How can I, as a middle school music teacher where music is taught for a trimester in 6th and 8th grades only, prepare students for PBGR?
A. A team of music educators worked over the summer of 2006 to on articulating arts proficiencies for grades K-8. These benchmarks should serve as a guideline for districts looking to embed standards-based experiences into elementary and general music classes. A “typical” middle school General Music class should include some experiences in creating, performing, and responding in music that are age appropriate and germane to the classroom experiences at that level. Obviously, we would hope that the general music classes were part of a well-articulated sequential curriculum that built upon prior experiences in these three areas. (The visual arts team is in the process of articulating K-8 benchmarks during 2006-7. As material becomes available it will be posted on the Arts Learning Network website. Also contact your professional association for updated information.) Every public school in Rhode Island is required to have a curriculum in every core discipline, and the arts are now a core d
