Unit Plan 15 (Grade 5 Music): Expressive Singing & Playing

Focus: Apply dynamics, tempo, timbre, and articulation to shape melodic performance in both singing and playing, using rehearsal strategies to refine expressive intent.

Grade Level: 5

Subject Area: Music (General • Performance • Expression)

Total Unit Duration: 1 required session (core), plus up to 2 optional extension sessions; 50–60 minutes per session

I. Introduction

In this unit, students learn how to make music sound alive by using expressive tools: dynamics (loud/soft), tempo (fast/slow), timbre (tone color), and articulation (smooth/detached). They explore how the same melody can communicate different feelings based on expressive choices, and how thoughtful rehearsal strategies can improve both accuracy and expression. Through guided practice and reflection, students become more intentional about how they sing and play to match a musical purpose or mood.

Essential Questions

• How do dynamics, tempo, timbre, and articulation change the way a melody feels and what it seems to “say”?
• What choices can performers make to show a clear expressive intent when singing or playing a melody?
• How can rehearsal strategies (isolating measures, repeating tricky spots, using feedback) help improve both technical accuracy and expressive qualities over time?

II. Objectives and Standards

Learning Objectives — Students will be able to:

1. Identify and describe expressive qualities (dynamics, tempo, timbre, articulation) used in a short melodic example.
2. Perform a simple melody in two contrasting expressive styles (e.g., smooth vs. detached, soft vs. loud) and explain how the choices change the mood (MU:Pr4.3.5a).
3. Use at least two rehearsal strategies (slowing down, looping a measure, clapping rhythm first, etc.) to refine accuracy and expression (MU:Pr5.1.5b).
4. Work in a small ensemble or whole group to rehearse and improve expressive performance between a first run and a later run (MU:Pr5.1.5b).
5. Reflect on their performance using music vocabulary and simple criteria (clear dynamics, steady tempo, consistent articulation, controlled tone).

Standards Alignment — Grade 5 Music (NAfME-Aligned)

• MU:Pr4.3.5a — Explain how expressive intent is conveyed through interpretive decisions and expressive qualities such as dynamics, tempo, timbre, articulation, and style.
  • Example: Performing the same piece in contrasting styles and explaining the expressive differences.
• MU:Pr5.1.5b — Rehearse to refine technical accuracy and expressive qualities, address performance challenges, and show improvement over time.
  • Example: Isolating difficult measures and tracking progress across rehearsals.

Success Criteria — Student Language

• I can hear and describe how dynamics, tempo, timbre, and articulation affect the mood of a melody.
• I can perform a short melody in at least two different expressive ways and explain what I changed.
• I can use rehearsal strategies (like slowing down or repeating a measure) to fix both accuracy and expressive issues.
• I can show improvement in how expressive and accurate my performance is from the beginning to the end of rehearsal.
• I can use words like dynamics, tempo, timbre, articulation, phrase, expression to talk about my singing/playing.