INTRODUCTION

The information in this article refers to a Guitar Course of Study offered in classroom or school-district setting.  It is intended as an informative supplement to the already implemented curriculum.  The purpose of the addendum is to realign the curriculum into organized competencies and objectives with emphasis on Depth of Knowledge (DOK). This supplement provides examples of learning objectives derived from curricular competencies.

COMPETENCIES

Competencies describe what students should know and be able to do at the completion of each level of study (or during the entire course of study). The competencies are intentionally broad to allow teachers the flexibility to create a curriculum that meets the needs of their students.  The competencies are required to be taught, but due to the broad language, are difficult to assess.

OBJECTIVES

Objectives are subordinate to competencies and serve as a guide indicating how competencies can be fulfilled through a progression of content and concepts at each level.  Multiple objectives can and should be taught simultaneously as they are interrelated in nature.  Objectives should be easily assessable and the combination of the assessment of component objectives gives an overall assessment of the overarching competency.

DEPTH OF KNOWLEDGE

The assigned Depth of Knowledge (DOK) level for each objective is indicated at the end of each objective.  Competencies and objectives vary in terms of complexity with range varying from fact recall to synthesis of information.  Four levels of DOK are used:

DOK LEVEL 1 – RECALL AND REPRODUCTION (DOK 1)

Level 1 is the recall of information such as a fact, definition, term, or a simple procedure, as well as performing a simple process or procedure. DOK 1 only requires students to demonstrate a rote response, use a well-known formula, follow a set procedure, or perform a clearly defined series of steps. A “simple” procedure is well-defined and typically involves only one step. Objective verbs such as “identify” are at DOK 1. Verbs such as “describe” and “explain” is DOK 1 if the description or explanation is recalled and not synthesized.  Items that require students to recognize or identify specific information contained in maps, charts, tables, graphs, or drawings are generally DOK 1.  A student answering a Level 1 item either knows the answer or does not; the answer does not need to be solved. Some examples of DOK 1:

• Recall or recognize a fact, term, concept, trend, generalization, or property.
• Represent in words or diagrams a concept or relationship.
• Provide, recognize, or identify music notation symbols.

DOK LEVEL 2 – BASIC REASONING, USING SKILLS AND CONCEPTS (DOK 2)

Level 2 includes the engagement of some mental processing beyond recalling or reproducing a response. The content knowledge or process involved is more complex than in DOK 1. Keywords that generally distinguish a DOK 2 item include “classify”, “organize”, and “compare information.” These actions imply more than one step. This level generally requires students to contrast or compare people, places, events, and concepts; convert information from one form to another; give an example; classify or sort items into meaningful categories; describe, interpret, or explain issues and problems, patterns, reasons, cause and effect, significance or impact, relationships, points of view, or processes. Some objective verbs, such as “explain”, “describe”, or “interpret”, could be classified at different DOK levels, depending on the complexity of the process. For example, interpreting information from a simple graph, requiring reading information from the graph, is DOK 2. Some examples of DOK 2:

• Specify and explain the relationship between facts, terms, or properties.
• Select a procedure according to specified criteria and perform it.
• Organize, represent, and interpret data.
• Identify and summarize the major events in the history of music.

DOK LEVEL 3 – COMPLEX OR STRATEGIC THINKING (DOK 3)

Level 3 requires reasoning, planning, using evidence, and a higher level of thinking than the previous two levels. Students would go beyond explaining or describing “how and why” to justifying the “how and why” through application and evidence. The complexity requires more demanding reasoning. In most instances, requiring students to explain their thinking is at DOK 3; requiring a very simple explanation or a word or two should be at DOK 2.  An activity that has more than one possible answer and requires students to justify the response they give would most likely be a DOK 3.  Other DOK 3 activities include drawing conclusions from observations; citing evidence and developing a logical argument for concepts; explaining phenomena in terms of concepts; and using concepts to solve non-routine problems. Some examples of DOK 3:

• Solve non-routine problems.
• Develop a model for a complex situation.
• Form conclusions from experimental data.
• Analyze and describe the characteristics of various works of music.

DOK LEVEL 4 – EXTENDED THINKING OR REASONING (DOK 4)

Level 4 incorporates tasks with high cognitive demands that are very complex in nature. Students are required to make several connections, relate ideas within the content area or among content areas, and select or devise one approach among many alternatives on how the situation can be solved.   Open-ended assessment activities requiring significant thought can be DOK 4.  DOK 4 requires complex reasoning, experimental design and planning, and probably will require an extended period of time either for the investigation required by an objective, for accessing and investigating multiple sources, or for carrying out the multiple steps of an assessment item.

• Conduct an investigation, from specifying a problem to designing and carrying out an experiment, to analyzing its data and forming conclusions.
• Describe and illustrate how common themes are found across musical genres from different cultures.
• Analyze and synthesize information from multiple sources.

