Spain 4º ESO Music Curriculum

This information is based on the official curriculum provided by the Spanish Ministry of Education and Vocational Training.

Specific Competencies

The 4º ESO Music curriculum focuses on developing the following specific competencies:

1. Analyzing musical works: Students analyze works from different periods and cultures, identifying stylistic traits and contextual relationships to appreciate musical and dance heritage. This includes analyzing characteristics, explaining context, demonstrating open-mindedness, and critically evaluating musical and dance habits, tastes, and references across different eras and cultures.

2. Exploring expressive possibilities: Students explore the expressive possibilities of various musical and dance techniques through improvisation. This involves participating in complex improvisations (free and structured, individual and group) using voice, body, instruments, or technology, and creating structured pieces based on improvisations.

3. Performing musical and dance pieces: Students perform pieces, managing emotions and using various vocal, body, or instrumental techniques to expand personal expression. This includes reading simple scores, identifying basic musical language elements, analyzing piece structures, employing various performance techniques, applying memorization strategies, valuing rehearsals, and performing with accuracy and expressiveness while managing stage fright.

4. Creating artistic-musical proposals: Students create artistic-musical proposals using voice, body, instruments, and technology to enhance creativity and identify personal, social, academic, and professional development opportunities. This includes planning and developing creative proposals (individual and collaborative), selecting appropriate musical and dance resources and analog/digital tools, and actively participating in collaborative projects while assuming different roles and valuing group contributions.

Basic Knowledge

The curriculum covers the following areas of basic knowledge:

A. Listening and Perception:

• Silence, sound, noise, and active listening. Awareness and critical attitude towards noise pollution and indiscriminate music consumption.
• Musical and dance works: descriptive analysis of relevant characteristics. Musical and dance genres.
• Voices and instruments. Evolution and groupings. Relevance in different periods.
• Composers, artists, and performers (international, national, regional, and local).
• Concerts, musical performances, and artistic-musical events (live and recorded).
• Myths, stereotypes, and gender roles transmitted through music and dance.
• Digital tools for music reception.
• Strategies for searching, selecting, and reworking reliable, relevant, and quality information.
• Respectful and appreciative attitude in music reception.

B. Performance, Improvisation, and Stage Creation:

• Score reading and music writing.
• Elements of musical language. Tonality: modulation, harmonic functions, harmonic progressions. Complex musical forms.
• Vocal, instrumental, or body repertoire (individual and group) from various musical heritage types (historical, current, and other cultures).
• Performance techniques: vocal, instrumental, and body techniques; study techniques and emotional control.
• Guided and free improvisation techniques: melodic and rhythmic vocals, instrumental or body.
• Planning and execution of musical and audiovisual projects: use of voice, body, musical instruments, media, and technological applications.
• Values and habits of responsible consumption on digital platforms and social music networks.
• Resources for creating musical and audiovisual products. Digital tools for music creation. Sequencers, score editors, and computer applications.
• Respectful and collaborative attitudes in active participation in musical activities.

C. Contexts and Cultures:

• History of music and dance in Spain: periods, characteristics, genres, voices, instruments, and groups.
• Musical and dance traditions of other world cultures: functions, survival, and influences on other musical styles.
• Popular, urban, and contemporary music.
• Sound and music in audiovisual media and digital technologies. Music at the service of other arts and languages.