Visual and Performing Arts

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The arts include dance, music, theater and visual art. In an increasingly technological world, the arts help all students to develop multiple capabilities for creating, understanding, deciphering, and appreciating an image- and symbol-laden world. The arts are concerned with intellectual, emotional, and physical faculties and, in combination, can be used to present issues and ideas, teach or persuade, entertain, plan, beautify, and design both functional and expressive works. Experiencing and creating art brings lifelong enjoyment to students and an array of expressive, analytical, and developmental tools to use in their daily lives.

The arts play a valued role in creating cultures and developing and documenting civilizations. Students of the arts gain powerful tools for:

communicating through creative expression;
understanding human experiences, past and present;
adapting to and respecting the ways others think, work, and express themselves;
using artistic modes of problem solving, which, in turn, bring an array of expressive, analytical, and development tools to every human situation;
understanding the power of the arts to create and reflect cultures;
understanding the impact of design on virtually all we use in daily life;
understanding the interdependence of work in the arts and the worlds of ideas and events;
making decisions in situations where there are no standard answers;
analyzing nonverbal communication and making informed judgments about cultural products and issues; and for
communicating thoughts and feelings in a variety of modes, thereby providing a more powerful repertoire of self-expression.

Because each arts discipline appeals to different senses and expresses itself through different media, each adds a special richness to the learning environment. Arts education helps students learn to identify, appreciate, and participate in the traditional and non-traditional art forms of their own communities and the communities of others. As students imagine, create, and reflect, they are developing the verbal and non-verbal abilities necessary for life-long learning. The intellectual demands of the arts help students develop problem-solving abilities and such powerful thinking skills as analyzing, synthesizing, and evaluating. Numerous studies point toward a consistent and positive correlation between substantive education in the arts and student achievement in other subjects. A comprehensive, well-designed arts education program also engages students in a process that helps them develop the self-esteem, self-discipline, cooperation, and self-motivation necessary for success in life. Most importantly, the arts should be experienced and studied for their own intrinsic value.

A. CREATIVE EXPRESSION. Students will create and/or perform to express ideas and feelings. Students communicate through their works, revise and problem-solve, use a variety of processes, and integrate their works with other disciplines.

Each art form has specific vocabulary, elements, principles, and structures that allow for communication of ideas, feelings, and moods.
Problem-solving skills, reflection, self-evaluation, revising, and refinement are part of the process used in the creation and development of art works.
The development and creation of work in the arts use a variety of approaches, styles, media, and performance modes, including electronic technology.
Students will understand that the roles, skills, relationships, and differences among the arts are transferable from one arts discipline to another as well as to other disciplines.

B. CULTURAL HERITAGE. Students will understand the cultural contributions (social, ethical, political, religious dimensions) of the arts, how the arts shape and are shaped by prevailing cultural and social beliefs and values, and recognize exemplary works from a variety of cultures and historical periods. The arts are the record of our diverse world cultures and provide understanding of who we are, where we've been, and possible directions for our future.

C. CRITICISM AND AESTHETICS. Students will reflect upon and assess the characteristics and merits of art works. An understanding of how the senses are used to make artistic choices in daily life, together with an understanding of how these choices affect feelings, moods, and emotions, helps us to make judgments about the merits and meaning of work in the arts. The elements, principles, and structures of art forms can be composed in ways which enrich, persuade, and influence society, either directly, through performances, original works and exhibits or indirectly, through electronic and printed media..

A. CREATIVE EXPRESSION

Students will create and/or perform to express ideas and feelings. Students will be able to:

ELEMENTARY GRADES Pre-K-2

Investigate the characteristics and purposes of each of the arts to communicate ideas, feelings, and meaning.
Experiment with art forms.
Demonstrate an understanding of the differences in the materials and techniques used to produce selected art works (e.g., the differences among musical instruments, the differences among a variety of materials used for sculpture or the differences in techniques used to performances such as singing, pantomime, etc.).
Recognize the functions and the expressive qualities of the elements and principles of each art form (visual art, music, dance, drama) and incorporate them into their own creative works.
Use improvisation to solve problems in the performing arts.
Perform and/or listen to a number of pieces on a given theme and create a variation.
Differentiate simple expressive forms within each arts discipline.
Use appropriate vocabulary to explain ideas in the arts.
Identify the use of the arts in daily experiences.
Demonstrate ways in which the arts can be used in interdisciplinary activities.
Understand and demonstrate acceptable rules of behavior when attending arts events (e.g., museums, galleries, plays, and concerts).
Recognize musical symbols.
Demonstrate ability to recreate an existing work alone and with others.
Use materials and tools in a safe and responsible manner.
Understand that the success of musical, theatrical, and dance groups depends on collaboration.

EXAMPLES

Draw a self-portrait.
Improvise a short piece of music using a given set of notes.
Use space, costumes, and props to create a suitable environment in a scene or dance.
Differentiate between a "verse" and a "refrain" in a song.
Sing with a group, on pitch and together, following a conductor.

