Section 3: Overview and Exam Framework
Music EC–12 (177)

Exam Overview

Table outlining the exam format, number of questions, time, and passing score.
Exam Name Music EC–12
Exam Code 177
Time 5 hours
Number of Questions 100 selected-response questions
Format Computer-administered test (CAT)

The TExES Music EC–12 (177) exam is designed to assess whether an examinee has the requisite knowledge and skills that an entry-level educator in this field in Texas public schools must possess. The 100 selected-response questions are based on the Music EC–12 exam framework, and range from grades EC–12. Your final scaled score will be based only on scored questions.

The Standards

Standard I

The music teacher has a comprehensive visual and aural knowledge of musical perception and performance.

Standard II

The music teacher sings and plays a musical instrument.

Standard III

The music teacher has a comprehensive knowledge of music notation.

Standard IV

The music teacher creates and arranges music.

Standard V

The music teacher has a comprehensive knowledge of music history and the relationship of music to history, society and culture.

Standard VI

The music teacher applies a comprehensive knowledge of music to evaluate musical compositions, performances and experiences.

Standard VII

The music teacher understands how to plan and implement effective music instruction and provides students with learning experiences that enhance their musical knowledge, skills and appreciation.

Standard VIII

The music teacher understands and applies appropriate management and discipline strategies for the music class.

Standard IX

The music teacher understands student assessment and uses assessment results to design instruction and promote student progress.

Standard X

The music teacher understands professional responsibilities and interactions relevant to music instruction and the school music program.

Domains and Competencies

Table outlining exam content subject weighting by domain.
Domain Domain Title Approx. Percentage of Exam* Standards Assessed
I Listening 25% Music EC–12 I, III, V–VI
II Music Theory and Composition 17% Music EC–12 I, III, IV, VI
III Music History and Culture 17% Music EC–12 V
IV Music Classroom Performance 25% Music EC–12 I–II, V–VII, IX–X
V Music Education 17% Music EC–12 V, VII–IX

*Percentages do not add up to 100 due to rounding.

Pie chart of approximate test weighting outlined in the table above.

The content covered by this exam is organized into broad areas of content called domains. Each domain covers one or more of the educator standards for this field. Within each domain, the content is further defined by a set of competencies. Each competency is composed of two major parts:

  • The competency statement, which broadly defines what an entry-level educator in this field in Texas public schools should know and be able to do.
  • The descriptive statements, which describe in greater detail the knowledge and skills eligible for testing.

Domain I—Listening

Competency 001—The teacher applies standard terminology to describe and analyze various elements in a musical recording.

The beginning teacher:

  1. Interprets music symbols and terms aurally (e.g., dynamics, embellishments, articulation, tempo markings), identifies specific melodic and harmonic intervals and recognizes scales and pitch collections (e.g., modal, major, minor, pentatonic, whole-tone).
  2. Identifies different rhythms and meters and interprets rhythmic and melodic phrases aurally (e.g., syncopation, hemiola, augmentation, contour, sequence, repetition).
  3. Recognizes and describes the melody, harmony and texture of a musical work (e.g., modal, tonal, atonal, ostinato, doublings, melody and countermelody).
  4. Analyzes chordal structures (e.g., major, minor, dominant seventh, diminished seventh), harmonic progressions, cadences (e.g., authentic, half, deceptive, plagal) and harmonic textures (e.g., polyphonic, homophonic, monophonic).
Competency 002—The teacher recognizes and describes music of diverse genres, styles and cultures in a musical recording.

The beginning teacher:

  1. Recognizes and demonstrates knowledge of major periods, styles and individuals in the history of music and their significance (e.g., Middle Ages, Renaissance, Baroque, Classical, Romantic, Modern).
  2. Characterizes and classifies examples of non-Western music (e.g., Indonesian gamelan, African drumming, Indian raga, Cuban salsa) by genre, style, culture or historical period.
  3. Recognizes and describes music that reflects the heritage of the United States and Texas (e.g., folk songs, work songs, jazz, blues, gospel, Tejano, country, bluegrass).
Competency 003—The teacher evaluates and critiques musical compositions and performances in a musical recording.

