Common Planner
K–12 Standards

Music: High School Music Theory

Other Virginia Fine Arts sets

Creative Process

  • 1

    Apply creative thinking to composing and improvising music. Apply creative thinking by employing originality, flexibility, experimentation, individual voice, and imagination to improvise and compose music. 

    1. 1

      The student will demonstrate creative thinking by composing and arranging music.HMT.1

      1. a

        Compose or arrange a diatonic melody within given tonal or rhythmic structures.HMT.1.a

      2. b

        Set a text to an original melody.HMT.1.b

      3. c

        Harmonize a melody following the general rules of voice leading and tendency tones. HMT.1.c

      4. d

        Refine a creative process that utilizes individual inquiry to produce examples of a finished musical artifact. HMT.1.d

  • 2

    Understand and apply a creative process to develop ideas for creating and performing music. Understand and apply a creative process to guide the development of ideas and original work.

    1. 2

      The student will apply a creative process for music.HMT.2

      1. a

        Develop individual solutions to creative challenges through independent research, investigation, and inquiry of music idea and concepts.HMT.2.a

      2. b

        Monitor individual progress with a level of refinement that reflects artistic musical goals.HMT.2.b

      3. c

        Refine a portfolio of creative original work that includes examples of both creative process as well as finished products.HMT.2.c

Critical Thinking and Communication

  • 3

    Analyze, interpret, and evaluate music. Develop critical thinking skills in the analysis, interpretation, and evaluation of the work of self and others.

    1. 3

      The student will analyze, interpret, and evaluate music.HMT.3

      1. a

        Apply accepted criteria for analyzing and evaluating works of music.HMT.3.a

      2. b

        Apply accepted criteria for critiquing musical works of self and others.HMT.3.b

      3. c

        Identify, define, and use both “Common Practice” and contemporary symbols for music analysis.HMT.3.c

  • 4

    Formulate and justify personal responses and connections to music. Recognize, justify, and articulate personal responses, beliefs, and opinions regarding music and recognize the value in learning about diverse opinions and responses to music.

    1. 4

      The student will formulate and justify personal responses to music.HMT.4

      1. a

        Justify personal emotional and intellectual responses to works of music using music terminology.HMT.4.a

      2. b

        Justify personal criteria used for evaluating works of music or critiquing musical performances. HMT.4.b

  • 5

    Develop collaboration and communication skills for music rehearsal and performance. Identify and apply collaboration and communication skills for rehearsal and performance of music.

    1. 5

      The student will evaluate and demonstrate collaboration skills and concert etiquette.HMT.5

      1. a

        Examine etiquette appropriate for various musical settings.HMT.5.a

      2. b

        Exhibit active listening in music settings.HMT.5.b

      3. c

        Demonstrate respect for the contributions of others in collaborative music experiences.HMT.5.c

History, Culture, and Citizenship

  • 6

    Understand cultural and historical influences of music. Demonstrate understanding of cultural and historical influences of music. 

    1. 6

      The student will explore historical and cultural influences of music.HMT.6

      1. a

        Compare and contrast the musical styles of composers and the historical periods associated with the music literature being studied.HMT.6.a

      2. b

        Analyze the characteristics of instrumental and vocal music from a variety of cultures.HMT.6.b

  • 7

    Understand music as a form of community engagement. Identify and interact with music and develop a lifelong engagement as a performer, supporter, advocate, and audience member.

    1. 7

      The student will analyze and evaluate opportunities for music performance and advocacy within the community.HMT.7

  • 8

    Ethical and legal considerations for music and intellectual property. Identify and understand ethical and legal considerations for engaging with music, resources, and source material as a responsible citizen.

    1. 8

      The student will assess and apply legal and ethical standards related to intellectual property in music research, performance, arranging, composition, and sharing.HMT.8

Innovation in the Arts

  • 9

    College, career, and the 21st Century Workplace. Connect music content and skills to career options, college opportunities, and the 21st Century workplace.

    1. 9

      The student will investigate career pathways in the music field, and discuss opportunities to be a lifelong learner of music.HMT.9

  • 10

    Understand and explore the impact of current and emerging technologies. Participate in a rapidly changing world of music and explore the impact of current and emerging technologies, media, and processes.

