Unit Plan 12 (Grade 7 Vocal Music): Melody Creation

Focus: Compose short melodies within a given key and meter, using mostly stepwise motion with a few controlled leaps and clear phrase endings.

Grade Level: 7

Subject Area: Vocal Music (Choir • Composition • Musicianship)

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

I. Introduction

In this unit, students move from performing music to creating their own melodies. Working within a chosen key and meter, they learn how to shape melodic ideas using steps, skips, repetition, and clear resolution on do or another strong tone. Students first build tiny melodic fragments, then connect them into 4–8 measure melodies they can notate and sing. By the end of the week, each student will have a short original melody that shows purposeful contour, rhythm, and phrasing.

Essential Questions

• What makes a melody memorable and singable?
• How do key and meter guide the way we choose pitches and rhythms when composing?
• How can we use mostly stepwise motion with a few simple leaps to create smooth, expressive melodic lines?
• How does writing our own melodies deepen our understanding of the music we sing in choir?

II. Objectives and Standards

Learning Objectives — Students will be able to:

1. Identify a given key and meter and select appropriate notes from the scale (do–re–mi–fa–sol–la–ti–do) to use in their melody.
2. Compose short 2–4 beat melodic ideas using mostly stepwise motion and occasional controlled leaps.
3. Combine smaller ideas into a 4–8 measure melody that has clear contour, a sense of beginning–middle–end, and a resolved ending.
4. Notate their melody accurately on the staff with correct pitches, rhythms, bar lines, and time signature.
5. Sing or perform their composed melody using solfege or text, maintaining pitch accuracy and steady tempo.
6. Revise their melody based on simple criteria and peer/teacher feedback to improve singability and musical interest.

Standards Alignment — Grade 7 Vocal Music (custom, NAfME-style)

• VM:Cr1.7b — Generate short melodies and/or countermelodies within a given key and meter, using stepwise motion and simple leaps appropriately.
  • Example: Students compose a 4–8 measure melody in G major that includes at least one controlled leap and resolves stepwise.

Success Criteria — Student Language

• I can choose notes from the correct key and keep my melody in that scale.
• I can write a melody that uses mostly steps with a few simple leaps that still sound smooth.
• I can keep my melody in the correct meter, with bar lines and rhythms that fit the time signature.
• I can sing my melody back accurately using solfege or neutral syllables.
• I can revise my melody to make it more singable and interesting after getting feedback.