Study Guide
Field 165: Music
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Sample Constructed-Response Item 1
Competency 0005
Pedagogical Content Knowledge
Use the following New York State P to 12 Music Learning Standard to complete the assignment below.
Using your knowledge of music education concepts, principles, and practices, write a response of approximately 400 to 600 words in which you:
- select a grade or developmental level for this lesson;
- identify a specific student learning goal that aligns with the standard and the lesson;
- describe, in detail, one instructional activity that you would use to promote students' achievement of the learning goal, including the use of appropriate resources and strategies;
- explain how the instructional activity supports the learning goal and the development of students' knowledge and skills related to the lesson; and
- explain one way that student performance and achievement related to the learning goal could be measured and evaluated.
Learning Standard
You are planning a lesson that promotes students' development of knowledge and skills related to the following standard from the New York State P to 12 Music Learning Standards.1
Artistic Process: Performing
Anchor Standard 4: Select, analyze, and interpret artistic work for presentation.
Enduring Understanding 4.2: Analyzing creators' context and how they manipulate elements of music provides insight into their intent and informs performance.
Essential Question: How does understanding the structure and context of musical works inform performance?
Sample Strong Response to Constructed-Response Item 1
Grade Level: First Grade
Learning Goal: Students will be able to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the concept of Loud and Soft through giving examples of both during a classroom musical performance.
Activity: Prior to the lesson the students will have been introduced to the concept of loud and soft though various activities, including using a loud or soft speaking voice as modeled by the teacher and then demonstrated by the students ("inside voice" vs. "playground voice"), identifying loud and soft using visual images ( lion's roar, or cheering section at a football game=loud, sleeping baby, or library whisper = soft etc. ) and using teacher guided listening examples of loud and soft music.
In a previous class, students learned the song, "Closet Key" to reinforce the mi-sol interval. The lesson proceeds as follows:
-- Teacher plays "Closet Key" softly on the piano and asks students to identify the song. The teacher then plays the same song loudly and asks the students to identify the song. After the students respond, the teacher asks, "How were they different?" hoping to elicit the response, "one was soft, and one was loud".
-- Students sing "Closet Key" in unison, once softly and then loudly.
-- A student pretends to hide the key and the teacher models loud and soft singing, based on the teacher's proximity to the key.
-- One student selected does not see where the key is hidden. The remainder of the class sings the song repetitively to guide the student who must listen carefully for loud/soft clues in order to find the key. Singers adjust their volume based on the selected student's proximity to the key by singing louder as the student gets closer and softer when the student is farther from the key. Due to the excitement generated by the activity, proper singing production will need to be reinforced throughout the game (Inside voice vs. playground voice), and care must be taken to maintain the same tempo in both the loud and soft renditions so that the children do not confuse loud/soft with fast/slow.
Teacher will repeat as necessary to include all students. To achieve this, the activity will be limited to a handful of students and repeated in subsequent classes, which allows for many opportunities to practice loud and soft.
Supporting the Learning Goal: This supports the learning goal because all students are engaged in performance and there is plenty of repetition and practice. Class size will probably prohibit giving all students a turn finding the key in one lesson, so splitting the activity and repeating it in subsequent lessons will extend the activity and allow for recall and deeper understanding. Opportunities for assessment are constant and ongoing. Additionally, the lesson uses multiple modalities to reach all learners.
Assessment: This will take place on two levels and will be ongoing using teacher observation. The teacher will observe the class singing as they illustrate both loud and soft, to evaluate and guide group performance. Careful consideration will be given to tone production and some redirection might be necessary so that loud singing does not become shouting. Additionally, the teacher will move throughout the classroom during the activity to assess individual performances of loud and soft. This individual assessment will help the teacher construct future lessons to remediate students who struggle with the concept. Remediation might include regrouping in smaller groups to allow for peer modeling, increased and restructured modeling using different sounds, or adding another physical response such as large conducting movements for loud and smaller movements for soft.
Sample Constructed-Response Item 2
Competency 0005
Pedagogical Content Knowledge
Use the following New York State P to 12 Music Learning Standard to complete the assignment below.
