Standard 3—Responding to and Analyzing Works of Art

Students will respond critically to a variety of works in the arts, connecting the individual work to other works and to other aspects of human endeavor and thought.

Key ideas are identified by numbers (1).
Performance indicators are identified by bullets.
Sample tasks are identified by triangles (s).

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Elementary Dance

3. Students will express through written and oral language their understanding, interpretation, and evaluation of dances they see, do, and read about. Students will acquire the critical vocabulary to talk and write about a variety of dance forms.

Students:

• demonstrate knowledge of words and symbols (kinetic, visual, tactile, aural and olfactory) that describe movement (a)
• express to others their understanding of specific dance performances, using appropriate language to describe what they have seen and heard (b).

This is evident, for example, when students:
s describe the patterns that they see in a video of a dance, such as, The March of The Wooden Soldiers
s describe the bodily movement that they see in a dance and then imitate it.

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Elementary Music

3. Students will demonstrate the capacity to listen to and comment on music. They will relate their critical assertions about music to its aesthetic, structural, acoustic, and psychological qualities. Students will use concepts based on the structure of music’s content and context to relate music to other broad areas of knowledge. They will use concepts from other disciplines to enhance their understanding of music.

Students:

• through listening, identify the strengths and weaknesses of specific musical works and performances, including their own and others’ (a)
• describe the music in terms related to basic elements such as melody, rhythm, harmony, dynamics, timbre, form, style, etc. (b)
• discuss the basic means by which the voice and instruments can alter pitch, loudness, duration, and timbre (c)
• describe the music’s context in terms related to its social and psychological functions and settings (e.g., roles of participants, effects of music, uses of music with other events or objects, etc.) (d)
• describe their understandings of particular pieces of music and how they relate to their surroundings (e).

This is evident, for example, when students:
s listen to another student’s musical composition and identify elements (such as rhythm, harmony, melody) that they liked and disliked
s describe, using correct terminology, the elements of music (such as timbre, dynamics, form) heard in a musical recording
s orally identify the meter of a song sung by their classmates
s demonstrate with a rubber band how to raise and lower pitch
s write a few sentences on a social function attended (such as a wedding, bar mitzvah, etc.) and how music was used to enhance the function
s tell how music can set a mood in a particular setting (e.g., "happy" in an amusement park).

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Elementary Theatre

3. Students will reflect on, interpret, and evaluate plays and theatrical performances, both live and recorded, using the language of dramatic criticism.Students will analyze the meaning and role of theatre in society. Students will identify ways in which drama/theatre connects to film and video, other arts, and other disciplines.

Students:

• discuss their understanding, interpretation, and evaluation of a theatrical performance, using basic theatre terminology (a)
• identify the use of other art forms in theatre productions (b)
• explain the relationship of theatre to film and video (c).

This is evident, for example, when students:
s view a scene or dramatic reading by their peers and describe the theatrical elements such as setting, character, conflict, etc.
s discuss how music, dance and the visual arts are used to enhance musical theatre productions
s compare how live theatre differs from filmed or taped performances.

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Elementary Visual Arts

3. Students will reflect on, interpret, and evaluate works of art, using the language of art criticism. Students will analyze the visual characteristics of the natural and built environment and explain the social, cultural, psychological, and environmental dimensions of the visual arts. Students will compare the ways in which a variety of ideas, themes, and concepts are expressed through the visual arts with the ways they are expressed in other disciplines.

Students:

• explain their reflections about the meanings, purposes, and sources of works of art; describe their responses to the works and the reasons for those responses (a)
• explain the visual and other sensory qualities (surfaces, colors, textures, shape, sizes, volumes) found in a wide variety of art works (b)
• explain the themes that are found in works of visual art and how the art works are related to other forms of art (dance, music, theatre, etc.) (c)
• explain how ideas, themes, or concepts in the visual arts are expressed in other disciplines (e.g., mathematics, science, literature, social studies, etc.) (d).

This is evident, for example, when students:
s describe what they see in a work of art and tell what they think the work of art is about
s describe how lines might imply motion, color might convey emotion and size might suggest distance in selected works of art
s show how pattern can be found in a Mondrian painting and in a familiar song.

