Curriculum Maps for Elementary General Music

“What will I teach this year?”

“What grade does this song work for?”

“What do I do after this unit?”

These are questions we all ask in our teaching, and we can start to explore their answers with a curriculum outline, or curriculum map.

A curriculum outline is one document that can make our planning time both manageable and meaningful.

Today we’ll:

  • Look at a curriculum outline example

  • Talk about how it’s constructed

  • Look at other possible sequences

  • Think about what’s missing in the document

Let’s jump in!

 
 

Curriculum Outline

Here is an example of the curriculum outline from The Planning Binder 2023 - 2024 school year.

This is a broad look at an entire elementary music program, at each grade level.

This document is organized by musical concepts. The emphasis is on foundational musical elements that can be transferred to many different musical skills and many different areas of musical understanding.

Two important items to consider in the interpretation of this document have to do with the role of discipline-concepts, and the distinction between experiences and conscious learning.

Organized By Discipline-Specific Concepts

As we organize our curricula by concepts, we help students build understanding and transfer it to new musical situations, both inside and outside the classroom.

For example, if we teach students to understand pitch - melodic contour, intervallic relationships, etc. - and we give students tools to listen critically, to analyze what they hear, and to articulate their thinking, they have what they need to transfer their understanding to many different musical scenarios.

They are equipped to play a melody by ear on guitar or harmonica or metallophone. They might choose to compose their own melody and teach it to a friend or arrange it for an ensemble.

In the construction of this curriculum outline, there is a choice to lean toward transferrable musical patterns and ideas, and lean away from siloed musical units.

Experiences and Conscious Vocabulary

Another thing I think is important to note about this document is that these are times the musical ideas are highlighted and students are aligned on musical vocabulary.

These are not the only times the musical events are experienced.

For example, we can sing songs in many different modes (like these entrance songs) even if students do not consciously know the mode’s label and how to aurally identify it or write it on the five-line staff.

 
 
 
 

Teaching Sequences for elementary music

In our conversations about what we’re going to teach in the next lesson, the “why” behind a musical sequence can sometimes be overlooked.

Even though it’s easy for all of us to get caught up in our efforts to make music with students as quickly and efficiently as possible, thinking through the purpose of a teaching sequence can be helpful as we make decisions about our own situations.

Known to the Unknown

One of the core principles we use in a spiraled curriculum is the idea of moving from the known to the unknown.

This came out of the work and followers of Pestalozzi. Educators who use this principle believe that learning does not take place in a vacuum. When students learn something new, it is because they have connected it to previously-known material.

Musical knowledge and understandings are predicated on older information and experiences.

As we move from what Pestalozzi described as “from the simple to the complex,” we can help students process through and link old (known) musical patterns and vocabulary to new (unknown) musical experiences. Students can consider the aural qualities of new musical material (tonality, duration, intervals, patterns, etc.) by comparing it to the musical qualities they already know.

Sequence Options

As we put together a sequence of musical patterns, we want the information to be in a logical and artistic flow of musical ideas.

The way we get there is by choosing a sequence that has patterns organically represented in the repertoire. The role of the teacher is not to manufacture a curricular experience. Instead, it is to help students guide their ears and pull out extractable patterns.

With the criteria of a logical and artistic flow of patterns represented organically in the repertoire, there are many possible options for musical sequences! And music teachers certainly use a variety of well-thought out progressions of musical ideas in our teaching. Teachers naturally use different sequences, and even within classrooms following the same sequence, no two teachers give instruction or direct learning in exactly the same way.

Each situation is unique.

Example Sequences

Here are a few example sequences for elementary general music. Certainly more exist in our classrooms, and even more exist in musical repertoire.

The reason to consider these examples is to illustrate that each of us can make informed decisions about our progressions based on many different factors.

A list of sources is included at the bottom of this post.

Rhythm and Pitch Sequences

Many educators choose to structure their curricula largely around rhythm and pitch.

In my opinion, this is because having aural training and common vocabulary around rhythm and pitch allows us to communicate more clearly about other musical elements. 

So for example, we can describe the form of a song easier if we can describe the rhythm changes in the different sections. It’s easier for us to describe the harmonic outline of a piece if we have training and a common vocabulary to describe the contour of the bass line. 

