Our Curriculum › Music › 6th Grade
Music 6
A full year of 6th-grade music: AB and ABA form, composing two original pieces, reading the symbols on a page of music, music traditions from Ireland, Cuba, Japan and elsewhere, rehearsing and performing, and describing and judging music.
180 lessons
One a day for a school year
9 units
Each opens to its lessons
2 original compositions
A project piece and a capstone
Standards
National Core Arts Standards (music)
What's taught, unit by unit
AB and ABA form, building phrasesDays 1–30
Musical form: AB (two contrasting sections) and ABA (with a return), including Beethoven's Fifth. Children invent contrasting rhythm and melody phrases, add a two-chord harmonic idea, and write everything down in standard or picture notation.
- 1 · Welcome to Unit 1: What Is Musical Form?
- 2 · Meet AB Form: Two Different Sections
- 3 · Finding AB Form in Real Music
- 4 · Meet ABA Form: The Return Trip
- 5 · A Famous Return: Beethoven's Symphony No. 5
- 6 · AB or ABA? Telling Them Apart
- 7 · The Contrast Toolbox: Tempo, Dynamics, Rhythm, Melody
- 8 · Generating a Rhythmic Phrase for Section A
- 9 · Generating a Contrasting Rhythmic Phrase for Section B
- 10 · Comparing Your A and B Rhythms
- 11 · Documenting Rhythm with Standard Notation
- 12 · Documenting Rhythm with Iconic Notation — Your Choice
- 13 · Generating a Melodic Phrase for Section A
- 14 · Generating a Contrasting Melodic Phrase for Section B
- 15 · Melodic Contour: Up, Down, and Same
- 16 · Notating Melody with Standard Notation
- 17 · Notating Melody with Iconic Symbols
- 18 · Putting Rhythm and Melody Together in Section A
- 19 · Putting Rhythm and Melody Together in Section B
- 20 · Introducing Two-Chord Harmonic Ideas
- 21 · Chord 1 and Chord 2: How They Feel Different
- 22 · Adding a Harmonic Idea to Section A
- 23 · Adding a Contrasting Harmonic Idea to Section B
- 24 · Notating Your Two-Chord Idea
- 25 · Expressive Intent: What Feeling Are You Creating?
- 26 · Building Your Full A-Section Phrase
- 27 · Building Your Full B-Section Phrase
- 28 · The Return: Bringing Back A for ABA Form
- 29 · Beethoven Revisited: Comparing Your ABA to a Real Return
- 30 · Unit 1 Review: Your Notation Portfolio
Composition project in AB or ABA formDays 31–60
A multi-week project: choosing sound sources, planning sections A and B and the ending, notating a first draft, evaluating it with a rubric, revising, discussing originality and unity versus variety, and presenting it to family.
- 31 · Kickoff: Your AB or ABA Composition Project
- 32 · Choosing Your Sound Sources
- 33 · Planning Section A: Your Main Musical Idea
- 34 · Planning Section B: Contrast and Change
- 35 · Planning the Ending: The Return, or a Resolved Close
- 36 · Building Your Composition Blueprint
- 37 · Documenting Section A: Writing It Down
- 38 · Documenting Section B: Writing It Down
- 39 · Documenting the Ending and Reviewing Your Draft
- 40 · Assembling Your Complete First Draft
- 41 · Looking at a Real Score: Beethoven's Symphony No. 5
- 42 · Building Your Evaluation Rubric
- 43 · Self-Evaluating Section A
- 44 · Self-Evaluating Section B and the Ending
- 45 · Self-Evaluating Overall Form and Unity
- 46 · Self-Evaluating Your Sound-Source Choices
- 47 · Writing Your Revision Rationale
- 48 · Getting a Second Opinion
- 49 · Revising Section A
- 50 · Revising Section B and the Ending
- 51 · Revising the Connections Between Sections
- 52 · What Is Craftsmanship in a Composition?
- 53 · What Makes Music Original?
- 54 · Unity and Variety: The Balancing Act
- 55 · Finalizing Your Documentation
- 56 · Planning Your Presentation
- 57 · Presentation Day, Part 1: Sharing Your Piece
- 58 · Presentation Day, Part 2: Self-Assessing Your Presentation
- 59 · Gathering and Reflecting on Audience Feedback
- 60 · Unit Wrap-Up: Your Composition Journey
Reading music symbolsDays 61–90
A full vocabulary of notation symbols: note values and rests, time signatures (2/4, 3/4, 4/4, 6/8), the staff and treble and bass clefs, articulation (staccato, slur, accent, tenuto) and dynamics (pp to ff, hairpins). Shows how a performer uses them.
