Both the Music and the Arts curricula focus on the learner as recipient of the knowledge, skills, and values necessary for artistic expression and cultural literacy. The design of the curricula is student-centered, based on spiral progression of processes, concepts and skills and grounded in performance-based learning. Thus, the learner is empowered, through active involvement and participation, to effectively correlate music and art to the development of his/her own cultural identity and the expansion of his/her vision of the world.
As Music and Arts are performance-based disciplines, effective learning occurs through active experience, participation, and performance, creative expression, aesthetic valuation, critical response, and interpretation. The skills that are developed include reading/analyzing, listening/observing, performing, (singing, using musical instruments, movement, acting, and playing, using different art materials, techniques and processes, responding, composing, and creating. (See Figure 1 and Figure 2)
The philosophical foundations upon which standards and competencies are based include: A Process of Education by Jerome Bruner, Performance-Based Learning by Cleve Miller, Aesthetic Education by Bennett Reimer, Multiple Intelligences by Howard Gardner, A Structure for Music Education by Ronald Thomas, Gongs and Bamboo by Jose Maceda, Compendium on the Humanities: Musical Arts produced by the National Research Council of the Philippines, Cultural Dictionary for Filipinos by Thelma Kintanar and Associates, Creative and Mental Growth by Viktor Lowenfeld and W. Lambert Brittain, Discipline-Based Art Education by Elliot Eisner, Encyclopedia of Philippine Arts and Tuklas Sining, bothproduced by the Cultural Center of the Philippines.
PHILOSOPHY AND RATIONALE FOR ARTS
The Arts has been present since the beginning of civilization as it is an essential means for man to live and communicate with others. It has been used to enhance man’s life and surroundings, to express his thoughts, dreams, and spiritual beliefs, and to share his own and his community’s aspirations, celebrations, and events. Arts records, reflects, and rearranges man’s life and existence.
The Arts is a visualization of a people’s history and uniqueness, a reflection of their creativity and accomplishments, and a visible expression of their distinct way of thinking, communicating, reasoning, and worshiping. It is expressed in a unique symbol system that is visual, kinetic and tactile. Howard Gardner, an educator and psychologist, affirms that the arts develop the child’s “SPATIAL, INTRAPERSONAL, LINGUISTIC AND KINESTHETIC INTELLIGENCES” for the Arts develop a distinct way of seeing, thinking, communicating, and creating in a person. Furthermore, Art develops and increases a person’s ability to apply creative and new solutions, for new problems in our world. Schools, therefore, need to develop the multiple intelligences of a student through the arts. The K12 Arts Curriculum seeks to address these needs of our students for the 21st Century
The 21st Century is a different world: it is highly visual, with a proliferation of images seen not only in static media like magazines, books, paintings and posters. Now images are kinetic and accessible in various media like television, outdoor advertisements, movies, cell phones, and new technologies like iPads, iPods, DVD players, personal computers, and tablets. Artists create, upload and share via the Internet, images, sounds, texts, films, videos, pictures, artworks and designs. These are readily available and interactive, involving the viewer to react, comment and utilize these visuals through the Internet. Teaching Art to students is one way for them to process and interpret the barrage of images and sounds, in a critical and intelligent manner.
The focus of the K-12 Art curriculum is PHILIPPINE ART, CULTURE and HERITAGE, appreciating the diversity of our local artists, our arts, crafts, and indigenous materials to strengthen the student’s identity of being Filipino, before he/she is introduced to the art of other countries. The modules guide educators and provide our students with art experiences, concepts, and processes that are presented in a SPIRAL PROGRESSION of difficulty and depth from Kindergarten to Grade 12.
The approach is CHILD-CENTERED and HANDS-ON in creating art using locally available materials. It develops the student’s imagination and individual expression, and his/her CRITICAL THINKING SKILLS through inquiry into the aesthetic qualities of his work, the work of others and of artists from the Philippines and other parts of the world. It culminates in connecting art to other subject areas and provides exposure and apprenticeship to professionals in various art-related fields so the student can discover and consider the different career opportunities in the arts.
