Alisha Reeve MUSE 365 Choral Methods Citation Directing the Choral Music Program Chapter 2: Developing a Philosophy

y for the Music Program Kenneth H. Phillips 2004 Discussion What are the nine national standards for music education, and what is the first of the standards? The nine national standards for music education were established in 1992 when Congress passed education reform legislation. These standards were developed by MENC, and published in a book called The School Music Program: A New Vision in 2004. Each standard covers a basic content area, and each has subheadings that are more detailed. The standards are not meant to be used as a curriculum, instead they are meant to be used as guidance when forming a curriculum. All nine standards are important, even in a Choral setting. Educators should take care not to focus on one standard to the exclusion of the others. Often Choral music educations focus only on the first standard, which covers singing both alone and with others. The nine standards are as follows: 1. Singing, alone and with others a varied repertoire of music 2. Performing on instruments, alone and with others, a varied repertoire of music 3. Improvising melodies, variations, and accompaniments 4. Composing and arranging music within specified guidelines 5. Reading and notating music

6. Listening to, analyzing, and describing music 7. Evaluating music and music performances 8. Understanding relationships between music, the other arts, and disciplines outside the arts 9. Understanding music in relation to history and culture

The standards are so important for Music Educators. They give a very clear guideline for Educators to create a curriculum. Each of the standards covers an important concept that should be touched upon several times over the period of a course.