COURSE OF STUDY COMPETENCIES AND OBJECTIVES

These competencies and objectives are standard for all guitar courses.  The competencies are numbered, objectives are lettered.

1. Demonstrate proper seating position.
   • Identify, recognize, and model different options of seating positions including standard, standard-crossed, and classical position.  (DOK 1)
   • Demonstrate proper seating position while performing on the guitar.  (DOK 2)
   • Compare and contrast the different seating positions with regard to perceived  positive and negative aspects of each.  (DOK 3)
2. Demonstrate proper posture and hand positions.
   • Identify, recognize, and model correct and incorrect hand positions and posture. (DOK 1)
   • Demonstrate correct hand positions and posture while performing on the guitar(DOK 2)
   • Explain and justify why certain hand position habits are considered unsatisfactory.  (DOK 3)
3. Demonstrate proper strumming, fingerstyle, and flat-picking techniques.
   • Describe proper pick handling, strumming, fingerstyle, and flat-picking techniques.  (DOK 1)
   • Demonstrate proper pick handling strumming, fingerstyle, and flat-picking techniques while performing on the guitar.  (DOK 2)
   • Explain and justify why there are certain guidelines to proper picking technique (especially alternate, sweep picking, finger arpeggios, etc).  (DOK 3)
4. Examine the types of guitars, history of the guitar, and parts of the guitar.
   • Identify the general different types of guitars.  (DOK 1)
   • Categorize a specific type of guitar based on characteristics.  (DOK 2)
   • Compare and contrast the different types of guitars and their inherent uses. (DOK 3)
   • Identify regions, time periods, and instruments in the history of guitar. (DOK 1)
   • Summarize the major events in the history of the guitar.  (DOK 2)
   • Explain and justify the cultural impact of the guitar at certain periods in history (DOK 3)
   • Identify the parts of the guitar.  (DOK 1)
   • Explain the use for specific parts of the guitar.  (DOK 2)
5. Demonstrate proper care and maintenance of the guitar as an instrument.
   • Outline and describe care and maintenance procedures specific to the guitar.  (DOK 1)
   • Demonstrate proper care and maintenance of the guitar.  (DOK 2)
6. Understand the relationship between music and other disciplines.
   • Relate topics and skills from other subjects to broaden knowledge and deepen understanding in each discipline.  (DOK 2)
   • Identify and process information and skills that are common to guitar class and other disciplines (DOK 3)
7. Develop awareness of career opportunities for guitarists.
   • Identify career fields and education career paths that are related to guitar and music. (DOK 2)
   • Compare and contrast the career options for guitarists taking into account the several personal and professional variables.  (DOK 3)
   • Search for and discuss opportunities to continue study or performance of the guitar in formal and informal settings.  (DOK 4)
8. Tune the guitar properly.
   • Describe the tuning procedure(s).   (DOK 1)
   • Demonstrate the tuning procedure while self-assessing the correctness of the pitch.  (DOK 3)

BEGINNING GUITAR

LEVEL OF STUDY COMPETENCIES AND OBJECTIVES

1. Respond appropriately to musical notation.
   • Identify, recognize, and define basic music symbols including staff, measures, bar lines, ledger lines, clef, time signature, notes, rests, dots, ties and accidentals.  (DOK 1)
   • Identify, recognize, and define key signatures of C, G, D, A, E, A minor, and E minor.  (DOK 1)
   • Identify, recognize, and define time signatures of common time, 4/4, 3/4, and 2/4.  (DOK 1)
   • Identify, recognize, and define basic rhythms including quarter, half, whole, and eighth notes/rests; dotted quarter rhythms; and triplets.  (DOK 1)
   • Identify (by note name and placement on guitar fretboard) all first position notes from low E (three ledger lines below treble staff) to A (one ledger line above treble staff).  (DOK 1)
   • Demonstrate understanding of basic music notation, rhythms, and notes through performance of melodies on the guitar.  (DOK 2)
2. Demonstrate awareness of the fretboard through chords, scales, and basslines.
   • Identify, recognize, and model proper fingerings of the principal open chords in the keys of Am, C, G, D, A, E, and Em.  (DOK 1)
   • Identify, recognize, and model proper fingerings of the movable “E” and “A” type barre chords.  (DOK 1)
   • Identify and perform scales in the keys of C, G, D, A, E, and F.  (DOK 2)
   • Improvise using short melodic phrases, variations, chord progressions, and predetermined scales.  (DOK 3)
   • Identify, recognize, and define alternate forms of music notation such as basic tablature, standard tablature, and fretboard diagrams.  (DOK 1)
3. Assess musical forms.
   • Define common musical forms such as canon, ABA, and 12-bar blues.  (DOK 1)
   • Classify works into musical forms based on characteristics (DOK 2).
   • Evaluate musical forms incorporating relation to history/culture. (DOK3)
4. Demonstrate beginning strumming, fingerstyle, and flat-picking techniques.
   • Describe proper flat-picking techniques such as alternate picking and sweep picking.  (DOK 1)
   • Demonstrate flat-picking techniques such as sweep picking and alternate picking while performing on the guitar.  (DOK 2)
   • Demonstrate simple to complex chord progressions using a variety of rhythmic strumming patterns based on the time signatures studied.  (DOK 2)
   • Identify the right hand fingers p-i-m-a.  (DOK 1)
   • Demonstrate scales and chords using p-i-m-a fingerstyle techniques.  (DOK 2)