In this decision of a curriculum outline, rhythm and pitch function as pillar progressions, and do a lot of heavy lifting in the framing of other elements.

Here are a few examples - to reiterate, there are more options available than what is represented here!

Form, Texture & Harmony

Other musical elements, such as form, texture, harmony, dynamics, etc., also arise organically from the repertoire.

However, we typically don’t see curricula grounded on these elements in the way we see them oriented around rhythm and tonal patterns.

Additionally, many of these micro-concepts arise as students are ready for them from a skills-based perspective. There is a natural physical, cognitive, and aural level readiness students work through on their way to things like arpeggiated borduns and parallel harmony.

Which One Should I Use?

Because each of these sequences is a skillfully-crafted progression of micro-concepts that are naturally represented in the repertoire, how might we go about choosing one to use?

I prefer the one we’re using inside The Planning Binder, but the good news is that rarely will we find ourselves stuck with one set sequences we find on a website or in a textbook.

Year to year, school to school, and perhaps within a single semester, we can pivot and make adjustments based on what will work best for our students. Though consistency in the sequence overall will improve cohesive learning, we are largely free to adjust our focus based on student feedback.

Listen to Dr. Amanda Hoke talk about changing her melodic sequence in tomorrow’s podcast episode.

Considering a few options gives us a sense of the menu we have when looking for a spiraled progression of concepts for our programs.

Implications of a Sequence

Ultimately, that is one of the big implications for a teaching sequence.

The progression we choose will impact the repertoire we select.

The dance is also true in reverse: the repertoire we select will impact the sequence we choose.

With this lens, when we come across a fun activity we want to try, the question is not, “What grade is this song for?” The question instead becomes, “What previous knowledge or interaction is this song experience predicated on?” 

What’s Missing Here?

There are many things missing from a curriculum outline like the one in this post!

Musical Content

From a content standpoint, there are plenty of concepts that exist in music that aren’t listed here at all! Music is a big subject to tackle and it extends far outside this document.

Howard Gardner commented that “the enemy of understanding is coverage,” and I think that is helpful here. By necessity, and for the sake of prioritizing understanding over coverage, we choose to consciously interact with some elements and not with others.

Musical Pedagogy

The other thing is when we start to think about what this document might look like in our classrooms, it becomes very obvious that there are a lot of things missing here in terms of musical actions.

This document tells us what students are learning, broadly speaking, but it doesn’t tell us what students are doing with this information. This gives us the content, not the instruction. We know we’re going to go far beyond reading and writing with these patterns and concepts, but that isn’t reflected here.

With each concept, there are so many ways we could actualize our knowledge with musical skills, and many different dimensions of social interactions and connections. We could also add things like enduring understandings or macro concepts or how we’ll show our learning with an authentic performance assessment. The opportunities for rich, lived, classroom experiences and curricular lenses are functionally endless.

What is Curriculum?

We tend to weave together a lot of things when we use the word, “curriculum.” Wiggins and McTighe talked about the latin roots of the word as “the course to be run.” Colleen Conway also talked about curriculum as being so much more than a document - we’re talking about what is  taught, what is learned, and how we will move students through the learning process. 

This document is limited on purpose.

It gives us a big picture of how musical concepts are spiraled throughout the program. In my opinion it’s extremely useful because it gives us a way to streamline our decisions, that way we’re not stuck looking for fun activities to fill time in our lesson planning. The activities can lead to something that we know is leading to something else.

 
 

- Sources -

 
 

How to cite this article

Boler, V. (2023, July 9). Curriculum map for elementary general music. Victoria Boler.

Sources

I learned about the construction of this document from a music teacher named Mrs. Rogers when I was in my undergrad. Thank you, Mrs. Rogers!

Benedict, C. (2016). "Reading" Methods. In C. R. Abril & B. M. Gault (Eds.), Teaching general music: Approaches, issues, and viewpoints (pp. 347–367). essay, Oxford University Press.

Brandt, R. (1993). On teaching for understanding: A conversation with Howard Gardner. ASCD. Retrieved November 2022, from https://www.ascd.org/el/articles/on-teaching-for-understanding-a-conversation-with-howard-gardner 

Bruner, J. (1960). The process of education. Harvard University Press. 

Conway, C. (2015). Defining Musicianship-Focused Curriculum and Assessment . In Musicianship-focused curriculum and assessment (pp. 3–21). essay, GIA Publications, Inc. 