- 61 · From Reading Notes to Reading Symbols
- 62 · Note Value Symbols: Whole, Half, Quarter, Eighth
- 63 · Rest Symbols: The Sound of Silence
- 64 · More Time Signatures: 2/4 and 6/8
- 65 · Rhythm Symbols Review
- 66 · Pitch Symbols: The Staff and the Notehead
- 67 · Clef Symbols: Treble and Bass
- 68 · Why Pitch Symbol Literacy Matters to a Performer
- 69 · Reading a Passage: Rhythm and Pitch Symbols Together
- 70 · Pitch Symbols Review
- 71 · Looking Back at AB Form: Why It Helps a Performer
- 72 · Looking Back at ABA Form: Bringing the Opening Home
- 73 · Articulation Symbols: The Staccato Dot
- 74 · More Articulation Symbols: Slur, Accent, and Tenuto
- 75 · Form and Articulation Together
- 76 · Looking Back at Harmony: A Performer's Perspective
- 77 · Dynamics Symbols: Piano, Mezzo, and Forte
- 78 · More Dynamics: Pianissimo, Fortissimo, and Hairpins
- 79 · All Four Symbol Categories in One Passage
- 80 · Dynamics and Harmony Review
- 81 · How Rhythm Understanding Shapes a Performance
- 82 · How Pitch Understanding Shapes a Performance
- 83 · Case Study: Structure and Symbols in Beethoven's Symphony No. 5
- 84 · How Form Understanding Shapes a Performance
- 85 · Synthesis: Elements, Structure, and Symbols Working Together
- 86 · Full Unit Review: Rhythm and Pitch Symbols
- 87 · Back to Beethoven: Spotting Articulation and Dynamics in a Real Score
- 88 · Comprehensive Symbol Worksheet
- 89 · Unit Assessment: Structure, Elements, and Symbols
- 90 · Unit Closer: Reading Music Like a Performer
Traditions around the world and phrasingDays 91–108
How history and culture shape music: Celtic and Irish sessions, klezmer, Cuban son and rumba, and Japanese gagaku and the koto. Also how to choose music on purpose, phrasing, and interpreting a piece through five expressive qualities.
- 91 · Cultural and Historical Context Shape a Performance
- 92 · Celtic/Irish Traditional Music: Roots in an Oral Tradition
- 93 · Celtic/Irish Instruments and Ornamentation
- 94 · Celtic/Irish Performance Context: The Session
- 95 · Klezmer: A Tradition Born from Celebration
- 96 · Klezmer Instruments: The Laughing and Crying Clarinet
- 97 · Klezmer and History: Persecution, Immigration, and Revival
- 98 · Cuban Son: A Blend Born in Oriente
- 99 · Son's Instruments and the Clave
- 100 · Rumba: Community Music from the Street
- 101 · Japanese Court Music and the Koto's Origins
- 102 · The Koto and the Art of Ma (Meaningful Silence)
- 103 · Comparing Four Traditions: Context in Action
- 104 · Choosing Music on Purpose: Selection Criteria
- 105 · Introducing Phrasing: Music's Sentences
- 106 · Seeing Phrases in Written Notation
- 107 · Interpreting a Piece: All Five Qualities Together
- 108 · Quiz Day: Five Expressive Qualities
Rehearsing and performingDays 109–120
A four-part rehearsal rubric (notation accuracy, technical accuracy, originality, interest), two full rehearsal rounds, a capstone family performance and a reflection.
- 109 · A Rubric for Rehearsing: Four Criteria
- 110 · Criterion 1 in Practice: Notation Accuracy
- 111 · Criterion 2 in Practice: Technical Accuracy
- 112 · Criterion 3 in Practice: Originality
- 113 · Criterion 4 in Practice: Interest
- 114 · Full Rehearsal Cycle, Round 1
- 115 · Full Rehearsal Cycle, Round 2: Refine and Determine Readiness
- 116 · Preparing Your Capstone: Technical Accuracy and the Creator's Intent
- 117 · Final Rehearsal: One Last Rubric Check
- 118 · Capstone: Perform for Your Family
- 119 · Reflecting on Your Capstone Performance
- 120 · Unit Wrap-Up: Context, Phrasing, Rehearsal, and Performance
Connecting music to their own lifeDays 121–129
How music fits interests, activities, memories and moods, and how tempo and mode shape emotion. A small project explains three pieces and the connection to each.