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Intermediate Dance

3. Students will express through written and oral language their understanding, interpretation, and evaluation of dances they see, do, and read about. Students will acquire the critical vocabulary to talk and write about a variety of dance forms.

Students:

• demonstrate knowledge of the technical language used in discussing dance performances (a)
• demonstrate knowledge of choreographic principles and processes (b)
• express to others their understanding of specific dance performances, including perceptions, descriptions, analyses, interpretations, and evaluations (c).

This is evident, for example, when students:
s write a short review of a high school dance performance
s after viewing a video of a dance they compare their interpretations with others in the group.

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Intermediate Music

3. Students will demonstrate the capacity to listen to and comment on music. They will relate their critical assertions about music to its aesthetic, structural, acoustic, and psychological qualities. Students will use concepts based on the structure of music’s content and context to relate music to other broad areas of knowledge. They will use concepts from other disciplines to enhance their understanding of music.

Students:

• through listening, analyze and evaluate their own and others’ performances, improvisations, and compositions by identifying and comparing them with similar works and events (a)
• use appropriate terms to reflect a working knowledge of the musical elements (b)
• demonstrate a basic awareness of the technical skills musicians must develop to produce an aesthetically acceptable performance (c)
• use appropriate terms to reflect a working knowledge of social-musical functions and uses (appropriate choices of music for common ceremonies and other events) (d)
• use basic scientific concepts to explain how music-related sound is produced, transmitted through air, and perceived (e)
• use terminology from music and other arts to analyze and compare the structures of musical and other artistic and literary works (f).

This is evident, for example, when students:
s listen to two musical compositions on the same theme (e.g., celebrating a holiday) and point out similarities and differences
s compare and contrast his/her performance of a solo with that of a professional recording
s accurately describe the musical elements employed in an original composition or one written by peers
s describe a technique (e.g., correct hand position or relaxed jaw) that will improve their tone in playing or singing
s plan a social event and list the music (or musicians) that would support the occasion
s use garden hoses (or other tubing) of differing lengths to demonstrate how the lengths affect pitch
s suggest some classical pieces of music that may accompany a show of student art work or poetry and specify why the selections were chosen.

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Intermediate Theatre

3. Students will reflect on, interpret, and evaluate plays and theatrical performances, both live and recorded, using the language of dramatic criticism. Students will analyze the meaning and role of theatre in society. Students will identify ways in which drama/theatre connects to film and video, other arts, and other disciplines.

Students:

• use the techniques and vocabulary of theatre criticism, both written and oral, to discuss theatre experiences and improve individual and group performances (a)
• examine and discuss the use of other art forms in a theatre production (b)
• explain how drama/theatre experiences relate to other literary and artistic events (c).

This is evident, for example, when students:
s direct a group of their peers and give specific recommendations for improving a small group performance
s design a set, develop costumes or write a song for a scene of a play and explain why the project is appropriate
s compare and contrast a dramatic reading and a silent reading of a particular passage.

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Intermediate Visual Arts

3. Students will reflect on, interpret, and evaluate works of art, using the language of art criticism. Students will analyze the visual characteristics of the natural and built environment and explain the social, cultural, psychological, and environmental dimensions of the visual arts. Students will compare the ways in which a variety of ideas, themes, and concepts are expressed through the visual arts with the ways they are expressed in other disciplines.

Students:

• discuss and write their analyses and interpretations of their own works of art and the art of others, using appropriate critical language (a)
• identify, analyze, and interpret the visual and sensory characteristics that they discover in natural and human-made forms (b)
• compare the ways ideas and concepts are communicated through visual art with the various ways that those ideas and concepts are manifested in other art forms (c).
• compare the ways ideas, themes, and concepts are communicated through the visual arts in other disciplines, and the various ways that those ideas, themes, and concepts are manifested within the discipline (d).

This is evident, for example, when students:
s write an interpretation of Horace Pippin's Domino Players after class analysis of the images and composition
s discuss the way in which the black and white and gray of the painting enhances the meaning of Picasso's Guerinca
s analyze the engineering skills and the political skills, in addition to his artistic vision that the artist, Christo, needed in order to complete the Wrapping Of The Reich Stag in 1995.

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Commencement-General Education Dance

3. Students will express through written and oral language their understanding, interpretation, and evaluation of dances they see, do, and read about. Students will acquire the critical vocabulary to talk and write about a variety of dance forms.

