Unit Plan 22 (Grade 6 Orchestra): Evaluate Like a Musician

Focus: Evaluate orchestra performances using clear criteria for intonation, rhythm, tone, bow unity, and expression, and justify ratings with musical evidence.

Grade Level: 6

Subject Area: Orchestra (Listening • Critique • Performance Connection)

Total Unit Duration: 5 sessions (one week), 50–60 minutes per session

I. Introduction

In this unit, Grade 6 orchestra students learn to evaluate like musicians, not just say “good” or “bad.” Using a teacher-provided rubric with criteria for intonation, rhythm accuracy, tone quality, bow unity, and expression, students practice listening closely to performances and assigning fair ratings. They learn to point to specific moments in the music as evidence for their judgments. By the end of the week, students can use the rubric to evaluate recordings and their own ensemble, then set goals based on their findings.

Essential Questions

• What does it mean to evaluate a performance instead of just saying “I like it” or “I don’t”?
• How can criteria like intonation, rhythm, tone, bow unity, and expression help us give fair, specific feedback?
• How can we use musical evidence (what we actually hear) to support our performance ratings?
• How can evaluating performances help us plan how to improve as an ensemble and as individual string players?

II. Objectives and Standards

Learning Objectives — Students will be able to:

1. Describe and use teacher-provided criteria (intonation, rhythm accuracy, tone quality, bow unity, expression) to evaluate orchestra performances.
2. Listen to a performance and assign ratings for each criterion using a rubric.
3. Cite specific musical evidence (measures, moments, or musical features) to justify each rating.
4. Write or explain a short performance critique that summarizes strengths and next steps.
5. Apply what they learned from evaluation to set at least one improvement goal for the class ensemble or their own playing.

Standards Alignment — Grade 6 Orchestra (custom, NAfME-style)

• OR:Re9.6a — Evaluate orchestra performances using teacher-provided criteria (tone, intonation, rhythm accuracy, bow unity, expression) and justify ratings with evidence.
  • Example: Students use a rubric and cite a specific spot where intonation was inconsistent.

Success Criteria — Student Language

• I can name and describe criteria like intonation, rhythm accuracy, tone, bow unity, and expression.
• I can use a rubric to rate how well a performance meets each criterion.
• I can point to specific spots in the music to explain my ratings.
• I can write or say a short critique that includes both strengths and next steps.
• I can choose one or two goals for our ensemble based on what I heard and rated.