K-5 Elementary Music

K-5 Music Essential Learnings

  • Creates vocal sounds in a variety of ways
  • Performs a steady beat
  • Creates songs using a variety of sound sources
  • Recognizes basic symbols in music
  • Responds to music through active listening and movement
  • Identifies a variety of elements that make music sound different
  • Articulates the connections made with music and other subjects
  • Recognizes that music comes from different places in the world
  • Sings songs and simple melodic patterns on pitch with expressive elements
  • Performs beat and rhythm
  • Creates music in the form of rhythmic or melodic patterns
  • Reads and writes rhythms using basic music symbols
  • Responds to music through active listening and movement
  • Recognizes how different elements create excitement and variety in musical compositions
  • Articulates the connections made between music and other subjects
  • Recognizes that music comes from different places in the worlds and serves different purposes
  • Accompanies a variety of songs with classroom instruments
  • Composes and improvises using voice or instruments
  • Reads and writes rhythms and melodies on a staff using basic music symbols
  • Listens to and describes the music and instruments they hear
  • Interprets how different elements create excitement and variety in musical compositions
  • Interprets the relationship between music in relations to history and culture
  • Describes how music comes from different places in the world and serves a variety of purposes
  • Sings a variety of rounds and unison songs while interpreting a conductor’s cues
  • Plays a variety of melodies on an instrument with appropriate technique
  • Creates a structured phrase in music
  • Uses basic symbols in reading and writing rhythms and melodies on the treble staff
  • Actively listens to and describes music and instruments
  • Describes how a music group achieves precision and expressiveness
  • Interprets the relationships between music and other subjects
  • Analyzes how music comes from different places in the world and serves a variety of purposes
  • Demonstrates how a partner song creates harmony
  • Plays an instrument in an ensemble setting following conductor’s cues
  • Creates a musical piece with structure
  • Uses basic symbols in reading and writing rhythms and melodies on the treble staff
  • Aurally and visually identifies instrument families and folk instruments
  • Understands how musical elements interact in a piece
  • Interprets the relationship between music and other subjects
  • Understands music in a historical context

Grade 5

  • Demonstrates how songs can be sung in multi-part harmony
  • Demonstrates how instruments can be played in multi-part harmony
  • Creates a music piece following a structured form
  • Uses basic music symbols in reading and writing music on the grand staff
  • Listens to and analyzes multiple part music
  • Identifies specific elements which contribute to the equality and effectiveness of music
  • Interprets the relationship between music and other subjects
  • Understands music in a historical context
  • Sings passages from fourth/fifth grade band repertoire
  • Performs a varied repertoire of music on pitched and non-pitched instruments with some expressive elements
  • Produces sound with proper technique
  • Creates melodies and rhythmic patterns
  • Reads and writes simple melodies in the appropriate clef
  • Analyzes musical events using appropriate music vocabulary
  • Identifies what elements contribute to the effectiveness and quality of a musical performance or composition
  • Articulates the connection between music and other subjects