INTERMEDIATE GUITAR

LEVEL OF STUDY COMPETENCIES AND OBJECTIVES

1. Respond appropriately to musical notation.
   • Identify and perform time signatures such as cut time, 3/8, and 6/8.  (DOK 2)
   • Identify and perform intermediate rhythms including dotted rhythms, triplets, and sixteenth notes.  (DOK 2)
   • Identify (by note name and placement on guitar fretboard) all fifth position notes from A (two ledger lines below treble staff) to C (two ledger lines above treble staff).  (DOK 1)
   • Perform melody lines in fifth position in the keys of C, Am, F, and Dm.  (DOK 2)
2. Demonstrate intermediate level awareness of the fretboard through chords and scales.
   • Perform a chromatic scale in first position.  (DOK 2)
   • Identify and perform scales and melodic lines in the keys of C, Am, G, Em, D, A, E, F, and Dm.  (DOK 2)
   • Apply movable fretboard shapes (scales, chords, etc.) to various positions on the guitar to establish or match a key.  (DOK 3)
   • Improvise using short melodic phrases, variations, chord progressions, and predetermined scales.  (DOK 3)
   • Create simple melodies.  (DOK 3)
3. Develop movable chord shapes.
   • Demonstrate and perform movable “E” and “A” type barre chords.  (DOK 2)
   • Perform a I-IV-V7-I progression in every key using movable forms.  (DOK 3)
   • Perform major, minor, major seventh, dominant seventh, minor sevenths, and power chords using movable forms.  (DOK 2).
4. Demonstrate beginning strumming, fingerstyle, and flat-picking techniques
   • Demonstrate simple to complex chord progressions using a variety of rhythmic strumming patterns including syncopated rhythms.  (DOK 2)
   • Perform intermediate level chord arpeggios using p-i-m-a fingerstyle techniques.  (DOK 2)

ADVANCED GUITAR

LEVEL OF STUDY COMPETENCIES AND OBJECTIVES

1. Respond appropriately to music notation
   • Recognize and interpret ornamentations such as slides, slurs, hammers, pull-offs, and trills.  (DOK 2)
   • Recognize and interpret general articulations such as staccato, legato, accent marks, and dynamics.  (DOK 2)
   • Perform melodic lines in key of up to four sharps and three flats including relative minor keys.  (DOK 2)
   • Perform major, natural minor, harmonic minor, and melodic minor keys in every key.  (DOK 3)
2. Develop playing skills in multiple positions
   • Perform in second, fifth, and seventh positions.  (DOK 2)
   • Determine appropriate positions based a melodic lines range and key.  (DOK 3)
   • Perform an extended range to high E (three ledger lines above treble staff).  (DOK 2)
3. Perform advanced level rhythms
   • Identify and perform dotted eighth/sixteenth note rhythms and eighth/sixteenth note triplets. (DOK 2)
   • Identify and perform time signatures such as 9/8, 12/8, and 5/4.  (DOK 2)
   • Perform advanced level syncopation.  (DOK 2)
   • Demonstrate and interpret eighth notes in traditional swing style.  (DOK 2)
   • Determine appropriate use of swing eighth notes based on style.  (DOK 3)
4. Develop advanced skills using movable forms
   • Identify and perform augmented and diminished chords in every key.  (DOK 2)
   • Identify and perform major sixths, minor sixths, thirteenths, and suspended chords in every key using movable forms.  (DOK 2)
5. Demonstrate advanced right hand techniques
   • Perform two notes simultaneously using intervals of thirds, sixths, and octaves.  (DOK 2)
   • Perform advanced level chord arpeggios using p-i-m-a fingerstyle technique.  (DOK 2)
   • Perform intermediate level solo guitar repertoire with two contrapuntal voices.  (DOK 2)
   • Perform solo guitar repertoire using known cultural, musical, and expressive knowledge to enhance the performance.  (DOK 4)
6. Develop awareness of historical, cultural, and musical significance of styles, composers, and the instrument as it relates to world history in general.
   • Explain and defend the historical significance of swing and other jazz styles.  (DOK 3)
   • Research biographical information about composers of guitar literature and their historical significance.  (DOK 4)
   • Associate significant musical events associated with guitar to world history. (DOK 3)
7. Perform in a variety of ensemble situations.
   • Perform duets, trios, and quartet repertoire reflective of the skill level.  (DOK 2)