Unit Plan 26 (Grade 5 Music): Music Storytelling

Focus: Create and refine music that supports stories, scenes, or images, then present it with a clear explanation of expressive intent and personal connection.

Grade Level: 5

Subject Area: Music (General Music)

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

I. Introduction

Students become musical storytellers, using sound to bring stories, scenes, and images to life. They explore how different rhythms, melodies, textures, and timbres can represent characters, settings, and emotions. Then they create short musical pieces (soundtracks or “soundscapes”) to match a chosen story, picture, or memory and present their final versions, explaining how their interests, skills, and musical choices communicate meaning.

Essential Questions

• How can music help tell a story or bring a scene or image to life without words?
• Which musical choices (tempo, dynamics, pitch, timbre, pattern) best match a character, setting, or emotion?
• How do my interests, knowledge, and skills as a musician influence the way I create and perform music?

II. Objectives and Standards

Learning Objectives — Students will be able to:

1. Brainstorm and select a story, scene, or image (from class prompts or personal life) to inspire a musical idea.
2. Create and refine a short music storytelling piece (e.g., 16–32 beats or a short form) that clearly supports the chosen story or image.
3. Present a final version of their created music that shows attention to craftsmanship (clear structure, intentional use of musical elements).
4. Explain how specific musical choices (tempo, dynamics, pitch, timbre, patterns) express the intended story, mood, or scene.
5. Describe how their personal interests, experiences, and skills influenced what kind of music they chose to create and how they chose to perform it.

Standards Alignment — Grade 5 Music (NAfME-Aligned)

• MU:Cr3.2.5a — Present the final version of created music that demonstrates craftsmanship and explain how it connects to expressive intent.
  • Example: Performing a completed composition and describing how musical choices communicate emotion.
• MU:Cn10.0.5a — Demonstrate how interests, knowledge, and skills relate to personal choices and intent when creating, performing, and responding to music.
  • Example: Explaining why a student chose percussion based on interest and skill.

Success Criteria — Student-Friendly Language

• I can choose a story, scene, or image and use it to inspire my music.
• I can create and polish a short piece of music that clearly fits my story or scene.
• I can perform my final version with confidence and musical control.
• I can explain how my musical choices match the mood, setting, or action.
• I can describe how my own interests and skills influenced the music I created.