Unit Plan 11 (Grade 4 Music): Major & Minor Tonality

Focus: Generate melodies in major and minor tonalities and explain how expressive choices (tempo, dynamics, tone) shape meaning.

Grade Level: 4

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

Total Unit Duration: 1 required session + 2 optional sessions (50–60 minutes each)

I. Introduction

Students explore how major and minor tonalities can make the same basic melody feel different. Through listening, singing, and simple instrument work, they identify whether music sounds “bright” or “mysterious/sad” and connect that sound to major vs. minor. Then they generate short melodic ideas in both tonalities and discuss how tempo, dynamics, and tone help performers show the intended emotion or story.

Essential Questions

• How do major and minor tonalities change the way a melody feels?
• How can I use melody, tempo, and dynamics to show a specific mood or character?
• How do performers’ expressive choices (tempo, dynamics, tone) affect how we understand and respond to music?

II. Objectives and Standards

Learning Objectives — Students will be able to:

• Identify whether short musical examples are in major or minor tonality and describe the mood.
• Generate simple 4–8 beat melodic ideas in both major and minor tonalities using voices or classroom instruments.
• Explain how tempo, dynamics, and tone color change the expressive impact of a melody.
• Create and perform a short major and a short minor version of a melody and tell how each supports a different feeling or context.
• Reflect on performers’ choices in recordings or live demonstrations, explaining how those choices show expressive intent.

Standards Alignment — Grade 4 Music (NAfME-Aligned)

• MU:Cr1.1.4b — Generate musical ideas (such as rhythms, melodies, and simple accompaniment patterns) within related tonalities (such as major and minor) and meters.
  • Example: Writing a melody in minor mode to sound mysterious and in triple meter.
• 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 tell if a short piece sounds major or minor and describe its mood.
• I can create a short melody in major and a short melody in minor using my voice or an instrument.
• I can explain how changing tempo or dynamics makes the same melody feel different.
• I can perform my melodic idea and tell how my expressive choices show what I want the music to communicate.
• I can listen to a performance and explain how expressive choices (tempo, dynamics, tone) show the performer’s intent.