ELEMENTARY GRADES 3-4

Develop personal expression in works in each of the visual (2-D and 3-D) and performing arts (music, theater, and dance).
Apply previously learned principles to perform, create, revise, and/or refine works.
Refine and develop improvisations into completed works.
Create original works using different media, techniques, and processes to communicate ideas, feelings, and meaning.
Demonstrate awareness that there are a variety of careers in the arts.
Read simple musical compositions.
Listen to and/or view a dramatic, musical, dance, or visual art work and provide feedback to the artist (peer).
Begin to develop skill in playing a musical instrument and/or singing and performing simple compositions.

EXAMPLES

Create a song from a poem or to accompany a dance.
Show development of personal style by drawing a series of illustrations on a given theme.
Use puppets to create characters and short scenes with a beginning, middle, and end.
Play an instrument from a musical score or sing in two-part harmony.

MIDDLE GRADES 5-8

Explain how the arts originate from human experience, are a communal experience, and encourage kinship with others.
Use the expressive qualities of the elements and principles of each art form to explore a variety of styles in their work.
Discriminate among the qualities and characteristics of art media, techniques, and processes for the purposes of selecting appropriate media to communicate artistic ideas.
Use a variety of resources, materials, and techniques to design and execute art works.
Investigate the work of a professional who has an arts component within his/her work environment.
Demonstrate an understanding of how achievement in the arts can support achievement in other disciplines.
Demonstrate an understanding of how we make personal aesthetic choices in daily decisions.
Perform a variety of styles and types of music, dance, and theatre.
Develop skill in playing an instrument and/or singing and reading music.

EXAMPLES

Create a series of ceramic pieces showing variations in personal style.
Select a musical instrument for expressing a chosen emotion in an original composition.
Identify the components of dance in a gymnastics or ice-skating routine.
Develop three storyboards for a video sequence; then tape and edit the best into a completed piece.

SECONDARY GRADES

Create a visual or performance piece to communicate an idea, feeling, or meaning using:
- a distinct style;
- imagination and technical skill; and
- the creative process, reflection, and self-evaluation (problem-solving skills).
Compare various classical and contemporary visual and/or performing arts techniques and methods and demonstrate the use of these in their own works.
Create a piece in one art form which complements one of the other art forms (e.g., music to complement poetry).
Use the elements and principles of design to demonstrate multiple solutions to specific visual or performing arts problems.
Create a portfolio of work that communicates new ideas, feelings, and moods using different media, techniques, and processes.
Demonstrate an understanding that the arts are a means of renewal and recreation, as well as an occupational opportunity.
Identify the value of participating in the arts and summarize possible involvement in personal and community arts.
Use arts knowledge and vocabulary to critique their own work.
Use skills and knowledge of arts elements and principles, whenever applicable, to solve problems or enhance meaning in other disciplines.

EXAMPLES

Create a number of art works that represent their best work in a range of media they select.
- Create a character in a number of different acting styles and videotape the performances.
- Choreograph dances that interpret various other media such as poetry or visual art.
- Create a musical composition in their choice of media which may include the computer.
- Intern or apprentice with a professional in field of choice for a specific project.
- Use knowledge of color and design to create mathematical patterns.

B. CULTURAL HERITAGE

Students will understand the cultural contributions (social, ethical, political, religious dimensions) of the arts, how the arts shape and are shaped by prevailing cultural and social beliefs and values, and recognize exemplary works from a variety of cultures and historical periods. Students will be able to:

ELEMENTARY GRADES Pre-K-2

Recognize samples of major styles and techniques of the arts from different cultural or ethnic groups.
Recognize common subjects and central ideas in works from different cultures.
Interpret or perform simple visual and performance pieces from different cultures and/or times.
Experiment with works exhibiting variety in style/technique, trends, and culture.
Create original works that integrate one or more of the characteristics and purposes of artworks from different cultures (include own community and culture).

EXAMPLES

Use the rhythms from the music of other cultures in music to demonstrate different movements in dance.

Perform dances based on Native American work.
Use dramatic activities to explore a variety of occupations.
Identify the common characteristics in art works which show nighttime scenes.

ELEMENTARY GRADES 3-4

Recognize selected major periods of the visual arts and performing arts and identify major artists and their work.
Explain how cultural values are shown through the arts.
Demonstrate an understanding of the roles of visual and performing artists in various settings and cultures.
1. Compare the characteristics of works in two or more visual and performing art forms that share a similar subject matter, historical period, or cultural context.

EXAMPLES

Identify musical works of different genres such as classical or contemporary.
Describe the role of artists in ancient Egypt.
Identify origins of popular dance forms as either European or African.
- Explain the differences between an Indonesian Shadow Puppets performance and a Muppet puppet performance.
- Identify different kinds of music used in Maine such as sea chanteys or the music of the Abenaki, the lumbermen, or the textile mills, etc.

