Authentic Performance Tasks Planner

Course High School Piano class

Grade Level 9th through 12th
Unit of Study Playing with two hands
Duration of Unit 3 weeks

Priority Standards
MU:Pr4.2.H.8a Identify prominent melodic, harmonic, and structural characteristics and context (social,
cultural, or historical) in a varied repertoire of music that includes melodies, repertoire pieces, and
chordal accompaniments selected for performance, including at least some based on reading standard
notation.
MU:Pr5.1.H.8a Apply teacher-provided criteria to critique individual performances of a varied repertoire
of music that includes melodies, repertoire pieces, and chordal accompaniments selected for
performance, and identify practice strategies to address performance challenges and refine the
performances.
MU:Pr6.1.H.8a Perform with expression and technical accuracy in individual performances of a varied
repertoire of music that includes melodies, repertoire pieces, and chordal accompaniments,
demonstrating sensitivity to the audience and an understanding of the context (social, cultural, or
historical).

Supporting Standards
MU:Pr4.3.H.5a Demonstrate and describe in interpretations an understanding of the context
and expressive intent in a varied repertoire of music selected for performance that includes
melodies, repertoire pieces, and chordal accompaniments.
“Unwrapped” Priority Standards
1. Sight-perform a short piano melody on the right hand and a short chordal harmony on
the left hand
2. Students will write a one-paragraph review of their peers’ performances that include
strong areas, areas for improvement, and a specific suggestion for practice technique
3. Play a four-bar phrase with an improvised melody in the right hand and blocked chords
in the left hand using the first five notes in the chosen key
Concepts:
(Students need to know)
to do)
1. The names of the keys on
a piano
2. how to read music (treble
and bass clef)
3. Make decisions about
fingerings
Skills: Levels of Rigor: Bloom’s
(Students need to be able
1. Play a melody on the piano C.1. Know
using the right hand C.2. Know
2. Recognize and play chords C.3. Understand
with the left hand S.1. Apply
3. Give critique to peers S.2. Apply
4. Play a melody with the S.3. Analyze
right hand and chords with S.4. Apply
the left hand at the same
time

Essential Questions Corresponding Big Ideas

How do I decide what fingers I should use to play
this melody on the piano?
How do I coordinate both hands on the piano to
play a two-hand melody?
Use finger crossings to make sure that the thumb
is never playing the top note of a line and the pinky
is never playing the bottom note of a line.
Practicing two-handed exercises and being
confident in your fingering choices will increase
coordination

Authentic Performance Task Synopses

Directions:
1. Brainstorm three possible performance tasks. Strive to make them authentic and
relevant to students’ lives.
2. Write a synopsis for each selected task and list the tasks in a suggested learning
progressions sequence.
Task 1: Right- and left-hand performance separately.

Task 2: Right and left hand improvised performance

Task: 3: Peer review write-up

Authentic Performance Task 1
In Full Detail

Directions:
1. Copy the priority standards skills, related concepts, and matching Bloom’s levels
specific to this task.
2. Copy any additional concepts and skills from supporting standards and unit
vocabulary terms specific to this task.
3. Make interdisciplinary connections where appropriate.
4. Describe the task in full detail. Check that the task directly reflects the level of
rigor for each targeted skill and related concept(s).
MU:Pr4.2.H.8a Identify prominent melodic, harmonic, and structural characteristics and context (social,
cultural, or historical) in a varied repertoire of music that includes melodies, repertoire pieces, and
chordal accompaniments selected for performance, including at least some based on reading standard
notation.
Concepts and Skills: Bloom’s Levels:
Concepts:
1. The names of the keys on a piano - know
2. how to read music (treble and bass clef) - know
3. Make decisions about fingerings – understand
Skills:
4. Play a melody on the piano using the right hand - apply
5. Recognize and play chords with the left hand - apply

Task 1 Detailed:
• Students will come up to the teacher’s keyboard one at a time
• Students will play one excerpt of a melody on the right hand only
• They will then play one excerpt of a chordal harmony on the left hand only

Authentic Performance Task 1 Scoring Guide

Available at the bottom in normal size

Authentic Performance Task 2
In Full Detail

Directions:
1. Copy the priority standards skills, related concepts, and matching Bloom’s levels
specific to this task.
2. Copy any additional concepts and skills from supporting standards and unit
vocabulary terms specific to this task.
3. Make interdisciplinary connections where appropriate.
4. Describe the task in full detail. Check that the task directly reflects the level of
rigor for each targeted skill and related concept(s).