Wiggins, G. P., & McTighe, J. (2005). Understanding by design. Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. 

Music Sequence Sources

Brumfield, S. (2012). First, we sing! Hal Leonard Corporation.

Eisen, A., & Robertson, L. (2005). Directions to literacy, teaching the older beginner: A teacher's guide to introducing music to the older beginner. Sneaky Snake Publications, LLC.

Eisen, A., & Robertson, L. (2009). Yearly plans: For coordinated use with an American methodology. Sneaky Snake Publications.

Eisen, A., & Robertson, L. (2010). An American methodology: An inclusive approach to musical literacy. Sneaky Snake Publications.

Frazee, J. (2006). Orff Schulwerk today: Nurturing musical expression and understanding. Schott Music Corp.

Frazee, J. (2012). Artful - playful - mindful: A new Orff-Schulwerk curriculum for music making and music thinking. Schott.

Frazee, J., & Kreuter, K. (1997). Discovering Orff: A curriculum for music teachers. Schott.

Goodkin, D. (2013). Play, sing, & dance: An introduction to Orff Schulwerk. Schott.

Houlahan, M., & Tacka, P. (2015). Kodály today: A cognitive approach to elementary music education. Oxford university press.

Klinger, R. (2014). Lesson planning in a Kodály setting: A guide for music teachers. Organization of American Kodály Educators.

Peek, Aimee Noelle, "A Comparison of the Kodály Methodology and Feierabend's Conversational Solfege" (2007). Theses and Dissertations. 27.

Rappaport, J. (2000). The Kodály teaching weave. Bel Canto Press.

Sams, R., & Hepburn, B. A. (2015). Purposeful pathways: Possibilities for the elementary music classroom. Music is Elementary.

Steen, A. (1992). Exploring Orff: A teacher's guide. Schott.

Review and Assessment at the Beginning of the Music Year

When a new school year starts, many teachers want to begin making music right away, and actively exploring musical concepts from last year and moving toward new musical understandings.

When we start the school year, where might we begin musically? How will we know what students remember from last year? How will we keep music class active, while reviewing previously learned concepts?

Let’s look at a few ways to review and assess at the beginning of the year. We’ll clarify what assessment is (and isn’t) in this context, we’ll talk about choosing what to assess, the assessment process, and documentation options.

Let’s jump in!

 
 

Assessments, Grades, & Documentation

Many of us come to conversations about assessment with some baggage from undergraduate or graduate degree programs or administration.

When I discuss these terms, here are my definitions:

  • Assessments: How we know what students need from us next

  • Grades: Markings meant to show achievement

  • Documentation: Preserving data through video, audio, or written text

For the purposes of this conversation, we probably don’t care about grades. We do care about assessments because that’s the mechanism we’ll use to plan the next class. The assessments might be documented a number of ways, depending on what works best for each unique teaching situation.

Ensemble Context

It’s also helpful to point out that not all assessments need to be individual. In fact, most of us care about how our students perform in an ensemble setting more than an individual solo setting. The assessment context we’re talking about today is within an ensemble.

Assessing What We Care About 

For many of us, we don’t actually care if students have memorized a symbol and assigned it a Standard Western Notation name. 

What’s actually more valuable is how students embody and interact with the musical material. 

Since that’s what we care about more than rote memorization, that’s where we’ll start the assessment process.

The Review & Assessment Process: Do, Describe, Label, Use

This review and assessment process moves from singing and playing games (do), to noticing the musical characteristics of the material (describe), to aligning vocabulary to discuss the musical element (label), and to extending our use of the element in a creative way (use).

There are examples of the individual steps below. However, in the classroom, these steps might not happen in a neat, isolated way. For some groups we might condense the process as a whole, shortening each activity so it takes place in a single lesson. For other groups it will be more appropriate to extend the activities through several weeks, depending on how much review students need.

The data we gather from students during the activities will inform pacing.

These review experiences will likely be the core activities in the first weeks of school, but they certainly won’t be the only activities. We’ll combine them with other songs, games, and activities that move us toward future learning.

 
 

Do: Making Music

The first step of our process is to actually do the skill we’re assessing!

This is the fun part, and this is actually the core assessment step. Everything else we do comes from these experiences. 

