallet instruments, simple percussion, keyboard, and electronic instruments.

clef - symbol placed at the beginning of the staff to indicate the pitch of the notes on the staff.

composer - a person who writes music.

composition - the completed arrangement of music.

concert - a musical performance for an audience, requiring the cooperation of several musicians.

conductor - director of an orchestra or chorus.

crescendo (kre-SHEN-do) - gradually louder (dynamic).

cue - a signal given by the director of a performing group to begin either at the beginning of the music or after they have concluded a section at rest.

decrescendo (DEH-cre-shen-do) - gradually softer (dynamic).

dynamics - varying degrees of loud and soft (pianissimo, piano, mezzo piano, mezzo forte, forte, fortissimo, sforzando).

duration - how long a sound lasts.

elements of music -
        pitch - the highness or lowness of a particular note.
        rhythm - beats per measure.
        harmony - two or more tones sounding together.
        dynamics - varying degrees of loud and soft.
        timbre - quality of sound.
        texture - number of sounds occurring simultaneously.
        form - the organization of a musical composition.
        tempo - speed or pace of music.
        melody - a succession or pattern of musical tones or pitches.

flat - b - a symbol which lowers the pitch of a note one-half step.

folk music - music of a particular people, nation or region, originally transmitted orally, sometimes as a rhythmic accompaniment to manual work or to mark a specific ritual.

form - the organization of a musical composition according to its sections of repetition, contrast, variation or development.

forte- f - loud (dynamic).

fortissimo - ff -  very loud (dynamic).

genres - a category of musical composition, such as symphony, opera, string quartet, cantata, concerto, etc.

harmony - two or more tones sounding together.

instrument groupings or instrument families - classification of instruments by the way or material by which sound is made (i.e. strings, brass, percussion, wind).

interval - the distance between two tones.

key signature - the sharps and flats placed at the beginning of a composition or line of music denoting the scale on which the music is based.

measure - a group of beats in written music, set off by vertical lines; the notes and rests comprised between two vertical bar lines.

melody - a succession or pattern of musical tones or pitches.  Arranging these pitches creates a specific tonal and rhythmic succession of sounds that makes each piece recognizable and expresses a musical idea or tune.

meter - the grouping of accented and unaccented beats in a pattern of two (ONE, two, ONE, two) or three (ONE, two, three, ONE, two, three) or combinations of two and three, which gives internal organization, consistency and flow to the music.

meter signature - an indication at the beginning of a musical work, usually presented in the form of a fraction, the lower of which indicates the unit of measurement and the upper number of which indicates the number of units that make up a measure (see also Òtime signatureÓ).

mezzo forte - mf  - medium loud (dynamic).

mezzo piano - mp  - medium soft (dynamic).

MIDI - an acronym for Musical Instrument Digital Interface.  Standard specifications that enable electronic instruments to communicate with one another and with computers.

movement - the principal division or section of a musical composition.

notation - the way in which music is written down, usually on a staff, indicating specific pitches and the duration of each pitch.  In Western culture, this system works just like fractions (i.e, whole notes, half notes, quarter notes, eighth notes, sixteenth notes).

note - a musical symbol that denotes both pitch and duration.

orchestra - group of musicians playing together on instruments.  In Western music, the orchestra typically includes string, wind, brass and percussion instrument groupings.

percussive sounds - sounds made by striking, shaking and/or scraping.

phrasing - dividing  musical sentences into melodic and/or rhythmic sections, similar to the effect of punctuation in language.

piano - p - soft; pianissimo -pp  - very soft (dynamic).

pitch - the highness or lowness of a particular note.

presto - very fast (tempo).

repertoire - a variety of musical pieces.

rests - symbols used to represent silence between notes.

rhythm - the term which denotes the organization of sound in time or the proportion or duration of notes.  Beats per measure.

round - a song imitated at the same pitch by a second (or third) group of singers who begin at a designated time during the song (i.e., ÒRow, row, row your boatÓ).

scale - an organization of pitches in ascending or descending sequence.

score - A notation showing all the parts of a musical composition.
 
sharp - # - A symbol which raises the pitch of a note one-half step.

solo - playing or singing alone.  A solo performer is called a soloist.

soprano - the highest female voice.

staff - the musical ladder made up of a set of five parallel lines and four spaces on which music is written and makes it easy for you to tell how high or low a sound is.  The lines are counted from the bottom up.

style - the distinctive or characteristic manner in which the elements of music are treated.

