Unit Plan 23 (Grade K Music): Music Around the World

Focus: Experience music from different cultures and notice how it connects to stories, movement, celebrations, and daily life.

Grade Level: K

Subject Area: Music (Creating • Performing • Responding • Connecting)

Total Unit Duration: 3–4 sessions (2+ weeks), 20–30 minutes per session

I. Introduction

Students travel on a “music journey” to hear songs from different cultures and places. They notice how people in other parts of the world sing, move, and celebrate with music. Using a class map, pictures, and simple movements, students connect each piece of music to stories, celebrations, or everyday activities, and compare it to the music they know at home and school.

Essential Questions

• Where do people around the world use music in their lives?
• How can music from another place or culture make us want to move, listen, or imagine different things?
• How is music from other cultures similar to and different from music we know?
• How can we show respect when we listen to and move with music from different cultures?

II. Objectives and Standards

Learning Objectives — Students will be able to:

1. Listen to short musical examples from at least three different places/cultures and notice one similarity or difference (fast/slow, loud/soft, movement, language).
2. Point to or place pictures on a simple map or chart to show where a piece of music might come from.
3. Use movement, drawing, or simple words to show how people might use the music (celebration, rest, play, marching, story).
4. Make a simple connection between music and another art form or activity (dance, storytelling, celebration, classroom routine).
5. Share one respectful thought about music from another culture (e.g., “It sounds different from my music, but I like the drum beat.”).

Standards Alignment — Kindergarten (NAfME-based)

• MU:Cn11.0.Ka — Demonstrate understanding of relationships between music and other arts, disciplines, contexts, and daily life.
  • Example: Connecting music to stories, celebrations, or movement activities.

Success Criteria — Student Language

• I can listen to music from another place and tell how it is the same or different from music I know.
• I can show with movement, drawing, or words how people might use this music (for dancing, resting, or celebrating).
• I can point to a picture or spot on a map to show where our music might come from.
• I can use kind, respectful words when I talk about music from different cultures.