Unit Plan 18 (Grade 5 Band): Notating Music

Focus: Notate musical ideas using basic rhythm, pitch, and dynamic symbols.

Grade Level: 5

Subject Area: Band (Performing • Creating • Responding • Connecting)

Total Unit Duration: 1–2 weeks, 5 sessions (30 minutes per session; Sessions 3–5 optional extensions)

I. Introduction

In this unit, beginning band students learn how to turn sounds into written music using simple notation symbols. They connect what they already do—clapping rhythms, playing short patterns, and changing loud/soft—to basic notes, rests, staff lines, and dynamic markings on the page. Students practice copying and then creating short musical ideas that include rhythm, pitch, and dynamics, so that another player could read and perform them accurately.

By the end of the unit, each student will create a short “Notated Music Card” that shows their own idea written clearly enough for a classmate to perform.

Essential Questions

• How does music notation help us remember and share musical ideas with others?
• What symbols do musicians use to show rhythm, pitch, and dynamics on the page?
• How can I write my own short musical idea so another musician can read and play it?

II. Objectives and Standards

Learning Objectives — Students will be able to:

1. Identify and describe basic notation symbols (staff, bar line, measure, quarter note, eighth note, rests, p/f) in beginning band music.
2. Copy simple 4-beat and 8-beat patterns from sound or teacher example into correct notation using notes and rests.
3. Place notes on the staff using a limited pitch set appropriate to their instrument (e.g., 3–5 notes in a comfortable range).
4. Add dynamic markings (p, f) and basic expressive symbols to their written patterns.
5. Create a short Notated Music Card that includes rhythm, pitch, and dynamics, and is clear enough for a classmate to perform.

Standards Alignment — Grade 5 Band (custom, NAfME-style)

• BD:Cr2.5b — Use basic notation symbols and/or recording tools to document musical ideas, including pitch, rhythm, and simple dynamics.
  • Example: Students notate quarter notes and eighth notes and add p/f markings.

Success Criteria — Student-Friendly Language

• I can name and find basic notation symbols like staff, bar line, notes, rests, and dynamics.
• I can copy a short rhythm or melody using the correct note and rest symbols.
• I can put notes on the right lines or spaces for a small set of notes on my instrument.
• I can add p (soft) and f (loud) to show how I want my music to sound.
• I can write a short music idea that another player can read and perform.