Our Curriculum › Music › 5th Grade
Music 5
A full year of 5th-grade music: improvising over simple chord changes, composing and revising a three-part piece, reading standard notation in the treble clef, music history and world traditions, rehearsing and performing, and writing a music critique.
180 lessons
One a day for a school year
8 units
Each opens to its lessons
6 music traditions studied
Mariachi to West African drumming
Standards
National Core Arts Standards (music)
What's taught, unit by unit
Improvising over chord changesDays 1–30
Reviewing last year's improvising, then hearing and singing "home" and "away" chords and changes between them. Children improvise rhythms and melodies over them in duple and triple meter, in a minor feel, and notate the results in picture symbols.
- 1 · Welcome to Music 5: Your New Year of Musical Ideas
- 5 · Combining Rhythm and Melody in a Short Improvisation
- 7 · The "Home" Feeling in Music
- 8 · Introducing a Second, "Away" Feeling
- 9 · What Is a Chord Change?
- 10 · Finding Home and Away in Songs You Know
- 11 · Practicing Home-to-Away-to-Home Patterns
- 12 · Improvising Rhythms Over a Chord Change
- 13 · Improvising Melodies Over a Chord Change
- 14 · Where Should the Chord Change Happen?
- 15 · Notating Rhythm with Iconic Symbols
- 16 · Notating Melodic Direction with Iconic Symbols
- 17 · Notating a Simple Two-Chord Pattern
- 18 · Putting It All Together: A Combined Notation Grid
- 19 · Real Printed Music: Looking at a Famous Score
- 20 · Improvising in Duple Meter with a Chord Change
- 21 · Improvising in Triple Meter with a Chord Change
- 22 · Building a Home-Away-Home-Away Pattern
- 23 · Building an 8-Beat Chord-Change Pattern With Variety
- 24 · Adding Melody on Top of Your Chord-Change Pattern
- 25 · Adding Rhythm Variety to Your Chord-Change Pattern
- 26 · Trying a Minor-Feeling Home and Away Pattern
- 27 · Self-Check: Comparing Your Idea to Your Own Notation
- 28 · Practice Set: Three Chord-Change Challenges
- 29 · Review Workshop: Rhythm, Melody, and Chord Changes Together
- 30 · Unit Checkpoint: Show What You Know
Plus 4 review days, not listed.
Composing a piece with a beginning, middle and endDays 31–60
Planning a whole composition: theme or mood, sound sources, a strong opening, a contrasting middle and a satisfying ending. They draft, score it against a rubric, revise, explain their expressive intent and present it.
- 31 · What Makes a Piece Feel Finished? Beginning, Middle, and Ending
- 32 · Studying a Master's Structure: Beethoven's Symphony No. 5
- 33 · Brainstorming Your Big Idea: Choosing a Theme or Mood
- 34 · Choosing Your Sound Sources
- 35 · Your Composing Toolbox: Choosing Which Elements to Feature
- 36 · Planning Your Beginning: A Strong, Clear Opening
- 37 · Planning Your Middle: Development and Contrast
- 38 · Planning Your Ending: Bringing It Home
- 39 · Composition Storyboard Day: Planning the Whole Piece
- 40 · Choosing How You'll Write Down Your Ideas
- 41 · Drafting the Beginning Section
- 42 · Drafting the Middle Section
- 43 · Drafting the Ending Section
- 44 · Putting the Whole Draft Together
- 45 · Playing Through Your Whole Draft
- 46 · What Is a Rubric? Understanding Teacher-Provided Criteria
- 47 · Self-Evaluating Your Use of the Elements of Music
- 48 · Self-Evaluating Your Sound-Source Choices
- 49 · Self-Evaluation Checklist Day: Scoring Your Full Draft
- 50 · From Feedback to Action: Turning Self-Evaluation Into a Revision Plan
- 51 · Revising Your Beginning
- 52 · Revising Your Middle
- 53 · Revising Your Ending
- 54 · Craftsmanship: Cleaning Up Notation and Details
- 55 · Second Self-Evaluation: Did Your Revisions Work?
