STANDARDS ALIGNMENT · FULL MATRIX
The Music Ace Maestro curriculum, concept by concept
Every concept the 48 lessons cover, what students do with it, and the National Core Music Standards it supports. Codes follow the 2014 NCAS for PK–8 General Music, used verbatim by California, New York, Illinois, and most other states.
Pitch & the staff
CONCEPTWHAT STUDENTS DOSTANDARDS
The staffLearn lines and spaces; place and name notes on the staff.MU:Pr4.2 ·MU:Re7.2
Pitch comparison & matchingHear two pitches and judge higher/lower/same; match a heard pitch on the staff or keyboard.MU:Re7.2 ·MU:Re9.1
Treble-clef note namesRead and name notes on the treble staff; perform them at the keyboard.MU:Pr4.2 ·MU:Pr6.1
Bass clef & the grand staffExtend reading to the bass clef and the full grand staff.MU:Pr4.2
Ledger lines & octavesRead notes above and below the staff; recognize octave equivalence by eye and ear.MU:Pr4.2 ·MU:Re7.2
Sharps, flats & naturalsRead accidentals and hear the half-step differences they make.MU:Pr4.2 ·MU:Re7.2
The keyboard
CONCEPTWHAT STUDENTS DOSTANDARDS
Keyboard geographyLearn white-key names and the black-key groups that anchor them.MU:Pr4.2
Staff-to-keyboard connectionRead a note on the staff and play it, on screen or on an attached MIDI keyboard.MU:Pr4.2 ·MU:Pr6.1
Whole steps & half stepsSee and hear the smallest intervals, the building blocks of scales.MU:Pr4.2 ·MU:Re7.2
Rhythm & meter
CONCEPTWHAT STUDENTS DOSTANDARDS
Beat & tempoFeel and keep a steady beat; respond to tempo changes.MU:Pr6.1 ·MU:Re7.2
Note durations & restsRead whole, half, quarter, and eighth notes and rests; perform them in time with real-time scoring.MU:Pr4.2 ·MU:Pr6.1
Meter & time signaturesGroup beats into measures; read and count in common meters.MU:Pr4.2
Syncopation, ties & dotsRead and perform off-beat and extended rhythms in longer passages.MU:Pr4.2 ·MU:Pr6.1
Rhythm dictationHear a rhythm and identify or notate the pattern that matches it.MU:Re7.2 ·MU:Cr2.1
Scales, keys & tonality
CONCEPTWHAT STUDENTS DOSTANDARDS
Major scale structureBuild major scales from whole- and half-step patterns; play and hear them.MU:Pr4.2 ·MU:Re7.2
Minor scale structureBuild minor scales and compare their structure to major.MU:Pr4.2 ·MU:Re7.2
Hearing major vs. minorDistinguish the two by ear: first whole scales, then fragments, at rising difficulty.MU:Re7.2 ·MU:Re9.1
Key signaturesRead key signatures and apply them while performing.MU:Pr4.2 ·MU:Pr6.1
Intervals, harmony & ear training
CONCEPTWHAT STUDENTS DOSTANDARDS
IntervalsRead, play, and identify intervals on the staff, then recognize them by ear.MU:Pr4.2 ·MU:Re7.2
MelodyFollow melodic contour and phrase structure in music they read and hear.MU:Pr4.2 ·MU:Re7.2
Harmony & chordsRead chords on the staff; hear how harmony supports a melody.MU:Pr4.2 ·MU:Re7.2
Ear training throughoutListening is folded into staff, scale, and interval work, so the eye and ear are trained together.MU:Re7.2 ·MU:Re9.1
Creating, in lessons and the Doodle Pad
CONCEPTWHAT STUDENTS DOSTANDARDS
Compose-a-melody activitiesInside lessons: write a short melody using the pattern just learned.MU:Cr1.1 ·MU:Cr2.1
Doodle Pad compositionCompose from a blank page in notation; play back, revise, and save.MU:Cr1.1 ·MU:Cr2.1 ·MU:Cr3.1
Jukebox excerptsOpen classical excerpts, hear them, and rework them, connecting students' own work to the repertoire.MU:Cr2.1 ·MU:Cn11.0
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