1. Discussion Question: What does the author mean by “sensitive”?

2. If music is your calling…
What other careers are there in the “arts”?

3. What are some pros & cons for choosing a career in the arts?

4. What is an Artist?
Classical: Someone who skillfully makes things. (ie. Skilled Craftsman)
Fine Art: Aesthetic object that imitates idealized nature with its beauty and order.
Modern: Someone who uses skill and creativity to make something admired for its beauty and expression.
Post-Modern: Everyone is an artist and anything is art. The more shocking, the better!

5. What Skills does a Musical Artist Need?

6. Vocal Technique
Does your voice have the right tone quality for the songs you sing?
Can you hit all the high & low notes?
Does your voice feel free & easy over the whole range?
Can people understand the words?
Can you sing loud & quiet enough?
Can you hold notes long enough?
Can you sing all the fast notes without tripping up?
Do your posture & facial expressions look good?

7. Reading & Writing Musical Notation
Do you know the names & values of all the notes and rests?
Can you say the solfege &rhythm syllables of any music you come across?
Can you sight-sing any music with correct pitches & rhythm?
Can you read both treble & bass clef?
Can you write down any rhythm you hear? Can you write down any melody?
Can you read & write chords?

8. Singing in Tune & Improvising
Can you sing back a melody or rhythm?
Can you sing a major scale in tune?
Can you sing any interval in tune?
Can you sing a minor or chromatic scale in tune?
Can you sing major, minor, and 7th chords?
Can you identify the chords used in a song?
Can you hold a harmony part while someone else sings the melody?
Can you create rhythms or melodies on the spot?
Can you create a melody that goes with given chords?

9. Fundamental Elements of Music
Can you identify & analyze the…
Time elements of music: beat, meter, rhythm, ostinato
Melody: key, mode, counterpoint, melodic motives
Harmony: chords, progressions
Form: phrase-level, song-level, work-level, introduction, verse, chorus, coda, bridge, etc.
Can you explain how they work together in a song to express musical ideas?

10. Interpreting Musical Expressions
Can you read dynamic markings & crescendos?
Pauses & breath marks?
Tempo & style markings?
Articulation marks?
Ornamentats?
Can you sing in a classical tone? Pop tone?
Do you know what a minuet is supposed to feel like?
Can you tell when a song wants you to express a certain emotion?

11. Dramatizing Musical Works
Can you pick out the story or emotion portrayed in songs?
Can you come up with new and unique story-lines that fit a song?
Can you come up with and use good facial expressions in a song?
Can you come up with and use good gestures or movements?
Can you develop and believably act out a character other than yourself in a vocal performance?

12. Historical & Cultural Context
Can you identify the time period or culture of songs you hear?
Can you tell someone how baroque or blues music should be performed to be authentic?
Can you analyze if Mozart’s Requiem Mass was typical or revolutionary for its time?
Can you explain what a Beethoven symphony or African-American spiritual would mean to someone in the culture it came from?

13. Rehearsing & Performing
Do you have a lot of experience singing in a performance in a large group?
Small group? Solo?
Is it comfortable or scary?
Can you learn new music quickly & accurately?
Can you help your section & the rest of the choir learn music?
Are you professional in rehearsals & performances?
Have you rehearsed & performed with advanced groups: Schola Cantorum, Capitol/Regional/All-State honor choir?

14. Song-Writing Can you come up with a melody that is original?
Write a harmony part to fit a melody?
Write a melody to fit given chords?
Write poetry/lyrics that express a story or situation?
Write lyrics to fit a musical form like verse-chorus?
Write an entire song with melody, chords, & lyrics that fit each other.
Perform your own song for someone else?

15. Artistic Identity
How does your family, friends, and cultural groups affect your taste in music and the arts?
How open are you to experimenting with classical & multicultural music?
Which artistic skills do you now have? Which skills would you like to develop?
In what ways will you use artistic skills in your life: Performing, creating music/art, watching or listening to music/art, professional musician/ artist, using artistic creativity in other professions, etc.?