High School Fine Arts Connecticut Standards

describe and compare the materials, elements and means of communicating in theatre, dance, music and the visual arts;

improvise original melodies over given chord progressions, each in a consistent style, meter and tonality.

identify and perform basic dance steps, positions and patterns for dance from two different styles or traditions, demonstrating clarity and stylistic accuracy;

Students will understand how dance creates and communicates meaning.

create an interdisciplinary project using media technologies (such as video, computer) that presents dance in a new or enhanced form (such as video dance, video/computer-aided live performance, or animation).

History And Cultures

Students will understand music in relation to history and culture.

Students will compose and arrange music.

determine how the nondramatic art forms are modified to enhance the expression of ideas and emotions in theatre;

History And Cultures

analyze and compare characteristics of the visual arts within a particular historical period or style with ideas, issues or themes of that period or style;

design coherent stage management, promotional and business practices.

construct social meanings from informal and formal productions from a variety of cultures and historical periods, and relate these to current personal, national and international issues;

classify by genre or style and by historical period or culture unfamiliar but representative aural examples of music, and explain the reasoning behind their classifications;

apply critical and aesthetic criteria (e.g., technique, formal and expressive qualities, content) in order to improve their own works of art.

reflect critically on various interpretations to better understand specific works of art;

memorize and perform a varied repertoire of dances; and

Analysis, Interpretation And Evaluation

Vocal

identify commonalties and differences between dance and other disciplines with regard to fundamental concepts such as materials, elements and ways of communicating meaning; and

sight-read, accurately and expressively, music with a difficulty level of 3, on a scale of 1 to 6.

Students will make connections between dance, other disciplines and daily life.

create and demonstrate movement sequences which stretch and strengthen the main muscle groups;

Students will understand the visual arts in relation to history and cultures.

Technical Production

perform or discuss the traditions and technique of a classical dance form;

create a time line illustrating important dance events in the 20th century;

apply music skills and understandings to solve problems relevant to a variety of careers.

apply visual arts skills and understandings to solve problems relevant to a variety of careers.

identify and explain compositional devices and techniques used to provide unity and variety and tension and release in a musical work, and give examples of other works that make similar uses of these devices and techniques.

Students will play, alone and with others, a varied repertoire of instrumental music.

research and analyze historic meaning and purpose in varied works of art;

demonstrate rhythmic acuity and musicality;

compare works of art to one another in terms of history, aesthetics and culture; justify conclusions made and use these conclusions to inform their own art making.

develop multiple interpretations and visual and aural production choices for scripts and production ideas and choose those that are most appropriate;

apply comprehension and skill in incorporating the elements of art and principles of design to generate multiple solutions to and effectively solvea variety of visual art problems.

analyze a variety of dramatic texts from cultural and historical perspectives to determine production requirements;

evaluate a performance, composition, arrangement or improvisation by comparing it to similar or exemplary models.

create a dance and revise it over time, articulating the reasons for their artistic decisions and what was lost and gained by those decisions;

reflect upon their own progress and personal growth during their study of dance;

Elements and Skills

identify and compare the lives, works and influence of representative theatre artists in various cultures and historical periods;

evolve specific criteria for making informed, critical evaluations of the quality and effectiveness of performances, compositions, arrangements and improvisations and apply the criteria in their personal participation in music; and

Students will listen to, describe and analyze music.

Students will make connections between music, other disciplines and daily life.

describe the characteristics of a particular choreographer's movement vocabulary.

Connections

Students will reflect upon, describe, analyze, interpret and evaluate their own and others' work.

Analysis, Criticism And Meaning

Directing

improvise rhythmic and melodic variations on given pentatonic melodies and melodies in major and minor keys; and

analyze the effect of their own cultural experiences on their dramatic work.

Improvisation

Students will demonstrate an understanding of context by analyzing and comparing theatre in various cultures and historical periods.

Students will evaluate music and music performances.

Students will direct by planning or interpreting works of theatre and by organizing and conducting rehearsals.

sing ensemble music for up to four parts, with and without accompaniment; and

use effectively a range of choreographic processes;

Students will understand choreographic principles, processes and structures.

Researching And Interpreting

articulate and justify personal aesthetic criteria for critiquing dramatic texts and events by comparing artistic intent with the final performance;

create and perform combinations and variations in a broad dynamic range;

create and solve interdisciplinary problems using multimedia; and

effectively communicate how lifestyle choices affect the dancer.

Students will read and notate music.

Connections

explain the physical and chemical properties of the technical aspects of theatre, such as light, color, electricity, paint and makeup;

perform and describe similarities and differences between two contemporary theatrical forms of dance or two folk dance forms;

explore career opportunities in theatre and theatre-related fields.

analyze and interpret art works in terms of form, cultural and historical context, and purpose;

demonstrate understanding of structures or forms (such as theme and variation, rondo, round, structured improvisation and chance) through brief dance studies;

create an interdisciplinary project based on a theme identified by the student, including dance and two other disciplines;

Students will understand and apply elements and organizational principles of art.

justify selection of text, interpretation and visual/aural choices; and

analyze and critique performances and constructively suggest alternative artistic choices; and

communicate ideas consistently at a high level of effectiveness in at least one visual arts medium.

Creating

develop designs that use visual and aural elements to convey environments that clearly support the text;

compare characteristics of two or more arts within a particular historical period or style and cite examples from various cultures;

identify various roles musicians perform, cite representative individuals who have functioned in each role, and describe their activities and performances.

