Students will learn the basics of rhythmic literacy by correlating the number of syllables in a word to a rhythmic value. Students will select their favorite food that has toppings (pizza, ice cream sundae, cake, cookie, or sandwich) and create rhythmic patterns using words with varying numbers of syllables.

This plan will introduce beginning choral students to the basics of sight reading using solfege. Students will find success through the application of solfege by understanding why and how it impacts them as independent musicians. 

This plan will introduce the foundational skills and methods to develop successful sight-reading through guided practice. These methods provide students with the awareness and confidence to become capable and independent at the sight-reading process.

This plan combines rote learning with a simplified, one-line tab staff to introduce tablature. Elements of passive learning are included (major and minor scales, triads, common rhythmic figures, etc.) that can be referenced later when pedagogically appropriate. The plan is meant to eventually function as a flexible warm-up that can be expanded according to the ambitions of the instructor.

This nine-week unit builds music literacy skills and supports connections to outside content. It is intended to co-exist with the secondary choral classroom and strengthen music literacy skills. Students will engage in small groups to collaboratively write a song together. Students will use melodic, harmonic, and aural skills to identify chord progressions, hear and sing melody lines over chord progressions, write  lyrics, and sing together in unison and harmony. Students may also use accompanying instruments during this project.

Students will listen to three contrasting listening examples to describe how music makes them feel. They will use these emotions to create a collaborative short story, then assign movement to each part of that story. Students will perform their creative movement piece as a class.

Students will develop listening skills and identify differences in forte and piano dynamics. The teacher will tell an imaginative story to accompany a piece of music such as, Haydn’s “Surprise Symphony.” Students will respond to music with movement, as they reenact the story.

Using the S.C.A.M.P.E.R. strategy (substitute, combine, adapt, modify, put to another use, eliminate, and reverse), students will be able to take a well-known song and create a variation by isolating one element of music literacy. It is a technique that is adaptable to English learners, learners with special needs, advanced academic students, and the general population.

This instructional plan teaches young students how to demonstrate leadership in a chamber music setting. This outline can be used to develop efficient rehearsal strategies with the proper resources for younger students to have consistent, meaningful rehearsals in the classroom with minimal teacher assistance.

This plan will provide the instructor with an outline and resources to direct students through the formation of a student virtual performance portfolio. Students will use their virtual performance portfolio to collect both individual and ensemble performing artifacts throughout the year to evaluate and critique performances, formulate and justify personal responses to music, and monitor individual practice and progress toward goals.

Students will learn the symbols representing Virginia (flag, flower and bird). Students will create a personal symbol. Students will create their own song/chant about a symbol or flag they created.

This plan will provide the teacher and student with the resources to engage in kind and constructive feedback. Students will use music terminology to evaluate, define, and provide feedback to peer performances.

The teacher will lead students through a sequence of vocal exercises, highlighting major categories in order to deepen intent on specific skill development. Using your own favorite vocal warm-up exercises, encourage students to consider the benefits and intentions behind each warm-up exercise. Students will engage their creative process in generating new warm-up exercises to share with their peers.

This plan identifies six key elements of musicality for singers. Students will apply each principle to their current choral repertoire to improve and develop musicality.

This plan provides students the opportunity to express fingerboard  understanding on string instruments, a skill opening many avenues to musical expression. The provided materials can be used and manipulated by teachers to assist with student understanding one string at a time. This technology, which is free and already used in classrooms, is intuitive to the teacher and student. 

This plan provides students the opportunity to express fingerboard understanding on string instruments, a skill opening many avenues to musical expression. The provided materials can be used and manipulated by teachers to assist with student understanding one string at a time. This technology, which is free and already used in classrooms, is intuitive to the teacher and student.

In this plan, students will use the melody from the jazz standard “St. James Infirmary” as a springboard to improvisation. The students will utilize a call and response technique to learn the melody. Then students will learn several ways they can utilize the content within the melody of a song to improvise.

From classical composers to hip hop artists, musicians have used sampling to bring life to compositions. Creating and sharing that intellectual property can be tricky, but in this lesson, students in primary elementary will actively engage in the ethical treatment of other students' work and combine samples from their class into their composition.

Students will compose and perform a melody consisting of quarter notes, eighth notes, and quarter rests using traditional and non-traditional notation. Students will also gain facility performing the notes E, G, A and C on the recorder.

In this lesson, students will compose and notate “soundscapes” using found instruments. In preparing to notate their compositions, students will consider the limitations and benefits of extant notation systems.