Unit Plan 30 (Grade 4 Music): Organizing Musical Ideas

Focus: Use notation and/or recording technology to capture and organize students’ own rhythmic, melodic, and simple harmonic musical ideas so they can be remembered, rehearsed, and revised.

Grade Level: 4

Subject Area: Music (Composition • Creativity • Music Literacy • Technology)

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

I. Introduction

Students shift from only performing music to creating and organizing their own musical ideas. Through short composition tasks and games, they improvise or invent rhythmic patterns, melodic phrases, and simple harmonic accompaniments (e.g., a drone or bordun) and then practice documenting those ideas so they don’t get lost. They explore different ways to “save” music—standard notation, iconic notation (shapes, patterns, solfege ladders), and simple audio recordings—and learn how each method helps them rehearse, share, and revise their work over time.

Essential Questions

• How can I save my musical ideas so I can remember, rehearse, and share them later?
• What are different ways to document music (notation, icons, recordings), and what are the strengths of each?
• How can I organize rhythm, melody, and simple harmony so that my piece feels clear and intentional instead of random?
• How does documenting my ideas help me revise and improve my music like a composer?

II. Objectives and Standards

Learning Objectives — Students will be able to:

1. Improvise or create short rhythmic patterns and melodic phrases suitable for grade-level instruments and voices.
2. Use iconic (shapes, stick notation, solfege ladders) and/or standard notation to write down their own rhythmic and melodic ideas in a way they can read back.
3. Create a simple harmonic support (e.g., bordun, drone, or repeated chord) and document it with icons, letter names, or simple notation.
4. Use recording technology (tablet, Chromebook, classroom recorder) to capture a draft performance of their musical idea for later listening and revision.
5. Organize their musical ideas into a short compositional sketch (e.g., A–A–B form or 4–8 measure phrase) that can be performed again by themselves or classmates.
6. Explain how their chosen method(s) of documentation (notation and/or recording) help them remember, rehearse, and refine their composition.

Standards Alignment — Grade 4 Music (NAfME-Aligned)

• MU:Cr2.1.4b — Use standard and/or iconic notation and/or recording technology to document personal rhythmic, melodic, and simple harmonic musical ideas.
  • Example: Notating a rhythm using standard notation and recording a melody for later revision.

Success Criteria — Student Language

• I can make up my own short rhythm and melody that fit together.
• I can write down my musical idea using notation or icons so I can read and play it again.
• I can use a recorder/tablet to record my musical idea so I can listen and improve it later.
• I can organize my idea into a clear pattern or form (for example, A–A–B).
• I can explain how my notation or recording helps me remember and revise my music.