- 121 · What Makes Music Feel Personal to You?
- 122 · Choosing Music for Interests and Activities
- 123 · Music That Connects to Memories and Experiences
- 124 · How Tempo and Mode Shape Emotional Connection
- 125 · Matching Music to Hobbies and Passions
- 126 · Starting Your Personal Music Connections Project
- 127 · Personal Connections Project: Piece One
- 128 · Personal Connections Project: Pieces Two and Three
- 129 · Personal Connections Project: Final Reflection
Classifying structure, genre, culture and periodDays 130–150
Using the elements and expressive qualities to identify AB, ABA and verse-chorus form, then three lenses (genre, culture, historical period) applied to Andean panpipe music, Renaissance court music, Native American powwow music and Beethoven.
- 130 · Elements and Expressive Qualities as Classification Tools
- 131 · Classifying AB Form
- 132 · Classifying ABA Form
- 133 · Classifying Verse-Chorus Form
- 134 · How Rhythm Signals Structure
- 135 · How Pitch and Harmony Signal Structure
- 136 · How Dynamics and Tempo Signal Structure
- 137 · How Timbre, Articulation, and Phrasing Signal Structure
- 138 · Full Structure Classification Worksheet
- 139 · Unit Check: Elements, Qualities, and Structure
- 140 · Three Lenses: Genre, Culture, and Historical Period
- 141 · Andean Panpipe Music of the Peruvian Highlands
- 142 · Renaissance Court Music of Europe
- 143 · Native American Powwow and Drum Traditions
- 144 · The Classical Era: Beethoven's Symphony No. 5
- 145 · Comparing Genre, Culture, and Period Across Traditions
- 146 · Classification Practice: Sorting by Genre
- 147 · Classification Practice: Sorting by Culture
- 148 · Classification Practice: Sorting by Historical Period
- 149 · Master Classification Worksheet
- 150 · Unit 5 Wrap-Up: Personal Connection and Classification
Interpreting and evaluating musicDays 151–164
Interpreting a piece from evidence (a symphony, film and game music, world music, two performances of one piece), then evaluating compositions and performances against given criteria, and how the two skills differ.
- 151 · Interpretation: Putting the Whole Picture Together
- 152 · Context Is a Clue, Not a Guess
- 153 · Interpreting a Symphony: Beethoven's Fifth
- 154 · Interpreting Music Written for the Screen
- 155 · Interpreting Music from Around the World
- 156 · When Performers Add Their Own Interpretation
- 157 · Two Performances, Two Interpretations
- 158 · Your Full Interpretation, Start to Finish
- 159 · Evaluating Music: Applying the Criteria You're Given
- 160 · Evaluating a Composition with Given Criteria
- 161 · Evaluating a Performance with Given Criteria
- 162 · Evaluation vs. Interpretation: What's the Difference?
- 163 · Same Criteria, Two Performances
- 164 · Full Rubric Practice — and Your Capstone Begins
Capstone composition and portfolioDays 165–180
A final AB or ABA composition: writing both sections, notating and refining it, planning rehearsal and performance, then interpreting and evaluating their own piece and a master work. Ends with a portfolio and a look back at the year.
- 165 · Capstone Launch: Choosing Your Form
- 166 · Capstone: Composing Your A Section
- 167 · Capstone: Composing Your Contrasting B Section
- 168 · Capstone: Notating, Evaluating, and Refining Your Composition
- 169 · Capstone: Finalizing Your Composition for Presentation
- 170 · Capstone: Planning Your Rehearsal
- 171 · Capstone: Rehearsing and Refining
- 172 · Capstone: Preparing to Perform
- 173 · Capstone: Interpreting Your Own Composition
- 174 · Capstone: Interpreting a Master Work
- 175 · Capstone: Comparing Your Interpretation to a Master's
- 176 · Capstone: Evaluating Your Composition
- 177 · Capstone: Evaluating Your Performance Plan
- 178 · Capstone: Applying the Same Criteria to Another Piece
- 179 · Capstone: Assembling Your Final Portfolio
- 180 · Finale: A Year of Making, Performing, and Understanding Music
By the end of the year, your child can
- Compose and notate a short piece in AB or ABA form
- Read rhythm, pitch, dynamics and articulation symbols in a score
- Describe how culture and history shaped Irish, Cuban, klezmer and Japanese music
- Rehearse a piece against a rubric and perform it for family
- Classify a piece by its form, genre, culture and historical period
- Judge a composition or performance using given criteria and evidence