MIDDLE GRADES 5-8

Classify art works, which represent various cultures, by genre and style, identifying their distinguishing characteristics.
Compare and contrast the characteristics and purposes of the arts from various cultures, historical periods, and social groups.
Compare and contrast cultural values as expressed in works and explain how these values may differ from those of their own daily experience.
Compare the characteristics and purposes of works, in two or more arts forms, that share similar subject matter, historical periods, ethics, or cultural context.
Identify how the factors of time and place (such as climate, resources, ideas, and technology) are reflected in visual and performing arts.
Demonstrate an understanding of the ways various arts activities enrich people's artistic, intellectual, social, and emotional responses.

EXAMPLES

Describe the social values expressed in modern dance as it grew out of ballet.
Contrast the daily life of a Renaissance art student and a present day art student.
Describe the value of theatre experience for self-development.

SECONDARY GRADES

Compare two or more visual and/or performing arts by identifying the genre, style, historical period and conditions, probable artist, and cultural source.
Compare and contrast characteristics of visual and/or performing arts within a particular historical period or style with concepts about the period or style from other content areas.
Analyze common characteristics and purposes of various visual and/or performing art works across time and among cultural and social groups, and explain how these characteristics and purposes fulfill social, religious, or ceremonial functions in a particular cultural and historical context.
Create works that reflect concepts, theories, approaches, and styles from their own and other cultures.
Develop visual and/or performing art work in response to a historical, social or cultural condition using a variety of forms.

EXAMPLES

Create and explain a time and theme line using several chosen works from different cultures.
- Create visual or performing art in the style of a particular artist.
- Create a musical fanfare that will be used during the lighting of the Olympic flame.
- Explain the relationship between the social climate of the 1960's and the social dances of the time.

C. CRITICISM AND AESTHETICS

Students will reflect upon and assess the characteristics and merits of art works. Students will be able to:

ELEMENTARY GRADES Pre-K-2

Explain likes and dislikes of a work of art, music, dance, drama.
Describe the qualities of works of art, music, dance, and drama in relation to the senses of sight, hearing, movement, and feeling.
Attend exhibitions and performances (live, or film, or video if live not available locally).
Recognize visual and performing art work that attempts to influence and persuade.

EXAMPLES

Describe how a performance of "The Stars and Stripes Forever" by Sousa makes them feel.
Identify their favorite advertisement from printed or electronic media and explain why they like it.
Explain likes and dislikes after viewing a play.
Create a movement sequence using specific elements from Laban's theories of movement.

ELEMENTARY GRADES 3-4

Demonstrate an understanding of how the senses are used in daily life to make choices about purchases.
Provide rationale for personal feelings about works in the arts.
Listen to and/or view a dramatic, musical, dance, or visual art work and provide feedback to the artist (peer).
Explore and analyze content and styles in various art forms.
Use knowledge of the elements and principles of each art form to express opinions of the meaning of works.
Examine the effect of artistic choices on others and on the environment.
Investigate how the elements, principles, and structures of the arts can be manipulated by communication media to persuade and to influence.

EXAMPLES

Explain why one choice of public sculpture design is more appropriate for a given site than another.
Recognize how design, spatial relationship, gender, movement, and sound are used by advertisers to sell products.
Explain why an individual chooses to buy a particular CD.
Create a movement sequence for three dancers in which they use various arrangements of forms in space.

MIDDLE GRADES 5-8

Articulate and justify personal perceptions of meaning in works of visual art, music, dance, and drama.
Evaluate written reviews of visual and performing works of art.
Demonstrate an understanding of the difference between a personal opinion and an educated judgment about the meaning of various works.
Compare and contrast the effectiveness of selected media, techniques, and processes in communicating ideas.
Evaluate work, from their own and other cultures and historical periods, that uses arts elements and principles to persuade and influence.
Critique their own work and the work of others based upon an aesthetic criterion.

EXAMPLES

Explain the difference between their views on whether they like or dislike a Sandy Skoglund work, and their views on the work's aesthetic value.
Discuss characteristics common to political commercials from several campaigns.
Read and analyze a written review of an exhibit, play, concert, or dance performance.
Create a commercial using movement, sound, and visual art.

SECONDARY GRADES

Explain and justify personal aesthetic criteria for critiquing works of visual and performing art, texts, and events.
Research the work of critics, historians, aestheticians, and artists to analyze and interpret works and compare differing critiques of the same visual and performing art works.
Analyze, interpret, and evaluate subtle and complex meaning in visual and/or performing arts intended to persuade and influence (as in electronic media, theater, commercial, and political advertising).
Create visual and/or performing art work that is used to influence and persuade and explain how the design accomplishes its purpose.

EXAMPLES

Write a review of an artistic performance and compare it to one written by a professional critic.
Interpret meanings in works by political artists in several cultures and/or historical periods.
Research and use the written works of critics and historians to analyze works by a particular composer, artist, choreographer, or playwright.
Create a public service announcement opposing the use of illegal drugs and explain why you think it is successful or unsuccessful.