Our Curriculum › Music › 4th Grade
Music 4
A full year of 4th-grade music: reviewing the elements of music, tonality and meter, composing pieces with an accompaniment, instrument families and timbre, music and culture around the world, evaluating performances, and a capstone composition.
180 lessons
One a day for a school year
9 units
Each opens to its lessons
Capstone composition
3 sections with an accompaniment
Standards
National Core Arts Standards (music)
What's taught, unit by unit
Review and new vocabularyDays 1–16
Reviewing beat, rhythm, pitch, contour, major and minor, and duple and triple meter from last year. New ideas are musical form (repeating and contrasting sections), harmonic ideas, arrangements, solo versus group playing, and judging whether music fits its setting.
- 1 · Welcome to Music 4: How This Course Works
- 6 · New Vocabulary: Rhythm, Pitch, and Form Together
- 7 · Exploring Musical Form: Sections That Repeat and Contrast
- 9 · New Vocabulary: Harmonic Ideas
- 10 · Music and Cultural Context: Rhythm Around the World
- 11 · Music and Cultural Context: Call-and-Response Traditions
- 12 · New Vocabulary: What Is an Arrangement?
- 13 · Composing vs. Arranging
- 14 · Performing Alone or With Others
- 15 · Evaluating Music: Explaining Appropriateness
- 16 · Unit 1 Review: The Elements of Music
Plus 5 review days, not listed.
Tonality and meter in depthDays 17–37
Listening closely for major and minor and for duple and triple meter in familiar songs and music from other cultures, combining them, adding simple accompaniment patterns, and hearing form. Includes several warm-up reviews and checkpoints.
- 17 · Tonality Deep Dive: The Sound of Major
- 18 · Tonality Deep Dive: The Sound of Minor
- 19 · Listening Skill: Telling Major and Minor Apart
- 20 · Meter Deep Dive: Duple Meter in Familiar Songs
- 21 · Meter Deep Dive: Triple Meter in Familiar Songs
- 22 · Feeling Meter: Duple vs. Triple Body Percussion
- 23 · Combining Tonality and Meter
- 24 · Rhythm Patterns Across Different Meters
- 25 · Melodic Contour and Simple Melodic Patterns
- 26 · Simple Accompaniment Patterns
- 27 · Harmonic Ideas Within a Tonality
- 28 · Tonality and Meter in Music From Around the World
- 29 · Listening Practice: Identifying Tonality and Meter by Ear
- 30 · Unit 2 Checkpoint: Tonality and Meter Review
- 31 · Warm-Up Review: Feeling Twos and Threes
- 32 · Warm-Up Review: Major and Minor by Ear
- 33 · Using Rhythm, Pitch, and Form to Describe What You Hear
- 34 · Same Part or New Part? Listening for Structure
- 35 · How Instrument Color Shapes a Feeling
- 36 · Music From Many Places: Tonality and Meter in Context
- 37 · Unit Checkpoint: Tonality, Meter, and the Elements of Music
Composing with rhythm, melody and accompanimentDays 38–60
Composing rhythm patterns and melodies in major and minor, duple and triple, adding a simple accompaniment, notating them, and arranging a familiar tune. A multi-day composing project is rehearsed, performed for family and reflected on.
- 38 · Starting to Compose: What's New This Year
- 39 · Composing a Rhythm Pattern in Duple Meter
- 40 · Composing a Rhythm Pattern in Triple Meter
- 41 · Composing a Melody in a Major Tonality
- 42 · Composing a Melody in a Minor Tonality
- 43 · Combining Rhythm and Melody Into One Phrase
- 44 · Writing It Down: Notating Your Musical Ideas
- 45 · Your First Accompaniment: Applying Harmonic Ideas
- 46 · Building Your Own Accompaniment Pattern
- 47 · Putting It All Together: Melody Plus Accompaniment
- 48 · Giving Your Piece a Clear Beginning, Middle, and End
- 49 · Composing With Purpose: A Personal or Cultural Connection
- 50 · What Is an Arrangement?
- 51 · Arranging Practice: Try Out Your New Accompaniment
- 52 · Composing Project, Day 1: Planning Your Piece
- 53 · Composing Project, Day 2: Drafting Rhythm and Melody
- 54 · Composing Project, Day 3: Adding Your Harmonic Idea
- 55 · Composing Project, Day 4: Notating the Full Piece
- 56 · Evaluating and Refining Your Draft
- 57 · Rehearsing for Expression and Accuracy
- 58 · Performing Your Composition for Family
- 59 · Reflecting on Your Performance With Criteria
- 60 · Unit Checkpoint: Your Composing Portfolio
Finishing and presenting a compositionDays 61–70
Further work on composed pieces: accompaniment patterns, arranging a familiar tune, writing down rhythm, melody and harmonic ideas together, comparing draft to final, and building a composer's portfolio. Overlaps with the previous unit.
