Unit Plan 15 (PreK Music): Music & Feelings

Focus: Explore how music can sound happy, sad, excited, or calm, and connect those feelings to children’s own experiences.

Grade Level: PreK

Subject Area: Music (Responding • Connecting • Exploring)

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

I. Introduction

In this unit, children explore how music can show different feelings and how those feelings connect to their own lives. Through listening, movement, facial expressions, drawings, and simple sound choices, they practice noticing when music sounds happy, sad, excited, or calm. They begin to use simple feeling words and gestures to communicate how music makes them feel and when they might hear similar music at home, during play, or in celebrations.

Essential Questions

• How can music sound happy, sad, excited, or calm?
• How does music make me feel, and how can I show that with my face, body, or words?
• When do we hear different kinds of music in our daily life, and how does it match what we are doing?

II. Objectives and Standards

Learning Objectives — Children will be able to:

1. Identify at least two feelings (such as happy and sad) that music can express.
2. Use movement, facial expression, or simple words to show how a piece of music makes them feel.
3. Connect music they hear in class to personal experiences (home, celebrations, playtime, rest time).
4. Help create a simple class chart or collage showing different music feelings and when they might happen in real life.

Standards Alignment — PreK Music (NAfME-Aligned)

• MU:Re7.2.PK — Describe how music makes them feel.
  • Children express emotional responses to music.
  • Example: Saying “This music is happy” and showing a happy face.
• MU:Cn10.0.PK — Relate music to personal experiences.
  • Children connect music to home, play, celebrations, and emotions.
  • Example: Recognizing a song sung at home or for a classroom celebration.

Success Criteria — Child-Friendly Language

• I can say or show if music sounds happy, sad, excited, or calm.
• I can use my face, body, or drawing to show how the music makes me feel.
• I can tell about a time at home, at school, or at a celebration when I heard music that felt like this.
• I can help my class make a feelings chart or picture that shows how different music feels.