    1. 10

      The student will analyze how emerging technologies and innovative media, tools, and processes are influencing music.HMT.10

  • 11

    Cultivate connections to other fine arts and fields of knowledge. Identify and cultivate connections between music and other fields of knowledge to develop problem-solving skills.

    1. 11

      The student will analyze and explain relationships of music to the other fine arts and to other fields of knowledge.HMT.11

      1. a

        Explore cross-disciplinary connections of music with mathematical and scientific properties.HMT.11.a

      2. b

        Explore principles of acoustics and the overtone series. HMT.11.b

      3. c

        Explore the relationship of pitch to frequency of sound waves, amplitude to volume, and timbre to tone quality.HMT.11.c

Technique and Application

  • 12

    Music Literacy: Acquire the technical skills and artistic knowledge necessary for creative, expressive, and artistic performance. Demonstrate understanding of elements of music and ways they are used for artistic performance and creative expression

    1. 12

      The student will demonstrate understanding of the musical staff and pitch locations in keyboard and notation activities.HMT.12

      1. a

        Identify clefs, including treble, bass, and movable C-clefs.HMT.12.a

      2. b

        Label pitches and octaves, both on the staff and on ledger lines.HMT.12.b

      3. c

        Correlate pitch locations to placements on the keyboard. HMT.12.c

      4. d

        Explain the symbols for accidentals.HMT.12.d

      5. e

        Identify enharmonic equivalents.HMT.12.e

    2. 13

      The student will identify and define common music symbols and terminology, including those associated with rhythm, melody, harmony, dynamics, texture, and form.HMT.13

      1. a

        Demonstrate understanding of rhythmic notation.HMT.13.a

      2. b

        Explain beat, rhythm, and tempo.HMT.13.b

      3. c

        Read, notate, and perform (using a counting system) rhythmic patterns that include whole notes, half notes, quarter notes, eighth notes, sixteenth notes, and corresponding rests, grouplets, beamed notes, ties, and dots.HMT.13.c

      4. d

        Transcribe simple rhythmic patterns from aural examples.HMT.13.d

      5. e

        Identify and explain anacrusis, syncopation, and hemiola.HMT.13.e

    3. 14

      The student will demonstrate understanding of meter.HMT.14

      1. a

        Define measure, bar line, and time signature.HMT.14.a

      2. b

        Perform music in various meters, including, but not limited to ( 4 4, 3 4, 2 4, 6 8, 2 2, 9 8, 12 8 , and 5 8 ).  HMT.14.b

    4. 15

      The student will demonstrate understanding of scales.HMT.15

      1. a

        Explain major, minor, pentatonic, and chromatic scales.HMT.15.a

      2. b

        Notate and perform (using voice and/or instruments) ascending and descending major, minor, and chromatic scales using key signatures and accidentals.HMT.15.b

      3. c

        Identify diatonic scale degrees by number and name (tonic, supertonic, mediant, subdominant, dominant, submediant, subtonic, leading-tone/subtonic).HMT.15.c

    5. 16

      The student will demonstrate understanding of key signatures.HMT.16

      1. a

        Define key signature.HMT.16.a

      2. b

        Identify the order of sharps and flats in key signatures.HMT.16.b

      3. c

        Explain relative and parallel major-minor key relationships.HMT.16.c

      4. d

        Explain the circle of fifths.HMT.16.d

      5. e

        Write major and minor key signatures in treble, bass, alto, and tenor clefs.HMT.16.e

      6. f

        Transpose music into other keys.HMT.16.f

    6. 17

      The student will demonstrate understanding of diatonic and chromatic intervals.HMT.17

      1. a

        Define interval as the distance between two pitches.HMT.17.a

      2. b

        Explain the interval of a half-step (m2) and a whole-step (M2).HMT.17.b

      3. c

        Explain and notate intervals with quantitative and qualitative terminology.HMT.17.c

      4. d

        Define consonance and dissonance.HMT.17.d

      5. e

        Identify and explain harmonic and melodic intervals.HMT.17.e

      6. f

        Identify and explain simple and compound intervals.HMT.17.f

      7. g

        Identify and explain tetrachord patterns.HMT.17.g

Frequently asked questions

What grade levels do these standards cover?
Grade 9, Grade 10, Grade 11, and Grade 12
Where can I read the official document?
Fine Arts Standards of Learning Music Theory

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