Unit Plan 4 (Grade 6 Vocal Music): Pitch Matching & Echo Singing

Focus: Match pitch accurately through echo patterns and call-and-response, while beginning to improvise simple vocal ideas and apply rehearsal strategies for better tuning and blend.

Grade Level: 6

Subject Area: Vocal Music (Aural Skills • Creativity • Ensemble Rehearsal)

Total Unit Duration: 5 sessions (one week), 45–55 minutes per session

I. Introduction

In this unit, students strengthen their listening and pitch-matching skills through echo singing and call-and-response activities. They practice hearing a short pattern, matching it back accurately, and then creating their own simple patterns using limited pitch sets and rhythms. Along the way, students learn basic rehearsal strategies (slow practice, chunking, repeating tricky spots) to improve pitch accuracy, rhythm, and blend in short songs and warm-ups. The goal is for each singer to feel more confident hearing, matching, and creating melodic ideas in a supportive ensemble.

Essential Questions

• How do I know if I am matching pitch when I echo my teacher or classmates?
• How can listening carefully and using rehearsal strategies help my voice stay in tune and in time?
• How can simple echo patterns and call-and-response help me start to improvise musical ideas?
• How does accurate pitch matching and echo singing support the overall blend and sound of the choir?

II. Objectives and Standards

Learning Objectives — Students will be able to:

1. Match single notes and short echo patterns with accurate pitch using healthy posture and breath.
2. Use call-and-response singing to develop listening focus and steady rhythm.
3. Improvise simple vocal patterns using limited pitch sets (e.g., sol–mi–la) and basic rhythms to express a mood or idea.
4. Apply at least one rehearsal strategy (slowing down, repeating, isolating a pattern) to improve pitch accuracy and blend with others.
5. Perform a short echo or call-and-response pattern in a small group, showing accurate pitch and ensemble awareness.
6. Reflect on one way improvisation and echo singing help them become more confident, accurate singers.

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

• VM:Cr1.6a — Improvise simple vocal patterns using limited pitch sets and rhythmic patterns to express a given idea or mood.
  • Example: Students improvise a short echo pattern using sol–mi–la to match a “calm” or “excited” mood.
• VM:Pr5.6a — Apply rehearsal strategies to improve pitch accuracy, rhythm, and blend.
  • Example: Students rehearse a difficult phrase slowly, then return to tempo.

Success Criteria — Student Language

• I can hear and match a pitch or short pattern when my teacher or a classmate sings it.
• I can improvise a simple echo pattern using a few notes and rhythms that fit a given mood.
• I can use at least one rehearsal strategy (like slowing down or repeating a pattern) to fix pitch mistakes.
• I can sing with others so that our pitches and rhythms line up and sound blended.
• I can explain how echo singing and call-and-response help me become a more confident, accurate singer.