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.
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, both produced by the Cultural Center of the Philippines.
PHILOSOPHY AND RATIONALE FOR MUSIC EDUCATION
Music is both an aural and a temporal art. All its elements, when interwoven in the highest artistic order, are likened into a — tapestry moving in time. The global weavings of this tapestry in historical and cultural contexts are diverse — having spurred a continued metamorphosis to include a full range of purposes, functions, and identities, from the utilitarian to aesthetic.
However, the basic nature of music does not change. In his book A Structure for Music Education, Ronald Thomas articulates that the nature of music is expressive, ongoing, and creative. Through a language and medium of its own, music conveys ideas and feelings in a way that addresses the human spirit, and has great value in its communicative process. Music, being responsive in interpreting contemporary times, is a continuing art. Aaron Copland describes this characteristic as a continuous state of becoming. Like the other arts, music is a creative avenue for man’s individual quest for self- expression and fulfillment.
On these basic characteristics are founded the rationale of music study. A keen sensitivity to environmental and musical sounds needs to be developed. The student must learn to ―hear, ―speak, and ―think in the medium of music. Simultaneously, growth and development in the skills that enable the application of the learner’s knowledge should be encouraged, through active involvement in the various musical processes.
Drawing from the development of music pedagogy through the years, the K-10 Music Curriculum embodies the best practices advocated by the SPIRAL, MULTI-CULTURAL, and INTEGRATIVE approaches in music education, as well as current philosophical thought about contemporary general education.
We envision that Music in the K-10 Program will effectively nurture and refine the learner’s artistic expression and cultural literacy, and celebrate his/her national heritage, while it instils, within every individual Filipino learner, pride in his/her own cultural identity.
Table 1. Basic Reference for Music Content
| Music Elements | Music Processes |
|---|---|
| Rhythm | Listening |
| Melody | Reading |
| Form | Imitating (re-creating) |
| Timbre | Responding |
| Dynamics | Creating |
| Tempo | Performing (including movement) |
| Texture | Evaluating |
| Harmony * | Analyzing critically |
| * No formal instruction in harmony from K to 3 | Applying (tranference) |
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.
KEY STAGE STANDARDS:
- 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 |
|---|---|
| Kindergarten | The learner is exposed to the different basic music and art processes through experiential learning. |
| 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 Music Curriculum Guide