tempo - The speed or pace of music.  Musical tempos are expressed in Italian and include lento, very slow; adagio (ah-dahj-ee-oh), slow; moderato (mod-uh-rah-to); allegro (ah-lay-gro), lively; presto, fast; vivace  (vee-vah-che), very fast.

tenor - the highest male voice.

texture - the way individual parts of music are layered or the number of sounds occurring simultaneously.

timbre - quality of sound that distinguishes one instrument, voice or other sound source from another.

time signature - the meter (number of beats per measure and kind of note getting one beat, i.e, 2/4 or 3/4 or 4/4 meter).

tonality - the key or tone center of a piece of music.

treble - high in pitch.

treble clef - symbol placed on the five-line staff in traditional notation indicating the pitch of the notes and locating G on the second line from the bottom.

two-part songs - songs written for performance by two distinct voices.

unison - two or more parts performing the same pitches or melody simultaneously.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Major Periods of music in Western Culture from the Renaissance to the present:

        1400-1600 - Renaissance 1820-1900 - Romantic
        1600-1750 - Baroque     1880-1918 - Impressionism
        1750-1820 - Classical   1900-present - Contemporary

RENAISSANCE - This period is referred to as the ÒGolden Age of PolyphonyÓ (poly - many, and phony - sounds), where there are two or more melodic lines sounding simultaneously.  Vocal music predominated but instrumental music had increased interest as an independent style.  Music was heard in church as well as the households of the aristocracy and upper classes.  There was more of a tendency to use major/minor tonality rather than modality, as in the Medieval times.

BAROQUE - Secular music predominated over sacred music and there was a certain ÒtheatricalÓ spirit of elaborate design in the music, painting, and architecture.  Polyphony and counterpoint from the Renaissance still predominate but homophonic texture (melody with chordal accompaniment) gains importance.  New instrumental forms (solo sonata, concerto grosso, overture, etc.) and vocal forms (aria, recitative, opera, oratorio, and cantata, etc.) were developed.

CLASSICAL - Referred to as the ÒAge of EnlightenmentÓ; the meaning of ÒclassicismÓ in music relates to the ancient Greek ideals of objectivity, emotional restraint, and a balanced clear musical form of short, regular phrases.  Instrumental music surpassed vocal music in popularity.  More attention was given to dynamic shading (getting gradually louder or softer).  Dissonant sounds were resolved into consonant sounds.

ROMANTIC - Music was expressive and exciting through the use of a wide dynamic range, expanded harmonies of new chords and progressions, a freer use of dissonance that was not always resolved into consonance.  Program music was more important now than any other period.  Virtuosity was a marked characteristic in composition.

IMPRESSIONISM - This style was centered mostly in France.  The composers developed a new musical ÒlanguageÓ that has affected music even to the present day.  Composers experimented with:  new coloristic effects in instruments and the voice and in harmonies, new combinations of scales and rhythms.  There were parallels to the artwork of the time in the ÒfeelingÓ of lightness and exoticism in the music.

CONTEMPORARY - There are many different musical trends occurring simultaneously, including music for film and television.  Some of the broader tendencies of modernism are:  Neo-romanticism, Expressionism, Neoclassicism, American jazz/blues, popular music for Broadway and film.

There are many other trends and styles within each period.  The classroom teacher is encouraged to expand on those listed above.
 

VISUAL ART
 Grades 6 - 8

        The student will:

        A.      Express individual ideas while making original art, using a variety of art materials (media) from observation, memory, and imagination.

        B.      Develop and recognize skills and techniques using a wide variety of art media, tools, and processes in making two- and three-dimensional works of art.

        C.      Depict three-dimensional qualities by overlapping planes, vertical position, size and color intensity in original art work.

        D.      Begin to analyze the principles of design: rhythm, balance, contrast, movement, variety, center of interest, repetition in his/her own work, and the works of  others.

        E.      Begin to analyze the relationship of the elements of design:  line, color, form, value (light and dark), shape, texture, space in his/her own work, and the works of others.

        F.      Compare works which are similar in expressive quality, composition, and style.

        G.      Discuss works of art of different types, media, and styles and begin to justify choices beyond statements of mere preference.

        H.      Recognize and describe the cultural and ethnic traditions which have influenced the visual arts including European, American, Native American, African American, Hispanic, and Asian traditions.

        I.      Explain the purpose of art and artists in history, culture and in the local community.

        J.      Identify the variety of art forms used in business and industry, including  advertising, television, and film.
 
        K.      Discuss the relationship that exists between visual art and other art forms such as music, dance, and drama.

        L.      Assess and adjust his/her own art work in progress based on an understanding of  art materials and techniques.
 

GENERAL MUSIC
 Grades 6 - 8

        The student will:

        *A.     Participate in music through singing and/or playing instruments.