- 56 · What Is Expressive Intent? Naming What Your Piece Is About
- 57 · Writing Your Expressive Intent Explanation
- 58 · Preparing to Present: Choosing Your Presentation Format
- 59 · Presentation Day: Sharing Your Final Composition
- 60 · Reflecting on Your Composition Journey
Reading standard notationDays 61–90
The four elements (rhythm, pitch, form, harmony), then the staff, treble clef and note names (Every Good Bird Does Fly, FACE), note values, rests, 4/4 and 3/4 time, and two-chord accompaniments. Ends with a look at Beethoven's Fifth.
- 61 · Four Elements of Music: Rhythm, Pitch, Form, and Harmony
- 64 · What Harmony Sounds and Looks Like
- 65 · All Four Elements Working Together
- 66 · The Musical Staff: Lines and Spaces
- 67 · Meet the Treble Clef
- 68 · Naming the Line Notes: Every Good Bird Does Fly
- 69 · Naming the Space Notes: FACE
- 70 · Reading Every Line and Space Together
- 71 · Note Values: Whole, Half, and Quarter Notes
- 72 · Eighth Notes and Musical Rests
- 73 · Reading Simple Rhythms in 4/4 Time
- 74 · Reading Simple Rhythms in 3/4 Time
- 75 · Combining Rhythm and Rest Reading Practice
- 76 · Reading Pitch and Rhythm Together in a Simple Phrase
- 77 · Practicing a Simple Melody, Line by Line
- 78 · Self-Check: Reading a Short Melodic Phrase
- 79 · Standard Notation Becomes Our Only Reading Method
- 81 · Introducing Two-Chord Harmonic Ideas in Notation
- 82 · Reading Two Chords Written on the Staff
- 83 · How Harmony Supports a Melody on the Page
- 84 · Practice: Reading a Melody with a Two-Chord Accompaniment
- 85 · Self-Check: Two-Chord Harmonic Reading
- 86 · Real Music in Standard Notation: Beethoven's Symphony No. 5
- 87 · Spotting Rhythm and Pitch in a Famous Score
- 88 · Spotting Form and Harmony in a Famous Score
- 90 · Unit Review: Standard Notation and the Four Elements
Plus 4 review days, not listed.
Music and historyDays 91–105
How history shaped music: mariachi in Mexico, flamenco in Spain, spirituals and gospel, and the Baroque (Bach) and Classical (Beethoven) eras. Each is studied through its instruments, style and the events that produced it.
- 91 · What Is Historical Context in Music?
- 92 · Mariachi: Music of Mexico's Heart
- 93 · Mariachi Instruments and Ensemble
- 94 · Mariachi Style and Performance Practice
- 95 · Flamenco: Passion from Southern Spain
- 96 · The Sounds of Flamenco: Guitar, Voice, and Feet
- 97 · Flamenco's Roots and Living Tradition
- 98 · Spirituals: Songs Born from Struggle
- 99 · From Spirituals to Gospel Music
- 100 · Gospel Music's Call-and-Response Style
- 101 · The Baroque Era: Bach and Ordered Grandeur
- 102 · The Classical Era: Beethoven and a New Voice
- 103 · Comparing Baroque and Classical: Bach Meets Beethoven
- 104 · Exploring Beethoven's Symphony No. 5 Score
- 105 · Historical Context Review: Four Traditions, One Idea
Interpreting music: expressive choicesDays 106–120
How performers choose dynamics, tempo, timbre and articulation (legato and staccato) to shape a performance. Case studies include a lullaby and a march, plus choosing music suited to one's own skill.
- 106 · Dynamics Review: The Volume of Feeling
- 107 · Tempo Review: The Speed of Feeling
- 108 · Timbre Review: The Color of Sound
- 109 · Introducing Articulation: Legato vs. Staccato
- 110 · Style: How Articulation Shapes a Performance
- 111 · Case Study: Interpreting a Lullaby
- 112 · Case Study: Interpreting a March
- 113 · Same Piece, Different Interpretations
- 114 · Reading Between the Notes: Identifying Intent
- 115 · Worksheet Workshop: Expressive Qualities in Action
- 116 · Quiz Day: Interpretive Decisions
- 117 · Unit Wrap-Up: Interpretation and Intent
- 118 · Choosing Music That Fits Your Skill
- 119 · Growing Skills, Growing Repertoire
- 120 · Putting It All Together: Context, Interpretation, and Skill
Rehearsing and performingDays 121–150
Building a practice rubric for accuracy and expressiveness, rehearsing a chosen piece with targeted practice, performing manners for formal and informal settings, then a capstone family performance and self-assessment.
