Unit Plan 7 (Grade 4 Music): Expressive Rhythm

Focus: Use dynamics and tempo to change rhythmic expression and mood in music.

Grade Level: 4

Subject Area: Music (General Music • Performing • Responding • Creating)

Total Unit Duration: 1–3 sessions, 50–60 minutes each

I. Introduction

Students explore how the same rhythm can feel completely different when they change dynamics (loud/soft) and tempo (fast/slow). Through clapping patterns, body percussion, and simple instrument patterns, they experiment with expressive choices that match different moods, images, or story moments. They listen to and compare performances to explain how expressive qualities shape musical meaning.

Essential Questions

• How can changing dynamics (loud/soft) and tempo (fast/slow) make the same rhythm feel different?
• How do musicians use expressive choices to match the mood, story, or purpose of music?
• How can I explain my expressive decisions using music vocabulary (dynamics, tempo, mood)?

II. Objectives and Standards

Learning Objectives — Students will be able to:

1. Perform short rhythmic patterns and songs while changing dynamics and tempo on purpose.
2. Match expressive choices (louder/softer, faster/slower) to a given mood, image, or story moment.
3. Compare two performances of the same rhythm and explain how expressive qualities change the feeling.
4. Use music vocabulary (dynamics, tempo, mood, expression) to describe their own and others’ performances.
5. Create and perform a short Expressive Rhythm Mini-Performance that includes at least two contrasting expressive versions plus a brief explanation.

Standards Alignment — Grade 4 Music (NAfME-Aligned)

• MU:Pr4.3.4a — Demonstrate and explain how expressive intent is conveyed through interpretive decisions and expressive qualities such as dynamics, tempo, and timbre.
  • Example: Performing the same song in two styles and explaining how expression changed meaning.
• MU:Re8.1.4a — Demonstrate and explain how expressive qualities are used in performers’ interpretations to reflect expressive intent.
  • Example: Comparing two recordings and explaining how tempo changes mood.

Success Criteria — Student Language

• I can perform the same rhythm using different dynamics and tempos on purpose.
• I can match my expressive choices to a mood, story, or picture (for example, sneaky vs. powerful).
• I can explain how changing dynamics or tempo changes the feeling of the music.
• I can use words like dynamics, tempo, and mood to talk about my own and others’ performances.