Concepts and Skills: Bloom’s Levels:

MU:Pr6.1.H.8a Perform with expression and technical accuracy in individual performances of a varied
repertoire of music that includes melodies, repertoire pieces, and chordal accompaniments,
demonstrating sensitivity to the audience and an understanding of the context (social, cultural, or
historical).Concepts
1. The names of the keys on a piano - Know
2. how to read music (treble and bass clef) - Know
3. Make decisions about fingerings - Understand
Skills
- Play a melody with the right hand and chords with the left hand at the same time - Apply

Task 2 Detailed:
1. After arriving at class, the teacher will give the students 5 minutes to warmup on their individual
keyboards.
2. After the five minutes have passed, the teacher will call up students one by one in an arbitrary
order to play for them.
3. When a student is called, they will go up to the teacher’s keyboard.
4. First, the student will designate what key they want to play in; they may choose one of these
major keys D, A, F, B-flat, or E-flat.
5. After choosing a key, they be given 1 minute to improvise a melody in the right hand and play
chords in the left hand for 4 measures in a I, IV, V, I progression.

Authentic Performance Task 2 Scoring Guide

Authentic Performance Task 3
In Full Detail

Directions:
1. Copy the priority standards skills, related concepts, and matching Bloom’s levels
specific to this task.
2. Copy any additional concepts and skills from supporting standards and unit
vocabulary terms specific to this task.
3. Make interdisciplinary connections where appropriate.
4. Describe the task in full detail. Check that the task directly reflects the level of
rigor for each targeted skill and related concept(s).
MU:Pr5.1.H.8a Apply teacher-provided criteria to critique individual performances of a varied repertoire
of music that includes melodies, repertoire pieces, and chordal accompaniments selected for
performance, and identify practice strategies to address performance challenges and refine the
performances.
Concepts and Skills: Bloom’s Levels:
1. Give critique to peers - analyze

Task 3 Detailed:
1. Students will pair off into partners
2. One student will perform an excerpt of their piece for the final test
3. The other student will write down one area of strength, one area of improvement, and one
suggestion for a practice technique that will help them improve
4. They will switch responsibilities and repeat steps 2 and 3

Authentic Performance Task 3 Scoring Guide

Authentic performance task 1 Rubric
Right hand 1 2 3 4
melody
Finger Utilized two or Moved hand around Only shifted Only shifted
placement fewer fingers only the notes hand when when necessary
unnecessarily but necessary, used and used each
used more than two more than two finger when
fingers fingers but not necessary
all fingers
Tempo Took more than 3 At least one full Single tempo Maintained
seconds to measure in time error consistent
reposition hand or tempo for full
fingers between performance
notes
Left hand 1 2 3 4
harmony
Finger Made Only necessary Only necessary Only necessary
placement unnecessary shifts, some wrong shifts, fingers shifts, fingers
shifts and had notes moved by step moved by step
wrong notes or third only, or third to each
some wrong new chord tone,
notes all correct notes
Tempo Took more than 3 At least one full Single tempo Maintained
seconds to measure in time error consistent
reposition hand or tempo for full
fingers between performance
notes

Authentic Performance Task 2 Rubric

1 2 3 4
Tempo Left hand Left hand outlines Left hand outlines Left hand outlines
does not downbeats but the downbeats at a downbeats; right
outline tempo changes consistent tempo; hand maintains
downbeats; over time; right right hand not in consistent tempo
right hand is hand not in time time
not in time
Right hand Utilized two Moved hand Only shifted hand Only shifted when
finger or fewer around the notes when necessary, necessary and used
placement fingers only unnecessarily but used more than each finger when
used more than two fingers but necessary
two fingers not all fingers
Left hand Made Only necessary Only necessary Only necessary
Finger unnecessary shifts, some wrong shifts, fingers shifts, fingers moved
placement shifts and notes moved by step or by step or third to
had wrong third only, some each new chord
notes wrong notes tone, all correct
notes
Authentic assessment 3 - rubric
1 2 3 4
Area of strength Unrelated to the Related to a Related to a Related to a
concepts specific concept concept covered concept covered
covered in class covered in class, in class, specific in class, specific
not specific to to the piece, not to the piece,
the piece based on an based on an
observation observation
Area of Unrelated to the Related to a Related to a Related to a
improvement concepts specific concept concept covered concept covered
covered in class covered in class, in class, specific in class, specific
not specific to to the piece, not to the piece,
the piece based on an based on an
observation observation
Practice Unrelated to Technique Technique Technique
technique technique covered in class, covered in class, covered in class,
suggestion covered in class but not related to targets a specific targets a specific
the recorded area of area of
areas of improvement improvement,
improvement related to the
piece