- 61 · Getting Ready to Finish Your Composition
- 62 · Adding a Simple Accompaniment Pattern
- 63 · Turning a Familiar Tune into Your Own Arrangement
- 64 · Writing Down Your Ideas: Rhythm, Melody, and Harmonic Ideas Together
- 65 · Checking Your Improvement Over Time
- 66 · Connecting Your Piece to Its Social and Cultural Roots
- 67 · Presenting Your Finished Composition to Family
- 68 · Comparing Draft and Final: What Changed and Why
- 69 · Building Your Composer's Portfolio
- 70 · Unit Checkpoint: Composing Simple Pieces Review
Timbre and the instrument familiesDays 71–90
How strings, woodwinds, brass, percussion and voices create and change their sound (bowing, plucking, vibrato, mutes, pitched versus unpitched). Also timbre telling a story, instruments from other cultures, reading an orchestral score and solo versus ensemble.
- 71 · What Is Timbre, Really? A Fresh Look
- 72 · Timbre, Dynamics, and Tempo: Three Tools, One Goal
- 73 · The String Family: Bowing vs. Plucking
- 74 · String Family Expression: Vibrato and Muting
- 75 · The Woodwind Family: How Air Becomes Music
- 76 · Woodwind Expression: Starting and Stopping a Note
- 77 · The Brass Family: The Buzz Behind the Sound
- 78 · Brass Expression: Open, Muted, and Everything Between
- 79 · The Percussion Family: Pitched vs. Unpitched
- 80 · The Voice as an Instrument: Voice Types and Timbre
- 81 · How Composers Use Timbre to Tell a Story
- 82 · Timbre Around the World: Instruments from Other Cultures
- 83 · Reading an Orchestral Score: Finding the Families
- 84 · Solo Sound vs. Ensemble Sound
- 85 · How Rhythm, Pitch, and Form Work Together in One Piece
- 86 · Interpreting a Piece Through Timbre, Dynamics, and Tempo
- 87 · Performing Alone or With Others: Choosing Your Sound
- 88 · Evaluating a Performance's Use of Timbre
- 89 · Your Own Interpretation: Timbre Choices That Are Yours
- 90 · Unit Checkpoint: Timbre and Instrument Families Review
Music and cultureDays 91–120
Griot storytellers and ballads, how meter shapes Irish and Mexican dances, harvest and New Year festival music (Chuseok, Lunar New Year, Diwali), folk songs, and instruments tied to a culture (mariachi, bagpipe, steel pan, djembe). They compose and present a piece.
- 91 · Music Carries Culture: An Introduction
- 92 · Storytellers in Song: The Griot Tradition
- 93 · Ballads: Telling a Story Through Song
- 94 · Compose a Story-Song Idea
- 95 · Music and Movement: How Meter Shapes Dance
- 96 · Traditional Dance Case Study: Irish Jigs and Reels
- 97 · Traditional Dance Case Study: Mexican Folk Dance
- 98 · Compose a Dance Rhythm Idea
- 99 · Music of Harvest and Seasonal Festivals
- 100 · Case Study: Chuseok, a Korean Harvest Festival
- 101 · Case Study: Lunar New Year Music Traditions
- 102 · Case Study: Diwali, the Festival of Lights
- 103 · Comparing Festival Music Around the World
- 104 · Folk Songs: Music Passed Down Through Generations
- 105 · Interview Your Family's Music Traditions
- 106 · Arrangement: Same Song, New Sound
- 107 · Looking at a Full Orchestra Arrangement
- 108 · Instruments Tied to Culture: The Mariachi Ensemble
- 109 · Instruments Tied to Culture: The Bagpipe
- 110 · Instruments Tied to Culture: The Steel Pan
- 111 · Instruments Tied to Culture: The Djembe
- 112 · Call-and-Response: A Musical Conversation
- 113 · Case Study: Clapping and Game Songs
- 114 · How Music Is Written Down — Or Not
- 115 · Plan Your Cultural Composition
- 116 · Notate Your Cultural Composition
- 117 · Rehearse and Refine With Criteria
- 118 · Present Your Piece to Family
- 119 · Comparing Two Traditions You've Studied
- 120 · Unit Checkpoint: Music Connects Cultures
Evaluating and rehearsing performancesDays 121–150
Building a criteria checklist (rhythm, pitch, form, dynamics, tempo, timbre, context), applying it to others and to themselves, then choosing a piece, rehearsing with goals, giving a family recital and gathering family feedback.
