Welcome to the module on the revised music Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) that will guide elementary school curriculum and instruction for the State of Texas.
Foundations of Music- Beat
- Rhythm
- Melody
- Dynamics
- Tempo
- Timbre
- Form
- Singing
- Playing instruments
- Reading, writing, improvising, and creating music
- Participating in part-work
- Listening and responding to music
- The study of the history and culture of music
Elementary music classes establish the foundation of music learning. Students are involved in active music-making. They sing, play instruments, and move to music from various cultures. They read, write, and reproduce rhythmic and melodic patterns. Students emerge as independent music-makers and begin to engage in part-work. They learn to listen; focus on what they are listening to; use correct vocabulary; and identify, describe, and categorize myriad sounds. The elementary music foundation also includes learning to create and improvise rhythmic and melodic patterns and identify voices and instruments from various cultures. Students learn to relate music to history and culture and to connect it to other academic disciplines.
Elementary students experience music in many ways. Initially, they listen to short musical selections and distinguish between like and unlike passages. Through a carefully planned sequence of activities that includes singing, playing, and listening, students learn to look at and replicate a passage of notes with accurate pitch, rhythm, dynamics, and tempo by singing, playing, or inner hearing.