Using your knowledge of music education concepts, principles, and practices, write a response of approximately 400 to 600 words in which you:
- select a grade or developmental level for this lesson;
- identify a specific student learning goal that aligns with the standard and the lesson;
- describe, in detail, one instructional activity that you would use to promote students' achievement of the learning goal, including the use of appropriate resources and strategies;
- explain how the instructional activity supports the learning goal and the development of students' knowledge and skills related to the lesson; and
- explain one way that student performance and achievement related to the learning goal could be measured and evaluated.
Learning Standard
You are planning a lesson that promotes students' development of knowledge and skills related to the following standard from the New York State P to 12 Music Learning Standards.2
Artistic Process: Performing
Anchor Standard 4: Select, analyze, and interpret artistic work for presentation.
Enduring Understanding 4.2: Analyzing creators' context and how they manipulate elements of music provides insight into their intent and informs performance.
Essential Question: How does understanding the structure and context of musical works inform performance?
Sample Strong Response to Constructed-Response Item 2
Grade Level/Learning Goal:
Students in Middle School Concert Band will demonstrate a deeper understanding of the construction/form of an unfamiliar piece (Bach's Prelude and Fugue in B flat major) by identifying the melody/theme as it occurs in different instrument sections.
Instructional Activity:
- Music will be on students' music stands as they arrive to class.
- Teacher will lead a warm-up in the key of B flat major, using a rhythmic motif found in the theme of the fugue.
- Teacher will introduce the concept of a fugue by explaining that it is similar to a round, which most students will have learned and played or sung in elementary school band and/or chorus.
- Introduce the theme of the piece by having the upper woodwinds play it as it appears at the beginning. The theme is four measures long and they will play those four measures and stop. Each of the four instrument groups will then play it, with teacher's direction, as it appears in their score.
- After each section has played the theme, teacher will instruct each section to mark in their score where they have the theme. Percussion section will have a copy of the theme for them to review and play on orchestral bells.
- Theme will then be displayed on the SMART board, and teacher will have two sections play the theme on their instruments while the others sing it from the notation on the SMART board. This will be repeated with roles reversed. This is to help students internalize the theme.
- The group will then play through the sixteen-measure section, with each group playing only the theme as it is written in the score, passing the theme from section to section. Percussionists, depending on their numbers, will be paired with the four different sections, playing the melody on orchestral bells and/or the rhythm on drum pad.
- After all students have a clear understanding of when they play the theme, rehearse each section for the full sixteen measures, including harmonies and counter-melodies.
How Activity Supports Learning Goal:
The learning goal is supported by these activities because students experience the presence of the theme and where it occurs, both kinesthetically and aurally. This understanding will lead to better interpretation of this piece of music, and other similar pieces, by learning how the theme relates to the rest of the parts through dynamics, phrasing, and articulation.
Assessment:
- The entire group will then play the sixteen measures as written. To assess that each section recognizes when they have the theme, teacher will ask that section to stand when they play the theme within these measures and sit when they play something other than the theme.
- To assess individually, students will meet in smaller lesson groups of trios or quartets and using similar materials from lesson books individual students will stand when they are playing the theme of that material.
Performance Characteristics for a Constructed-Response Item
The following characteristics guide the scoring of the response to a constructed-response item.
| Completeness | The degree to which the response addresses all parts of the assignment |
|---|---|
| Accuracy | The degree to which the response demonstrates the relevant knowledge and skills accurately and effectively |
| Depth of Support | The degree to which the response provides appropriate examples and details that demonstrate sound reasoning |
Score Scale for a Constructed-Response Item
A score will be assigned to the response to a constructed-response item according to the following score scale.
| Score Point | Score Point Description |
|---|---|
| 4 |
The "4" response reflects a thorough command of the relevant knowledge and skills:
|
| 3 |
The "3" response reflects a general command of the relevant knowledge and skills:
|
| 2 |
The "2" response reflects a partial command of the relevant knowledge and skills:
|
| 1 |
The "1" response reflects little or no command of the relevant knowledge and skills:
|
| U | The response is unscorable because it is unrelated to the assigned topic or off task, unreadable, written in a language other than English or contains an insufficient amount of original work to score. |
| B | No response. |
Acknowledgments
1From the New York State Education Department. New York State Learning Standards for the Arts. Internet. Available from http://www.nysed.gov/curriculum-instruction/arts-standards-implementation-resources; accessed 20 September 2018.