Unit Plan 21 (PreK Music): Drawing What We Hear

Focus: Children respond to music by drawing, moving, and talking about what they hear and feel. They learn that music can create pictures in our minds and that we can show our ideas using crayons, markers, and simple movements.

Grade Level: PreK

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

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

I. Introduction

In this unit, children practice listening closely to different pieces of music and showing what they hear through drawing and movement. They learn that music can sound like places, weather, animals, or feelings, and that there is no “one right answer.” The class builds simple routines for listening, drawing, and sharing, helping children feel comfortable talking about their ideas.

Essential Questions

• How can music give us ideas for pictures, shapes, and colors?
• How can we show what we hear in music using drawing and movement?
• How does music help us talk about our feelings, ideas, and stories?
• How can we listen respectfully while classmates share their drawings and movements?

II. Objectives and Standards

Learning Objectives — Students will be able to:

1. Listen to short pieces of music and describe one idea it gives them (a feeling, place, or object).
2. Create a simple drawing (lines, shapes, colors, or pictures) that shows what they heard or felt in the music.
3. Use movement (slow/fast, big/small, high/low) to match what they hear in the music.
4. Share their drawing or movement with the class using simple words (“It sounds like rain,” “This music is happy”).
5. Begin to understand that different classmates may draw different things from the same piece of music, and that all ideas are welcome.

Standards Alignment — PreK Music (NAfME-Aligned)

• MU:Re8.1.PK — Communicate ideas about music. Children share preferences and reactions using words, drawings, or movement. Example: Drawing a picture inspired by a piece of music and telling a friend what it shows.

Success Criteria — Student Language

• I can listen to music and think about what it reminds me of.
• I can draw a picture that shows what I hear or feel in the music.
• I can move my body to match what the music sounds like.
• I can tell a friend or teacher about my drawing or my movement.
• I can look and listen while other children share their ideas about the music.