Unit Plan 25 (Grade K Music): Call & Response Songs
Kindergarten call-and-response music unit for echo singing, listening, turn-taking, and organizing patterns with icons and feedback-based performance.
Focus: Participate in echo and call-and-response songs, practicing careful listening, turn-taking, and matching vocal patterns to a leader.
Grade Level: K
Subject Area: Music (General)
Total Unit Duration: 2–4 sessions (2+ weeks), 20–30 minutes per session
I. Introduction
In this unit, students learn how musicians take turns in call & response music. They experience how one voice or group sings first (the call) and another voice or group answers (the response). Through simple songs, chants, and instrument patterns, students practice waiting, listening, and joining in at the right time, building foundational skills for ensemble performance and classroom routines.
Essential Questions
- How do we know when it is our turn to sing or play in call & response songs?
- What does it mean to be a good listener and follower in music?
- How can we use echo and response patterns to make music together?
II. Objectives and Standards
Learning Objectives — Students will be able to:
- Participate in simple call & response songs by echoing short vocal or instrumental patterns.
- Show good listening and turn-taking by waiting for the call before giving a response.
- Use simple icons or picture cards to organize and remember call & response patterns.
- With guidance, use feedback (teacher/peer suggestions) to improve accuracy in echo and response.
- Perform a short call & response piece for classmates with appropriate focus and effort.
Standards Alignment — Kindergarten Music (NAfME-Aligned)
- MU:Cr2.1.Ka — With guidance, organize personal musical ideas using iconic notation and/or recording technology.
- Example: Drawing symbols to represent loud and soft sounds.
- MU:Pr5.1.Kb — With guidance, apply teacher-provided and collaboratively developed criteria and feedback to improve performance accuracy.
- Example: Singing again after teacher feedback to improve pitch or timing.
Success Criteria — Student Language
- I can tell who is the leader and who is the responder in a call & response song.
- I can wait, listen, and then echo short patterns with my voice or an instrument.
- I can use pictures or icons to help remember the patterns we perform.
- I can change my singing or playing after feedback to make it more accurate.
- I can perform a call & response song for my class with focus and kind audience behavior.