Unit Plan 18 (Grade 8 Band): Sharing Instrumental Creations

Focus: Perform created or arranged music with accurate pitch, rhythm, tone, balance, and expressive intent, and explain how musical decisions communicate mood and meaning to an audience.

Grade Level: 8

Subject Area: Band (Creating & Presenting • Performance Skills • Expressive Communication)

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

I. Introduction

Students bring their compositions and arrangements to life by preparing them for a real performance setting. They rehearse their original works (or sections of them) with a focus on accuracy, tone, balance, and style, then plan how to communicate expressive intent through dynamics, articulation, tempo, and staging. In addition, students create brief program notes or spoken introductions that explain how their musical choices support a specific mood or story. By the end of the unit, students will perform their creations and articulate the expressive reasoning behind them.

Essential Questions

• What does it take to perform created music with the same care and quality as published band repertoire?
• How do dynamics, articulation, tempo, and orchestration communicate a specific mood, image, or story to an audience?
• Why is it important for performers and composers to be able to explain their expressive intent, not just play the notes?
• How can we design short program notes or spoken introductions that help listeners connect with our music?
• How does preparing to share our own music publicly change the way we rehearse and refine it?

II. Objectives and Standards

Learning Objectives — Students will be able to:

1. Rehearse original or arranged music to a performance-ready level with accurate pitch, rhythm, and steady tempo.
2. Perform created works with consistent tone quality, balance, and blend, demonstrating appropriate style and articulation.
3. Make intentional decisions about dynamics, tempo, and phrasing to support a chosen mood, character, or story.
4. Write or present a short program note or spoken introduction that explains how specific musical choices (e.g., articulation, dynamics, instrumentation) communicate expressive intent.
5. Present a final performance of their created music and reflect on how effectively their expressive decisions reached the audience.

Standards Alignment — 8th Grade Band (custom, NAfME-style)

• BD:Cr3.8b — Present a final instrumental creation and explain how musical decisions communicate expressive intent to an audience.
  • Example: Students perform their composition and explain how articulation and dynamics support the mood.
• BD:Pr6.8a — Perform band music with accurate pitch, rhythm, tone, balance, and expressive intent, demonstrating stylistic understanding.
  • Example: Students perform a Grade 2–3 band piece with clear dynamic contrast and accurate articulation.

Success Criteria — Student Language

• I can perform my created piece with mostly accurate notes, rhythms, and steady tempo.
• I can maintain a characteristic tone and adjust dynamics and balance so important lines are heard.
• I can describe in simple terms what mood or story my piece is trying to communicate.
• I can point to specific musical decisions (like articulation, dynamics, or tempo) and explain how they support that mood.
• I can share my music with an audience and reflect on what worked well and what I might change next time.