• Course Description

    In each unit in Kindergarten, students have the opportunity to create, present, respond to, and connect with a variety of musical forms. They imitate, echo, and create music and learn to use musical vocabulary to describe and respond to music. Students will explore with dance, rhythm, vocal music, instrumental music, and iconic notation. Students will consider what musical forms and dances are appropriate for different occasions and celebrations.

    Grade Level(s): Kindergarten

    Related Priority Standards (State &/or National):  Missouri Fine Arts Music Standards

    Essential Questions

    • How can we change how a piece of music makes you feel?
    • How do we listen so we can imitate a piece of music?
    • How do we practice so our music sounds the way we want it to?
    • How can we hear the music we see written down?                           
    • How do we practice so that our performance improves?
    • What would our audience like to hear?                               
    • How will this music make people feel?                               
    • What music would contrast with this?                               
    • Which songs go together?   

    Enduring Understandings/Big Ideas

    • People respond to music by moving along with it.                       
    • Music expresses moods and influences people's emotions.
    • Musicians practice a lot to make a performance sound the way they want to.
    • Musicians think about their audience and change things to make the performance fit the occasion.
    • Musicians use symbols to write and plan music that other people can read and play.
    • Musicians use strategies to learn and perform written music.           
    • Musicians practice and improve their performances.
    • Musicians prepare for performances by selecting and practicing music they think their audience will appreciate.                                
    • Some pieces of music go together and some contrast with each other. Musicians select musics that go together and contrast in interesting ways.                                
    • People make lists of songs that fit a particular mood or occasion. The songs you use in a parade are different from the songs you sing at bedtime.

    Course-Level Scope & Sequence (Units &/or Skills)

    Unit 1 - Move in Place and Through Space: Fast vs Slow

    • Students will explore locomotor and non-locomotor movements to fast and slow music, chants, and fingerplay.
    • Students will describe the feelings of a piece of music.

    Unit 2 - Instrument Exploration

    • Students will explore percussion instruments with proper technique.
    • Students will demonstrate high/low, up/down/same by accompanying songs, imitating the teacher, or by telling a story, or creating a soundscape.
    • Students will intentionally change an element of performance and describe the difference.

    Unit 3 - Steady Beat and Iconic Notation

    • Students will identify and perform; beat, no beat, silent beat, long and short rhythms using iconic notation.
    • Practice and improve their performance of a rhythmic piece   

    Unit 4 - Vocal Exploration

    • Students will imitate instruments, interpret images, recite poems and chants, perform arioso, and learn songs to explore and demonstrate four voices (whisper, calling, speaking, singing).
    • Students will distinguish sounds as high/low, loud/quiet, up/down/same.
    • Create a list of songs appropriate for a specific occasion.

    Course Resources & Materials: TBD

    Date Last Revised/Approved: 2022