        *B.     Sing with an acceptable tone quality throughout his/her singing ranges or play an instrument with an acceptable tone quality throughout an appropriate range.

        *C.     Sing or play a variety of folk, ethnic, classical, and contemporary musical pieces.

        D.      Perform simple melodies in treble or bass clef (e.g., folk songs, patriotic songs).
        E.      Use standard notation (written representation of music including pitch, form, rhythm, articulation, and dynamics) as a guide to listening, singing, or playing  music.

        F.      Demonstrate proper concert behavior appropriate for the performance.

        *G.     Compose simple music using traditional and/or nontraditional sound sources, including electronic.

        H.      Experiment with and demonstrate understanding of variations in tempo (speed), timbre (sound quality), dynamics (degree of loudness), and phrasing for expressive purposes.

        I.      Notate short melodies (both pitch and rhythm) presented aurally (while listening).

        J.      Discuss music in terms of musical elements: melody, harmony, pitch, dynamics, rhythm, texture, and form.

        K.      Identify music representing a variety of styles, periods and cultures including European, Native American, African American, Hispanic, and Asian.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

VISUAL ART GLOSSARY

This is a listing of basic terms and is not in any way intended to be comprehensive.

acrylic paint - a nontoxic, water-based pigment available in tubes or jars and may be washed out of brushes.

architecture - the art form of designing and planning the building of structures such as homes, churches, bridges, shopping centers, office buildings, schools, etc.  Common to all cultures throughout history.

background - part of the picture plane that seems furthest from the viewer.  Usually in the upper portion of the image.

collage - twentieth-century technique of making art in which various materials, such as paper, photographs, fabric, string, etc., are pasted on a flat surface.

composition - arrangement of objects, shapes, colors in  a work of art.

contour - outline or outside edge of shapes.  The line that defines something in a drawing, painting, or other work of art.

content - message or theme the artist is trying to communicate in a particular work of art.

design - organization, plan or arrangement of a work of art.

drawing - the art of representing objects, ideas, etc. on a surface using pencil, crayon, marker, pen, or other marking material to make lines or values usually on a flat surface.

elements of design - Includes:  line, shape, color, texture, value (light and dark), form, and space.

foreground - part of the picture plane that seems closest to the viewer, usually in the lower portion of the image.

foreshortening - a way of drawing or painting an object or person so that it seems to go back in space.  Prominently used during the Renaissance.

landscape - a painting, drawing, photograph, or other work of art which shows natural or outdoor scenes.

medium - material used by an artist to produce a work of art.  May also refer to the liquid mixed with pigment to make paint.

middleground - area of a picture between foreground and background.

mixed media - any artwork which uses more than one medium or technique in combination.

mosaic - a work of art made of small pieces of stone, glass, tile, wood, or paper of different colors glued in place to form a picture or design.

original - art work not copied or imitated from the work of someone else.

paper mach* - modeling material made of mashed newspaper and liquid paste.
perspective - system for giving the illusion of three-dimensional space on a two-dimensional surface.

picture plane - surface of a painting or drawing.

primary colors - the basic colors of red, yellow, and blue from which it is possible to mix all other colors on the color wheel.

portrait - image of a person's face.

principles of design - refer to the different ways the elements of design may be used in works of art.  Includes balance, rhythm, center of interest, contrast, repetition, movement, variety, and unity.

print, printmaking - the art process used to produce an impression from one surface to another and may be repeated one or more times to produce identical images.  Several basic printing processes used in the classroom include stencil, block, and monoprint.

sculpture - a three-dimensional work of art which may be carved, modeled, constructed, or cast.

secondary colors - the three colors obtained by mixing equal parts of two primary colors:  red - yellow = orange; red + blue = violet; blue + yellow = green.

shade - dark value of a color made by adding black to it.  Opposite of a tint.

still life - a painting, drawing, photograph, or other work of art which shows an arrangement of inanimate objects.

style - an artist's or group of artistsÕ characteristic way of making art or expression, often typical of a cultural group or time period.

subject - the main idea communicated or focused on in a work of art.

symbol - visual image that stands for or represents something else.

rubbing - technique of transferring textural qualities of a surface to paper by placing the paper over the surface and repeatedly rubbing over the top of the paper with crayon or pencil until the image is clearly visible on the paper.

technique - any method of working with art materials.

three-dimensional - having three qualities including depth, height, and breadth, as in a sculpture, for example.

tint - light value of a color made by mixing the color with white.

two-dimensional - flat.  Having only two qualities of height and breadth, as in a drawing or painting, for example.
 