- 121 · What Makes Practice Actually Work
- 122 · What 'Accuracy' Means in Music
- 123 · What 'Expressiveness' Means in Music
- 124 · Building Your Own Practice Rubric
- 125 · Choosing a Piece to Rehearse
- 126 · First Rehearsal: An Honest Self-Check
- 127 · Finding the Trouble Spots
- 128 · Refining Practice: Strategies That Actually Work
- 129 · Second Self-Evaluation: Checking Your Progress
- 130 · Adjusting Your Goals and Rubric
- 131 · Deciding When You're Ready to Perform
- 132 · Reflecting on Your Rehearsal Cycle
- 133 · What Is Performance Decorum?
- 134 · Decorum for an Informal Family Performance
- 135 · Decorum for a Formal Recital-Style Performance
- 136 · Decorum Changes Across Genres and Styles
- 137 · Preparing Yourself Before a Performance
- 138 · How to Present Yourself: Entrance, Posture, and Acknowledgment
- 139 · Handling Mistakes Gracefully During a Performance
- 140 · Being a Good Audience: Decorum Goes Both Ways
- 141 · Choosing Your Capstone Performance Piece
- 142 · Applying Expression to Your Performance
- 143 · Technical Accuracy: Polishing the Details
- 144 · Appropriate Interpretation: Matching Style to the Piece
- 145 · Combining Your Rubric With Performance Prep
- 146 · Dress Rehearsal: Your Final Self-Check
- 147 · Applying Decorum to Your Capstone Performance
- 148 · Performance Day: Perform for Your Family
- 149 · Self-Assessment After Your Performance
- 150 · Unit Reflection: Rehearsal, Evaluation, and Performance
Responding to music with evidenceDays 151–164
Explaining a response to music by pointing to evidence, using Indian film music, West African drumming and a Classical symphony. Children describe a creator's intent and build a rubric to evaluate each piece. Lesson text uses standards codes.
- 151 · Citing Evidence: Your Big New Skill
- 152 · Music and Your Own Life: Citing Evidence for Personal Connections
- 153 · Same Music, Different Purposes
- 154 · How Structure and Elements Shape Your Response
- 155 · New Tradition: Music from Indian Cinema
- 156 · Contrast: A Classical-Era Symphony and a Folk Tradition
- 157 · New Tradition: West African Drumming
- 158 · Interpreting Intent: Indian Film Music
- 159 · Interpreting Intent: West African Drumming
- 160 · Unit Checkpoint: Three Traditions, One Skill
- 161 · Building Your Evaluation Rubric
- 162 · Evaluating Music from Indian Cinema
- 163 · Evaluating West African Drumming in Context
- 164 · Evaluating Beethoven's Symphony No. 5
Capstone critique and showcaseDays 165–180
A multi-day project: evaluating two contrasting pieces and their own composition with a rubric, comparing them, connecting them to their own lives, and drafting, sharing and polishing a written critique. The last days reflect on the year.
- 165 · Capstone Project: Your Final Music Evaluation
- 166 · Capstone: Choosing Your Pieces and Rubric
- 167 · Capstone: Gathering Evidence for Piece A
- 168 · Capstone: Writing Your Evaluation of Piece A
- 169 · Capstone: Gathering Evidence for Piece B
- 170 · Capstone: Writing Your Evaluation of Piece B
- 171 · Capstone: Comparing Piece A and Piece B
- 172 · Capstone: Appropriateness to Context, Side by Side
- 173 · Capstone: Personal Interpretation of Intent
- 174 · Capstone: Connecting Both Pieces to Your Own Life
- 175 · Capstone: Evaluating Your Own Composition Too
- 176 · Capstone: Drafting Your Full Written Critique
- 177 · Capstone: Sharing and Refining Your Critique
- 178 · Capstone: Final Polish
- 179 · Looking Back: Your Growth Across the Whole Year
- 180 · Final Day: Your Music 5 Showcase
By the end of the year, your child can
- Improvise rhythms and melodies over a simple two-chord pattern
- Compose a piece with a clear beginning, middle and ending, and revise it
- Read notes and rhythms on the treble clef in 4/4 and 3/4 time
- Explain how history and culture shaped mariachi, flamenco, gospel and classical music
- Make choices about dynamics, tempo and articulation to shape a performance
- Evaluate a piece of music with a rubric and support their view with evidence