- 121 · What Makes a Performance “Work”? Meet Rhythm, Pitch, and Form
- 122 · Your Expressive Toolkit: Dynamics, Tempo, and Timbre
- 123 · Building Your Performance Criteria Checklist
- 124 · Context Matters: How Social and Cultural Setting Shapes a Performance
- 125 · Applying Your Criteria to a Real Score: Beethoven's Opening Motif
- 126 · Comparing Two Interpretations of the Same Piece
- 127 · Evaluating Solo and Group Performances With the Same Criteria
- 128 · Evaluating a Performance for a Celebration
- 129 · Explaining Appropriateness, Not Just Describing It
- 130 · Checkpoint: Applying Your Full Criteria Set Independently
- 131 · Choosing Your Piece: Interests, Skill, and Purpose
- 132 · Reading Your Piece: Rhythm, Pitch, and Form
- 133 · Planning Your Interpretation: Dynamics, Tempo, and Timbre Choices
- 134 · Setting Your Own Performance Goals
- 135 · Performance Decorum and Etiquette for Your Home Recital
- 136 · First Rehearsal: Confirming Your Baseline
- 137 · Rehearsal Cycle: Targeting One Thing to Improve
- 138 · Rehearsal Cycle: Practicing With Family Support
- 139 · Rehearsal Cycle: Re-Evaluating Your Progress
- 140 · Refining Dynamics and Tempo: Learning From Beethoven's Contrasts
- 141 · Refining Timbre: Choosing the Right Voice Quality
- 142 · Showing Improvement Over Time
- 143 · Final Rehearsal Check: Are You Ready to Perform?
- 144 · Planning Your Family Practice Recital
- 145 · Recital Day, Part 1: Performing for Your Family
- 146 · Recital Day, Part 2: Self-Evaluating Your Performance
- 147 · Gathering Family Feedback Using Your Criteria
- 148 · Reflecting on Growth From First Rehearsal to Recital
- 149 · Building Your Performance Portfolio Page
- 150 · Unit Checkpoint: From Evaluating Performances to Creating Your Own
Capstone compositionDays 151–175
One original piece with beginning, middle and ending sections. They choose purpose, tonality and meter; notate rhythm, melody and a harmonic idea for each section; add timbre, dynamics and tempo; then title it, perform it and write about it.
- 151 · Starting Your Capstone Composition
- 152 · Choosing Your Purpose and Context
- 153 · Choosing Your Tonality and Meter
- 154 · Planning Your Piece's Sections
- 155 · Setting Your Own Evaluation Criteria
- 156 · Notating the Rhythm for Your Beginning Section
- 157 · Notating the Melody for Your Beginning Section
- 158 · Adding a Harmonic Idea to Your Beginning Section
- 159 · Self-Evaluating Your Beginning Section
- 160 · Notating the Rhythm for Your Middle Section
- 161 · Notating the Melody for Your Middle Section
- 162 · Adding a Harmonic Idea to Your Middle Section
- 163 · Self-Evaluating Your Middle Section
- 164 · Notating the Rhythm for Your Ending Section
- 165 · Notating the Melody for Your Ending Section
- 166 · Choosing the Timbre for Your Piece
- 167 · Adding Dynamics and Tempo to Your Piece
- 168 · Writing Out Your Full Composition
- 169 · Rehearsing for Technical Accuracy
- 170 · Titling Your Piece and Writing Your Composer's Note
- 171 · Rehearsing Expressive Qualities
- 172 · Preparing to Present to Your Family
- 173 · Performing Your Composition for Your Family
- 174 · Reflecting on Your Piece's Context
- 175 · Finalizing Your Capstone Portfolio Entry
Portfolio review and celebrationDays 176–180
Looking back over the year's work on rhythm, pitch and form, tonality and meter, timbre and context, finishing with a celebration day. Mostly review.
- 176 · Portfolio Review: Rhythm, Pitch, and Form
- 177 · Portfolio Review: Tonality and Meter
- 178 · Portfolio Review: Timbre and Instrument Choices
- 179 · Portfolio Review: Music and Its Context
- 180 · Music 4 Finale: Celebrating Your Year as a Composer
By the end of the year, your child can
- Write and read rhythm and pitch notation for their own short pieces
- Compose a piece in major or minor, duple or triple, with a simple accompaniment
- Name the instrument families and describe how each changes its sound
- Explain how music reflects a culture, such as its dances and festivals
- Judge a performance against a checklist and explain the ratings
- Rehearse and perform a piece for family, showing improvement over time