The beginning teacher:

  1. Identifies vocal and instrumental sounds and distinguishes among timbres (e.g., voice and instrument types and ensembles).
  2. Recognizes accurate pitch, intonation, rhythm and characteristic tone quality; recognizes and diagnoses performance problems; and detects errors accurately.
  3. Identifies and analyzes musical forms in performance and listening repertoire (e.g., twelve-bar blues, binary, ternary) and characteristics of style and expression in musical performance (e.g., dynamics, tempo, articulation, embellishments).

Domain II—Music Theory and Composition

Competency 004—The teacher knows how to read, write and interpret standard music notation.

The beginning teacher:

  1. Knows standard music terminology and identifies and interprets music symbols and terms from notation (e.g., dynamics, embellishments, articulation markings, tempo markings).
  2. Recognizes clefs, keys and meters; recognizes scales and pitch collections (e.g., modal, major, minor, pentatonic, whole-tone); identifies specific melodic and harmonic intervals; and identifies different rhythms and meters.
  3. Reads melodies in various modes and tonalities; interprets rhythmic and melodic phrases from notation; and reads music that incorporates complex rhythmic patterns in simple, compound and asymmetric meters.
  4. Recognizes and describes melody, harmony and texture of a musical work (e.g., modal, tonal, atonal, ostinato, doublings, melody and countermelody).
  5. Analyzes chordal structures (e.g., major, minor, dominant seventh, diminished seventh), harmonic progressions, cadences (e.g., authentic, half, deceptive, plagal) and harmonic textures (e.g., polyphonic, homophonic, monophonic).
Competency 005—The teacher understands methods and techniques of musical composition and improvisation and knows how to arrange music for specific purposes and settings.

The beginning teacher:

  1. Knows how to compose and arrange simple vocal and instrumental music for specific purposes and settings (e.g., scoring techniques, transpositions, ranges).
  2. Analyzes compositional devices (e.g., repetition/contrast, delayed resolution, augmentation/diminution, fugue, tone row, ostinato) and applies knowledge of music forms (e.g., binary, ternary, rondo, concerto, opera, twelve-bar blues).
  3. Knows how to improvise melodically, rhythmically and harmonically (e.g., question and answer, variation, twelve-bar blues).
  4. Applies criteria for evaluating and critiquing musical compositions, evaluates specific musical works and styles using appropriate music terminology and knows how to offer constructive suggestions for the improvement of a musical composition.

Domain III—Music History and Culture

Competency 006—The teacher demonstrates a comprehensive knowledge of the history of Western music.

The beginning teacher:

  1. Recognizes and describes major periods (e.g., Middle Ages, Renaissance, Baroque, Classical, Romantic, Modern), styles and individuals in the history of Western music and their significance.
  2. Characterizes and classifies examples of Western music by genre, style, culture or historical period.
Competency 007—The teacher understands music of diverse genres, styles and cultures and knows how music can reflect elements of a specific society or culture.

The beginning teacher:

  1. Characterizes and classifies examples of non-Western music (e.g., Indonesian gamelan, African drumming, Indian raga, Cuban salsa) by genre, style, culture or historical period.
  2. Recognizes and describes music that reflects the heritage of the United States and Texas (e.g., folk songs, work songs, jazz, blues, gospel, Tejano, country, bluegrass).
  3. Analyzes the purposes and roles of music in society and culture and analyzes relationships between music and society, culture and technology.

Domain IV—Music Classroom Performance

Competency 008—The teacher demonstrates knowledge of methods and techniques for singing.

The beginning teacher:

  1. Understands performance skills and appropriate techniques for singing (e.g., tone production, sight-singing methods).
  2. Understands proper health techniques to use during vocal rehearsals and performances (e.g., maintaining good posture, protecting the changing voice).
  3. Selects appropriate vocal literature to enhance technical skills and provide musical challenges.
  4. Understands standard terminology used in communicating about students’ musical skills and performances.
  5. Knows how to offer meaningful prescriptions for correcting performance problems and errors (e.g., diction, tone production, intonation, phrasing) and understands the constructive use of criticism when evaluating musical skills or performances.
Competency 009—The teacher demonstrates knowledge of methods and techniques for playing musical instruments.