Students:

• make comparisons of the nature and principles of dance to other arts (a)
• analyze and describe similarities and differences in different dance forms and styles (b)
• describe and compare a variety of choreographic approaches used in the creation of dances (c).

This is evident, for example, when students:
s compare the rhythm found in a particular dance with the rhythm in a musical piece and with the rhythm found in a painting
s do a short research paper in which they trace the origins of modern dance
s observe several choreographers working to create their dances and then compare, contrast, and describe the processes
s interview a choreographer regarding the origins of the ideas for the choreography, including cultural, esthetics, personal, and other influences and document that interview to share with the class
s write a detailed report of the influence of dance education on the student's understanding of other cultures and other disciplines.

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Commencement-General Education Music

3. Students will demonstrate the capacity to listen to and comment on music. They will relate their critical assertions about music to its aesthetic, structural, acoustic, and psychological qualities. Students will use concepts based on the structure of music’s content and context to relate music to other broad areas of knowledge. They will use concepts from other disciplines to enhance their understanding of music.

Students:

• through listening, analyze and evaluate their own and others’ performances, improvisations, and compositions and suggest improvements (a)
• read and write critiques of music that display a broad knowledge of musical elements, genres, and styles (b)
• use anatomical and other scientific terms to explain the musical effectiveness of various sound sources—traditional, nontraditional, and electronic (c)
• use appropriate technical and socio-cultural terms to describe musical performances and compositions (d)
• identify and describe the contributions of both locally and internationally known exemplars of high quality in the major musical genres (e)
• explain how performers, composers, and arrangers make artistic decisions (f).

This is evident, for example, when students:
s listen to a peer’s performance and complete an evaluation form suggesting areas in need of improvement
s use correct terminology when reporting on a school concert for the school newspaper for one performing organization
s explain how overtones are produced and demonstrate them on a string instrument by playing harmonics
s explain how sound is produced on a traditional or electronic instrument
s in the log describe the music and the impact the music had on a social occasion such as a birthday party, parade, etc.
s develop a list of professional musicians in a particular idiom (i.e., jazz saxophone, classical tenor, etc.)
s analyze a solo performance and explain the artistic decisions evident in the performance.

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Commencement-General Education Theatre

3. Students will reflect on, interpret, and evaluate plays and theatrical performances, both live and recorded, using the language of dramatic criticism. Students will analyze the meaning and role of theatre in society. Students will identify ways in which drama/theatre connects to film and video, other arts, and other disciplines.

Students:

• articulate an understanding, interpretation, and evaluation of a theatre piece as drama and as a realized production, using appropriate critical vocabulary (a)
• evaluate the use of other art forms in a theatre production (b)
• explain how a theatrical production exemplifies major themes and ideas from other disciplines (c).

This is evident, for example, when students:
s view different productions of the same scene from Taming of the Shrew, comparing and contrasting the various mediums (video, film and live performance)
s analyze the impact of costuming, hair and makeup in helping to establish character
s write a critical paper analyzing the themes of a play.

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Commencement-General Education Visual Arts

3. Students will reflect on, interpret, and evaluate works of art, using the language of art criticism. Students will analyze the visual characteristics of the natural and built environment and explain the social, cultural, psychological, and environmental dimensions of the visual arts. Students will compare the ways in which a variety of ideas, themes, and concepts are expressed through the visual arts with the ways they are expressed in other disciplines.

Students:

• use the language of art criticism by reading and discussing critical reviews in newspapers and journals and by writing their own critical responses to works of art (either their own or those of others) (a)
• explain the visual and other sensory qualities in art and nature and their relation to the social environment (b)
• analyze and interpret the ways in which political, cultural, social, religious, and psychological concepts and themes have been explored in visual art (c)
• develop connections between the ways ideas, themes, and concepts are expressed through the visual arts and other disciplines in everyday life (d).

This is evident, for example, when students:
s discuss the point of view of a critic in a local newspaper who has reviewed a local exhibition
s analyze the way in which a work of art by Leon Golub expresses a political point of view
s write a review of a student exhibition.

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Commencement-Major Sequence Dance

3. Students will express through written and oral language their understanding, interpretation, and evaluation of dances they see, do, and read about. Students will acquire the critical vocabulary to talk and write about a variety of dance forms.