Connections

judge the effectiveness of different ways of using visual characteristics in conveying ideas; and

perform an appropriate part in an ensemble, demonstrating well-developed ensemble skills; and

use, record and develop ideas for content over time; and

use subject matter, symbols, ideas and themes that demonstrate knowledge of contexts, and cultural and aesthetic values to communicate intended meaning.

formulate and answer questions about how movement choices communicate abstract ideas in dance;

identify and research cultural, historical and symbolic clues in dramatic texts, and evaluate the validity and practicality of the information to help make artistic choices for informal and formal productions.

analyze aural examples of a varied repertoire of music representing diverse genres and cultures by describing the uses of music elements and expressive devices;

Notation

analyze common characteristics of visual arts evident across time and among cultural/ethnic groups in order to formulate analyses, evaluations and interpretations of meaning; and

constructively evaluate their own and others' collaborative efforts in informal and formal productions.

in an ensemble, create and sustain characters.

analyze the style of a choreographer or cultural form, then create a dance study in that style and evaluate the results in discussion with peers; and

demonstrate well-developed ensemble skills.

examine the ways in which a dance creates and conveys meaning by considering the dance from different cultural perspectives;

Acting

apply technical skills and understandings, including scientific and technological advances, to collaboratively and safely create functional scenery, properties, lighting, sound, costumes and makeup; and

Students will demonstrate an understanding of dance in various cultures and historical periods.

Students will create theatre through improvising, writing and refining scripts.

describe how a choreographer manipulated and developed the basic movement content in a dance.

create and solve interdisciplinary problems using theatre; and

Students will analyze, critique and construct meanings from works of theatre.

Meaning

formulate and answer their own aesthetic questions (such as: What is it that makes a particular dance that dance? What makes a successful dance successful?).

defend personal interpretations using reasoned argument; and

Students will act by developing, communicating and sustaining characters.

establish a set of artistic criteria and apply it in evaluating their own work and that of others;

use spatial awareness to heighten artistic expression;

Media

analyze historical and cultural images of the body in dance and compare these to contemporary images; and

create and answer questions about dance and dancers prior to the 20th century.

explain how elements, artistic processes and organizational principles are used in similar and distinctive ways in the various arts, and cite examples;

Healthful Living

perform dances confidently, communicating the artistic intention of the choreographer;

arrange pieces for voices or instruments other than those for which the pieces were written in ways that preserve or enhance the expressive effect of the music; and

Students will understand, select and apply media, techniques and processes.

Connections

Students will design and produce the technical elements of theatre through artistic interpretation and execution.

develop an idea independently from initial inception through to presentation for an audience; and

compare the creative processes used in the visual arts with the creative processes used in the other arts and non-arts disciplines;

Students will consider, select and apply a range of subject matter, symbols and ideas.

Thinking Skills

demonstrate appropriate skeletal alignment, body-part articulation, strength, flexibility, agility and coordination in locomotor and nonlocomotor movements with consistency and reliability;

Students will make connections between theatre, other disciplines and daily life.

compose and arrange music for voices and various acoustic and electronic instruments, demonstrating knowledge of the ranges and traditional use of the sound sources.

compare and contrast how meaning is communicated in two of their own dances; and

explain ways in which the principles and subject matter of music and various disciplines outside the arts are interrelated; and

compose music in several distinct styles, demonstrating creativity in using the elements of music for expressive effect;

create a dance that effectively communicates a contemporary social theme or a topic of personal significance.

Choreography

apply media, techniques and processes with sufficient skill, confidence and sensitivity that their intentions are understood;

construct imaginative scripts and collaborate with actors to refine scripts so that story and meaning are conveyed to an audience.

analyze historical and cultural images of the body in dance and compare these to images of the body in contemporary media; and

identify cultural and historical sources of American theatre and musical theatre; and

effectively communicate directorial choices toa small ensemble for improvised or scripted scenes.

Students will make connections between the visual arts, other disciplines and daily life.

conceive and create original works of art that demonstrate a connection between personal expression and the intentional use of art materials, techniques and processes; and

Analysis

demonstrate the ability to read an instrumental or vocal score of up to four staves by describing how the elements of music are used; and

choreograph dances which effectively demonstrate a range of choreographic principles;

Instrumental

illustrate the integration of arts media in informal or formal presentations;

Content

Evaluation

improvise stylistically appropriate harmonizing parts;

compare the work of two contrasting choreographers using a given set of artistic criteria;

Students will apply analytical and evaluative thinking skills in dance.

Composition

choreograph duets and small-group dances demonstrating an understanding of choreographic principles, processes and structures both in collaborative groups and as choreographer/director;

History And Cultures

History And Cultures

Students will identify and perform movement elements and dance skills.

demonstrate extensive knowledge of the technical vocabulary of music; and

perform with expression and technical accuracy a large and varied repertoire of instrumental literature with a difficulty level of 4, on a scale of 1 to 6

identify sources of American music genres, trace the evolution of those genres, and cite well-known musicians associated with them; and

perform in small ensembles with one student on a part.

Students will sing, alone and with others, a varied repertoire of songs.

Elements And Principles

Students will make connections between dance and healthful living.

Students will improvise melodies, variations and accompaniments.

sing with expression and technical accuracy a large and varied repertoire of vocal literature with a difficulty level of 4, on a scale of 1 to 6, including some songs performed from memory;

analyze the physical, emotional and social dimensions of characters found in dramatic texts from various genres and media;

Students will research, evaluate and apply cultural and historical information to make artistic choices.

compare and demonstrate acting techniques and methods from a variety of periods and styles; and

compare similar themes in drama from various cultures and historical periods, create informal and formal performances using these themes, and discuss how theatre can reveal universal concepts;