Chapter 3
Visual and
Performing Arts
Content
Standards
Kindergarten
K
indergarten students dance, sing, act, and paint, exploring their world
through their senses and improving their perceptual skills, so important to
learning and performing in the arts. They can act like cats; move to music,
rhythm, and sounds; and turn everyday movements such as walking and jump-
ing into dance. Listening to music, they repeat the tempo with rhythm sticks
and pretend and act out the stories they hear and
the pictures they see by performing group pan-
tomimes and improvisations. They like to
talk about what they see in pictures and
use glue and scissors with enthusiasm
while learning about line, color, shape,
texture, value, and space in the world
around them and in works of art.
While learning vocabulary in each of
the arts disciplines, they see, listen, and
respond to dance, music, theatre, and
the visual arts from various cultures
and time periods. For kindergarten
students the arts are among their first
exciting adventures in learning. They are
beginning to develop the vocabulary and
skills unique to the arts.Dance
Students learn many ways to move through space and respond to
their teacher’s instructions to hop, turn, wiggle, or be still. They
use this ability to control their movements, express ideas, and
respond to different types of music. By learning folk and traditional
dances, they can talk about how the dances are the same or different by
using such terms as costume, speed, and force. They also learn to distinguish
between everyday movements and dance movements.Music
In music students sing and play instruments, become aware of
music in their daily experience, and learn about music from various
cultures. Creating movements in response to music helps them
connect to dance and discern variations in rhythm, tempo, and
dynamics.