"A musically gifted person is someone who shows, or has the potential for showing, an exceptional level of performance in creating music, performing music, and/or responding to music."-- Adapted from the National Association for Gifted Children (NAGC) definition of "gifted"

The identification of musically gifted and talented students requires the recognition and assessment of the following categories of criteria indicative of musical talent: Musical awareness and discrimination, Perceptual awareness of sound, Rhythmic sense, Sense of pitch, Creative Interpretation - includes performance elements as well as personal improvisation and composition, Musical Behavior and Performance - awareness of the interaction of listener and performer; the impact of the performance through the student's involvement, Intensity - the persistence, motivation, and commitment indicative of artistic focus.