4th Grade

What do we do in 4th Grade Music?

Through a variety of musical activities, students will demonstrate musical standards through creating, performing, and responding.
Students will be able to sing songs of various styles and cultures using their head voice.
Students will be able to play a variety of instruments by echoing the teacher, creating their own patterns, playing from memory, and reading notation.
Students will be able to create tonal and rhythmic patterns using their voice and instruments.
Students will be able to identify different genres and styles of music and make connections between personal experiences and a musical work.
Students will be able to demonstrate active listening as an audience member.
Students will work towards being tuneful, beatful, and artful in and out of the music classroom.

Recorders: Students will continue their work with recorders, building on the foundation created in 3rd grade. Students will learn more songs, play in unison with the class, play solos for the class, and play in parts with the class.
Ukuleles: Students will add another instrument to their skills by learning the foundational skills of the ukulele. Students will learn simple chords and progressions and begin to accompany themselves for simple melodies. Students will build on this foundation in the 5th grade.
Xylophone and Chimes: Students will learn these instruments together, learning to play melodies, basslines, and harmonies as an instrumental ensemble.
Music of the Americas: Throughout the year, students will learn about music cultures in North, Central and South America. Students will learn styles of music that originate from various regions and how their culture and history influenced the development of the genres.
Conversational Solfege: Students will learn various tonal and rhythmic elements through learning patterns, songs and rhymes by ear and reading notation. Students will learn to listen and echo, create and read notation.
If Time... We love to end class with a fun musical game or dance party. But only if we have time after getting through all of the planned activities for the class!

Basics and Classroom Expectations
What notes do we know?
- Do, Re, Mi
Recorder Karate:
- White Belt - Snail, Snail
- Yellow Belt - Closet Key
- Orange Belt - Sailor, Sailor

Opening Discussion Questions
- What do you think when you hear "Music of the Americas?"
- What are the regions of the "Americas?"
- What makes up a "music culture?"
Music of the Indigenous People of North America
Music of the Northeast United States
Music of the Southeast United States
Music of the Midwest United States
Music of the West/Southwest United States
Music of Latin America

By end of December:

By end of the year:

Energize the Body: Stretch and get the entire body ready to sing. Our body is our instrument in chorus!
Energize the Breath: It is important to have good breath support by taking a good singers breath when we sing!
Energize the Ear: Most often, we are learning our repertoire using our ear, even if we have notation in front of us. It is important that we can hear melodies, rhythms, and especially when there is a mistake!
Energize the Voice: Before we can sing our repertoire, we need to make sure we are using our singing/ head voice. Singing in our chest voice or speaking voice does not produce the beautiful choral sound we are looking for!
Energize the Song: Lastly before we get to repertoire we plan to prepare for a concert, we will sing together as a chorus a simple song in unison or a round, canon, or partner songs in parts.
Repertoire: We are now ready to prepare repertoire for our next performance, or just for fun!

Rounds and Partner Songs
- Coffee and All Things Shall Perish
- Sing Me Another
- To Stop the Train
- Old Abram Brown
Winter Concert
- Jewish/Hanukkah Song: Haida - Jewish Folk Song
- Round voted on by students: Old Abram Brown
Spring Concert