 
 
 
 

Major styles of visual art in Western Culture

ANCIENT ART - Prehistoric to approximately A.D. 330 (artifacts listed are a few of the noted contributions of these ancient cultures).

Egyptian -      including the Pyramids, Sphinx, hieroglyphics, columns and wall paintings.

Greek -         including architecture, pottery/vase decoration, sculpture.

Roman -         including panel paintings, portrait sculpture, and mosaics.

RENAISSANCE -  A revival or rebirth.  An art movement during the fourteenth and fifteenth century, during which time advances in painting were made, including perspective and foreshortening.  Noted artists of the time include Leonardo Da Vinci, Michelangelo, Raphael.

IMPRESSIONISM- A style of painting started in France in the 1860s.  This style of art emphasized the effect of sunlight on objects and used small dabs of paint that are blended in the viewerÕs eyes to imitate reflected light.  Noted artists include Edgar Degas, Pierre Auguste Renoir, Mary Cassatt, and Claude Monet.

POST-IMPRESSIONISM - A French art movement that immediately followed Impressionism, in the 1880s and 1890s.  Artists emphasized light, shadow, and color and added dimensions of psychological depth and emotional involvement in their art.  Noted artists included Paul Cezanne, Vincent van Gogh, and Paul Gauguin.

CUBISM - A twentieth-century art movement begun in the 1900s, in which subject matter is broken up or separated into cubes and other geometric shapes.  These artists rejected the use of proportion and emphasized the flatness of the painted subject and subjects are sometimes shown from several viewpoints at the same time.  Noted artists include Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque.

ABSTRACT ART  - A twentieth-century art movement which is nonrepresentational and in which the elements and principles of design may be stressed or shapes of real objects may be simplified or distorted. Noted artists include Piet Mondrian, Wassily Kandinsky, and Jackson Pollack.

Note:   There are many other artists and styles of art and the classroom teacher or visual art specialist is encouraged to expand on those listed above.

Elements of Art*

        The elements and principles of art may be considered the basic language of visual art.  Understanding these concepts will provide a basic art vocabulary and ideas by which works of art can begin to be analyzed.  They may be the focus of individual lessons or used as the theme for creating original works of art.

Line - The path of a moving point.  A line may define the edge of a shape; repeated, it can create texture or value.  It may be thick or thin, smooth or rough, short or long, light or dark.

Value - The degree of dark or light tones or colors.  A value scale shows the gradual changing of a tone from the darkest to the lightest or white.  Value may be created by simple shading, hatch marks (small repeated lines in the same direction), or crosshatching.
 

*also referred to as the elements of design
Texture - The surface quality or feel of an object.  Texture may be actual (rough or smooth) or implied visually.

Shape - A two-dimensional area defined by an outline or change in color.  Examples of types of geometric shapes include circle, square, rectangle, triangle, or oval.  Other shapes may be free-form such as natural objects (i.e., leaves, flowers, clouds) or invented free-form shapes that might be created by doodling.

Form - A three-dimensional object with the qualities of length, width and depth.  Examples of geometric forms include a cone, cube, sphere, or cylinder.

Space - Area within, around, between, above or below objects and shapes.  Space or distance may be suggested in visual art by using perspective or other strategies such as placement of objects on the picture plane, overlapping of shapes, or objects closer to the viewer are made to appear to have more vibrant color and detail than objects further away.  Variation of size or value and the use of converging lines are also used to suggest space.

Color - Hue (name of the color), value (how light a color is), and intensity (amount of brightness) produced through the reflection of light to the eye.  Primary colors are the three colors from which all other colors may be made:  red, yellow, and blue.  Secondary colors are the result of mixing any two primary colors:  orange, green, and purple.
 

Principles of Art*

Balance - The arrangement of the elements of art in a composition.  Basic types of balance are symmetrical (mirror image), asymmetrical and radial (from a center point).

Rhythm - Regular repetition of lines, colors, shapes or pattern.

Movement - Use of lines, shapes or colors to lead the eye of the viewer from one direction to another.

Center of Interest - The accent or important area used to attract the viewers attention; i.e., emphasis.

Contrast - Significant degrees of difference between lines, colors, shapes, values or textures.  Pale yellow against charcoal black has a greater degree of contrast than yellow against white, for example.

Variety - assortment of lines, shapes, colors, textures and forms to create interest.

Repetition -  repeated use of an element such as color, shape or line within a work of art.  Repetition creates pattern, which may be found in manufactured or natural objects.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

*also referred to as principles of design