In addition to the General Education performance indicators, students:

• express to others theories about the nature of dance and the underlying assumptions that people have about dance (a)
• describe and analyze similarities and differences between individual performances, and between forms and styles of dance, past and present (b)
• describe and defend an explanation of why people dance, based on experience in dance, witnessing others, and studying contexts (c).

This is evident, for example, when students:
s compare the positions of two different critics of dance
s develop a personal resource file for information about dance, dance theory etc.
s develop and give multimedia presentation that explain theories of dance to younger students
s observe a variety of professional dance company performances or rehearsals and develop a matrix that categorizes similarities and differences along styles of dance
s research and present a paper defending assumptions and values regarding the importance of dance in a specific culture
s write a detailed description of the student's involvement and commitment to dance and dance training for a college application.

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Commencement-Major Sequence Music

3. Students will demonstrate the capacity to listen to and comment on music. They will relate their critical assertions about music to its aesthetic, structural, acoustic, and psychological qualities. Students will use concepts based on the structure of music’s content and context to relate music to other broad areas of knowledge. They will use concepts from other disciplines to enhance their understanding of music.

In addition to the General Education performance indicators students:

• assess, describe, and evaluate the development of their personal contributions to their own, their school’s, and their community’s musical life by appropriately using musical and socio-cultural terms and concepts (contributions and skills of musicians, functions of music in society, etc.) (a)
• demonstrate a practical knowledge of sound production and architectural acoustics to predict the general effects on sound of room shapes, building construction practices, and common absorbers (b).

This is evident, for example, when students:
s write a detailed report of the student’s involvement in and contribution to music classes and music activities for a college application
s select a venue for a small vocal ensemble where the size of the facility and acoustics are appropriate for the size of the group.

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Commencement-Major Sequence Theatre

3. Students will reflect upon, interpret, and evaluate plays and theatrical performances, both live and recorded, using the language of dramatic criticism. Students will analyze the meaning and role of theatre in society. Students will identify ways in which drama/theatre connects to film and video, other arts, and other disciplines.

In addition to the General Education performance indicators, students:

• develop a critical vocabulary through the reading and discussion of professional criticism (a)
• explain the meaning and societal function of different types of productions (b)
• design a plan for improving performances, using past and present critiques (c)
• explore various other art forms and technologies, using them in theatre projects (d)
• explain how theatre can enhance other subjects in the curriculum (e)
• compare and contrast theatre, film, and video (f).

This is evident, for example, when students:
s read a review of a local theatre production analyzing the critic's writing style, approach to priorities in the production, and conclusions about the play in performance, discussing the points of agreement and disagreement
s make two diagrams showing the differences between tragedy and melodrama, and comedy and farce
s keep a journal of the process involved in creating a monologue; comment on improvements made in the monologue content and performance
s investigate commedia dell'arte and form an improvisational troupe to perform at area schools
s work with an elementary teacher to incorporate theatre practices in the teaching of social studies
s compare different versions of the same play performed live, on film or on tape; compare a traditional interpretation of a play with a contemporary interpretation, or a musical production of a former drama.

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Commencement-Major Sequence Visual Arts

3. Students will reflect upon, interpret, and evaluate works of art, using the language of art criticism. Students will analyze the visual characteristics of the natural and built environment and explain the social, cultural, psychological, and environmental dimensions of the visual arts. Students will compare the ways in which a variety of ideas, themes, and concepts are expressed through the visual arts with the ways they are expressed in other disciplines.

In addition to the General Education performance indicators, students:

• using the language of art criticism, describe the visual and functional characteristics of works of art and interpret the relationships of works of art one to another, to describe the impact of the work on the viewer (a)
• demonstrate an understanding of art criticism, art histories, and aesthetic principles and show their connections to works of art (b)
• give evidence in their Commencement Portfolios that they have researched a theme in-depth and that in their research they have explored the ways the theme has been expressed in other disciplinary forms (c).

This is evident, for example, when students:
s write a review of a local art exhibition
s discuss the role of museums and galleries in defining what current art is
s compare the way in which the migration of the African-Americans to the north is depicted in Jacob Lawrence's series of paintings The Great Migration with the description of that migration in the history textbooks.

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