Unit Plan 12 (Grade 7 Band): Melody & Rhythm Creation

Focus: Create short instrumental melodies and rhythmic motives within a given key, meter, and range, showing purposeful shape and resolution.

Grade Level: 7

Subject Area: Band (Creating • Composition Skills • Musical Structure)

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

I. Introduction

In this unit, students shift from playing others’ music to creating their own short melodies and rhythmic motives. Working within clear constraints (specific key, meter, and range), they design patterns that are repeatable, memorable, and playable on their instruments. They explore how good musical ideas often use a mix of repetition and contrast, clear phrase shape, and strong endings on tonic or other stable tones. By the end of the week, each student composes a short, playable melody or rhythm-based piece and performs or shares it with the class, explaining how they shaped and resolved their ideas.

Essential Questions

• What makes a melody or rhythmic motive sound musical instead of random?
• How do key, meter, and range guide the way we create ideas for our instruments?
• How can repetition, contrast, and contour help listeners follow and remember our musical ideas?
• Why is it important for a melody or motive to “go somewhere” and then resolve?

II. Objectives and Standards

Learning Objectives — Students will be able to:

1. Create short rhythmic motives (1–2 measures) that fit a given meter and can be clearly repeated or developed.
2. Compose short melodic phrases (2–4 measures) in a given key and instrument-appropriate range, showing clear contour and resolution.
3. Combine rhythmic and melodic ideas into a short instrumental melody that includes at least one repeated motive and a clear ending on tonic or another stable pitch.
4. Notate their ideas using standard notation or a teacher-approved template, including pitches, rhythms, and basic articulations/dynamics.
5. Perform or have their composition performed and explain how they used shape, repetition, and resolution to organize their ideas.

Standards Alignment — 7th Grade Band (custom, NAfME-style)

• BD:Cr1.7b — Create short instrumental melodies or rhythmic motives within a given key, meter, and range, showing purposeful shape and resolution.
  • Example: Students compose a short melody that ends on tonic and includes a repeated rhythmic motive.

Success Criteria — Student Language

• I can write a short rhythmic pattern that fits the time signature and can be repeated.
• I can write a melody that stays in the given key and range for my instrument.
• I can give my melody a clear shape (it rises, falls, or arches) instead of jumping randomly.
• I can end my melody on a strong note (often tonic) so it feels finished.
• I can explain how I used repetition and contrast to make my idea interesting and easy to follow.