The beginning teacher:

  1. Understands performance skills and appropriate playing techniques (e.g., bowing, fingering, embouchure, rudiments) for a range of instruments (e.g., band, orchestral, classroom).
  2. Understands proper health techniques to use during instrumental rehearsals and performances (e.g., posture, hand position, instrument maintenance).
  3. Selects appropriate instrumental literature to enhance technical skills and provide musical challenges.
  4. Understands standard terminology used in communicating about students’ musical skills and performances.
  5. Knows how to offer meaningful prescriptions for correcting performance problems and errors (e.g., intonation, vibrato, articulation, tone production) and understands the constructive use of criticism when evaluating musical skills or performances.
Competency 010—The teacher knows how to conduct vocal and instrumental performances.

The beginning teacher:

  1. Selects appropriate conducting techniques for small and large ensembles (e.g., basic conducting patterns, techniques for communicating expression markings, cuing techniques).
  2. Demonstrates knowledge of appropriate vocal and instrumental performance techniques for small and large ensembles.
  3. Knows how to interpret music through performance and demonstrates knowledge of musical performance styles.
  4. Demonstrates knowledge of a varied musical repertoire for vocal and instrumental performance.
  5. Understands legal and ethical issues related to the use or performance of music in an educational setting, applies knowledge of copyright laws to make appropriate decisions about the use of music in an educational setting and knows federal and state policies and regulations concerning the use and performance of music.

Domain V—Music Education

Competency 011—The teacher knows how to plan and implement effective music instruction.

The beginning teacher:

  1. Demonstrates knowledge of the content and performance standards for music that comprise the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) and recognizes the significance of the TEKS in developing a music curriculum.
  2. Knows how to use multiple forms of assessment and knowledge of the TEKS to help determine students’ progress in developing music skills and understanding, applies knowledge of techniques and criteria for ongoing assessment of students’ musical knowledge and skills and knows how to use assessment results to help develop instructional plans.
  3. Demonstrates an understanding of appropriate sequencing of music instruction and knows how to deliver developmentally appropriate music instruction that is sequenced and delivered in ways that encourage active engagement in learning and make instructional content meaningful.
  4. Knows how to adapt instructional methods to provide appropriate learning experiences for students with varied needs, learning modalities and levels of development and musical experience.
  5. Knows how to provide instruction that promotes students’ understanding and application of fundamental principles of music and that offers students varied opportunities to make music using instruments and voice, to respond to a wide range of musical styles and genres and to evaluate music of various types.
  6. Demonstrates an understanding of materials and resources available for use in music education and applies knowledge of procedures and criteria for selecting an appropriate repertoire for the music class.
  7. Knows how to use varied materials, resources and technologies to promote students’ creativity, learning and performance and understands the use of technology as a tool in the music class.
  8. Instructs students to apply skills for forming and communicating critical judgments about music and music performance; knows strategies and benefits of promoting students’ critical-thinking and problem-solving skills in relation to music; and knows how to provide students with frequent opportunities to use critical-thinking and problem-solving skills in analyzing, creating and responding to music.
Competency 012—The teacher knows how to provide students with learning experiences that enhance their musical knowledge, skills and appreciation.

The beginning teacher:

  1. Demonstrates awareness of the importance of helping students develop music skills that are relevant to their own lives and of providing students with a level of musical self-sufficiency that encourages lifelong enjoyment of music.
  2. Knows how to provide students with opportunities to contribute to the music class by drawing on their personal experiences and by encouraging students to pursue musical knowledge independently.
  3. Demonstrates knowledge of various music and music-related career options and knows how to promote music as an integral element in students’ lives, whether as a vocation or as an avocation.
  4. Knows how to help students develop an understanding and appreciation of various cultures through music instruction and discussion of current events related to music and knows how to incorporate a diverse musical repertoire into instruction, including music from both Western and non-Western traditions.
  5. Knows how to integrate music instruction with other subject areas and analyzes relationships among the content, concepts and processes of music, the other fine arts and other subjects.
  6. Applies strategies and procedures for effectively managing and organizing the music class in various settings (e.g., rehearsal room, concert hall, marching field); knows how to manage time, instructional resources and physical space effectively for the music class; and knows how to teach students concert etiquette.
  7. Demonstrates knowledge of techniques for effectively and efficiently managing varied resources for the music education program and applies strategies for managing and documenting the use and condition of musical instruments and other materials in the music program.
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