Unit Plan 36 (Grade 4 Music): Music Sharing Day

Focus: Perform selected music with expression, technical accuracy, and appropriate interpretation, while demonstrating performance decorum and audience etiquette that fit the context of a class sharing day or informal concert.

Grade Level: 4

Subject Area: Music (Performance • Expression • Concert Skills)

Total Unit Duration: 1–3 sessions (3+ weeks), 50–60 minutes per session

I. Introduction

Students celebrate their year of music learning with a Music Sharing Day. They prepare and present songs, patterns, or short pieces (solo or group) in an informal “mini-concert” setting. Along the way, they review performance expectations (posture, focus, entrances, exits) and audience etiquette (listening, responding, encouraging). They think about how to show confidence and respect for the music, their classmates, and the performance space. The unit blends musical performance with social-emotional skills like poise, supportiveness, and pride in their work.

Essential Questions

• What does it mean to perform with expression, technical accuracy, and interpretation?
• How do we show performance decorum and audience etiquette that fit a class concert or sharing day?
• How can we show confidence and respect when we are performing and when we are listening?
• How can sharing music with others help us reflect on what we have learned this year?

II. Objectives and Standards

Learning Objectives — Students will be able to:

1. Prepare and perform selected pieces (songs, instrument patterns, or short ensembles) with mostly correct notes/rhythms, steady tempo, and clear phrasing.
2. Use expression (dynamics, articulation, tone, facial expression/body language) to communicate the character of the music.
3. Demonstrate appropriate performance decorum (posture, focus, starting/ending together, bowing/acknowledging audience) and audience etiquette (quiet listening, applause at appropriate times).
4. Adjust performance choices (expression, volume, space use) to fit the context and venue of a classroom sharing day.
5. Reflect on their performance and behavior as performers and audience members, identifying strengths and goals for future performances.

Standards Alignment — Grade 4 Music (NAfME-Aligned)

• MU:Pr6.1.4a — Perform music, alone or with others, with expression, technical accuracy, and appropriate interpretation.
  • Example: Performing a song with correct notes, rhythm, and style.
• MU:Pr6.1.4b — Demonstrate performance decorum and audience etiquette appropriate for the context, venue, and genre.
  • Example: Showing proper concert behavior when performing or listening.

Success Criteria — Student Language

• I can perform my music with mostly correct notes, rhythms, and a steady beat.
• I can show expression with my voice or instrument (using dynamics, tone, and phrasing) that matches the music.
• I can show good concert behavior when I perform (posture, focus, starting and ending together) and when I listen (quiet, respectful, clapping at the right time).
• I can explain one interpretive choice I made (for example, “We played the ending softly so it felt calm.”).
• I can share one strength of my performance and one goal for next time I perform in front of others.