Students may begin their elective choral experience in 5th Grade.

 

Vocal Music Department Philosophy Statement

The Waukee Vocal Music Program provides instruction and opportunities for students to collaborate with peers, develop age appropriate vocal technique, and build music literacy skills through music inclusive of different historical periods and cultures. It is the goal of the Vocal Music Department to provide students with a comprehensive education full of experiences that promote life-long singing and appreciation.

 

Standards, Benchmarks, Objectives (SBO)

In 2019, the Waukee Community School District vocal music team began work unpacking the National Coalition of Core Arts Standards. 2020 served as a complete pause due to the pandemic; work was completed by members of the Vocal Music Department in the 2021-22 school year.

The National Coalition of Core Arts Standards were revised in 2014, the first revision to national arts standards in 20 years. The NCCA is an umbrella organization that created standards for Visual Art, Music, Dance, and Theatre; each of these sets of standards were adopted by the State of Iowa in 2017. The Waukee Vocal Music Department adopted the “Music: Traditional and Emerging Ensembles” strand. These standards divide the musical experience into four components: Creating, Performing, Responding, and Connecting.

The Vocal Music Department added three original objective strands to the Performing component to include language specific to the choral experience that was not specifically defined in the NCCA Standards; these objective strands were in relation to proper physical technique, real-time application of conductor direction, and sight-reading skills essential for a musically literate singer. Language was inspired by the National Association for Music Education Choral Literacies and Skills: Developmental Markers.

 

Waukee 5th-12th Grade Vocal Music Standards, Benchmarks, and Objectives

 

Elementary & Middle Level (Grades 5-9) Courses

 

High School (Grades 10-12) Courses