Grade 10 - Structure (Elements of Expression)

This sub-organizer contains the following sections:
Prescribed Learning Outcomes
Suggested Instructional Strategies
Suggested Assessment Strategies
Recommended Learning Resources

PRESCRIBED LEARNING OUTCOMES

It is expected that students will create, listen to, and perform music, demonstrating understanding of expressive and physical properties of harmony, texture, dynamics, tempo, timbre, and articulation.

It is expected that students will:

read and maintain a part accurately within complex textures and harmonies
apply an increasing range of tempos, dynamics, articulation, and timbres in classroom repertoire
analyse how the elements of expression are combined to achieve specific effects
describe the elements of expression using appropriate music terminology
describe the elements of expression in terms of the physical properties of sound

To view the prescribed learning outcomes for Structure (Elements of Expression) in other grades click on an icon below.

SUGGESTED INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGIES

Students identify and describe the use of chords in their repertoire. Improvise on chord progressions using notes from, for example, dominant seventh chords.
Create non-musical representations (e.g., chart, written description, movement) of one or more elements of expression in a piece of music. Construct a word web or continuum to represent terms associated with the elements of expression (e.g., dynamics: ppp to fff). Encourage students to display their work in class.
Write articulation, dynamic, and tempo indications on examples of music that have no such markings. Students then perform or record their choices. As a class, discuss the effectiveness of each choice. During ensemble work, students discuss and achieve consensus on appropriate dynamics, articulations, and tempos for a piece of music, giving reasons for their preferences.
In small ensembles, students perform compositions to demonstrate understanding of the elements of expression. Analyse students' large ensemble repertoire for the elements of expression. Listen to music examples from various historical and cultural contexts, and compare and contrast the use of elements of expression in the various examples.
Students coach groups or large ensembles while demonstrating knowledge and comprehension of the elements of expression.

SUGGESTED ASSESSMENT STRATEGIES

Have students examine various rating scales used by adjudicators of music festivals. Lead a class discussion using these as references to develop class criteria to use for ongoing self-assessment. Allow students to determine the elements that are important and to describe performance levels. Have students assess their performances based on these criteria.
In teacher-student meetings, have students present some compositions from their portfolios and play recordings of their performances. Ask them to comment on how they used the elements of expression. Look for evidence that they can apply knowledge of the elements of expression in their compositions.
Play a jazz recording for the class. Have students work in groups to plan a class dance production that visually represents the elements of expression. For example, one group may plan the choreography of the piece using improvisational movement, another group may design the costumes to be worn by the dancers, and another group may design lighting effects. Observe students as they design each component. Do they have valid reasons for making artistic choices? Do they refer back to the elements of expression for their ideas?
Ask students to assess their abilities to apply a variety of tone production techniques to alter timbre and to enhance a performance. Encourage students to regularly write brief descriptions in their journals of their performances and to comment on the effects of their conscious efforts to apply tone production techniques.