Figure 1. The Curriculum Framework of Music and Arts Education
Figure 2. Content of Music and Arts per Grade Level
Table 1. Basic Reference for Music and Art Content
| Music Elements | Arts Elements and Principles | Music Processes | Art Processes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rhythm | Listening | Color | Seeing/Observing |
| Melody | Shape/Form | Line | Reading |
| Form | Imitating (re-creating) | Reading | Imitating (re-creating) |
| Timbre | Responding | Texture | Responding |
| Dynamics | Creating | Rhythm | Creating (original works) |
| Tempo | Performing (including movement) | Balance | Performing (different art processes) |
| Texture | Evaluating | Repetition* Contrast | Evaluating |
| Harmony * | Analyzing critically | Applying (transference) | Analyzing critically |
| *No formal instruction in harmony from K to 3 | Emphasis | Proportion | Applying (transference) |
| *Harmony |
LEARNING AREA STANDARD: The learner demonstrates an understanding of basic concepts and processes in music and art through appreciation, analysis and performance for his/her self-development, celebration of his/her Filipino cultural identity and diversity, and
expansion of his/her world vision.
- K – 3 – The learner demonstrates understanding of fundamental processes through performing, creating, and responding, aimed towards the development of appreciation of music and art, and acquisition of basic knowledge and skills.
- 4 – 6 – The learner demonstrates understanding of basic elements and concepts through performing, creating, and responding, aimed towards the development of appreciation of music and art, and acquisition of basic knowledge and skills.
- 7 – 10 – The learner demonstrates understanding of salient features of music and art of the Philippines and the world, through appreciation, analysis, and performance, for self-development, the celebration of Filipino cultural identity and diversity, and the expansion of one’s world vision.
GRADE LEVEL STANDARDS:
| Grade Level | Grade Level Standards |
|---|---|
| Grade 1 | The learner demonstrates basic understanding of the fundamental processes in music and art, through performing, creating, listening and observing, and responding. |
| Grade 2 | The learner demonstrates understanding of the basic and fundamental processes in music and art, through performing, creating, listening and observing, and responding. |
| Grade 3 | The learner has acquired the basic and fundamental processes through performing, creating, listening and observing, and responding, towards the development of appreciation of music and art, and the acquisition of basic knowledge and skills |
| Grade 4 | Through the formal introduction of elements, the learner can identify the basic knowledge and skills in music and art, towards self-development, the celebration of Filipino cultural identity and diversity, and the expansion of one’s world vision. |
| Grade 5 | Through exploration, the learner demonstrates a deeper understanding of basic knowledge and skills in music and art, towards self-development, the celebration of Filipino cultural identity and diversity, and expansion of one’s world vision. |
| Grade 6 | Through application, the learner demonstrates understanding of the basic concepts of and processes in music and art, towards self-development, the celebration of Filipino cultural identity and diversity, and the expansion of one’s world vision. |
| Grade 7 | The learner demonstrates basic understanding of the fundamental processes in music and the arts through performing, creating, listening and observing, and responding towards appreciation of the cultural richness of the different provinces in the Philippines. |
| Grade 8 | The learner demonstrates understanding of salient features of Asian music and the arts, through appreciation, analysis, and performance for self-development, the celebration of Filipino cultural identity and diversity, and the expansion of one’s world vision. |
| Grade 9 | The learner demonstrates understanding of salient features of Western music and the arts from different historical periods, through appreciation, analysis, and performance for self-development, the celebration of Filipino cultural identity and diversity, and the expansion of one’s world vision. |
| Grade 10 | The learner demonstrates understanding of salient features of contemporary music and the arts, through appreciation, analysis, and performance, for self development, the celebration of Filipino cultural identity and diversity, and the expansion of one’s world vision. |
Source: DepED – K to 12 Arts Curriculum Guide