Here are a few examples:

Example 1: Catchy Song

This is the circle game from last year’s 3rd Grade concept plan for taka-di inside The Planning Binder, and part of the review process for 4th and 5th grade this year.

The form of the song is Chorus, Verse 1, Chorus, Verse 2, Chorus.

The movements for the chorus and the verses stay the same throughout the song. (Note: it can be helpful to slow the playback speed when introducing the song.)

Assessment Question: Do students play the rhythm accurately in the game?

Example 2: Plainsies Clapsies  

Students love this game! This is part of the 2nd Grade Melody Review concept plan.

Consider using a scarf, cotton ball, napkin, or tissue. When students are ready, they can advance to using a bean bag or a small ball.

 
 

  • Sing and play game

  • Sing on a neutral syllable and use your scarf to show the melodic contour

Assessment Questions: Do students match pitch in the game? Do they show the melodic contour accurately?

Example 3: Tortillitas para Mamá 

This popular rhyme is well-known and well-loved in many places! We’re using this inside the 1st grade Steady Beat Review concept plan inside The Planning Binder.

 
 

  • Speak the rhyme and pat tortillitas.

  • Replace “mama” and “papa” with students’ names

  • What will we put inside the tortilliats when they’re done? Students suggest foods between rounds of the rhyme.

Assessment Question: Do students pat a consistent and accurate steady beat in time with the rhyme?

 
 

What Materials to Use 

Because we’re using this as a baseline assessment, we want to be sure students are familiar with the song. This helps ensure the validity and reliability of the assessment results. 

With validity and reliability as a consideration, we’ll probably want to start our musicing with songs students already know and enjoy. Consider singing and playing games from last year as review, then adding in new repertoire.

Assessment that Feels like Play 

This is the part of the process that feels like play. At this point in the assessment process, we’re mainly working on remembering what it’s like to be in the music class and interact with each other. 

Assessment questions: 

At this point in the assessment process, we’re primarily interested in how students actualize the musical material. That is, how they music. These assessment questions have a lot to do with the accuracy of the performance.

Do students match pitch? Do students sing the target element in the context of the repertoire? Do students keep a steady beat? Do students play body percussion to the rhythm of the song? 

This information sets us up well to move on to the next step of the process.

Describe: Noticing Music

In the next class, the same class, or several classes later, students might be ready to notice the musical features of the song material. 

With the target element in an extracted phrase, students can notice its characteristics. Is it high or low? How many times do they hear the high note? Is the rhythm from the extracted phrase long or short? Where is the longest word? What’s the form of the song?

Example 1: Catchy Song

  • Play the circle game.

  • Notice that the rhythmic form is aaab (same same same different).

  • Speak and point to steady beat strips on the board.

  • With a partner, students figure out where each of the words go over the steady beat strips as the teacher walks around the room.

  • Notice a “short short long” pattern on the second beat.

  • As a class, transfer text notation to graphic notation.

Assessment Questions: In their partner conversations, do students accurately identify the text placement of the words? Are there any points of friction in the process of moving from playing the rhythm, to moving text, to showing graphic notation? How much teacher input does the process take?

Example 2: Plainsies Clapsies  

  • Play the game.

  • Isolate the phrase, “right hand, left hand” and aurally identify sol and mi in “left hand”

  • What do you notice about the “right hand” part? Is it the same melody or different? (different)

  • Sing the same phrase with sol and mi in the last two beats (“right hand, sol mi”)

  • Sing the phrase again. Students throw their scarf on the highest pitch they hear.

  • Aurally identify that “hand” is the high pitch and that it’s higher than sol.

Assessment Questions: Do students aurally identify the descending minor third pattern as “sol mi”? Do they aurally identify the highest word in the phrase? Do they identify that it’s higher than sol? How much teacher input does the process take?

Example 3: Tortillitas para Mamá 

  • Speak the rhyme and pat the tortillitas

  • As we pat these tortillitas, do our hands stay steady or unsteady? Let’s check. (steady)

  • Do they stay steady the whole time? Let’s check. (the whole time)

Assessment Question: Do students identify that the motions of the rhyme stay steady?

 
 

Assessment Questions:

These assessment questions are geared toward seeing what students notice about the new element. In this stage of the process, we’re interested in how students aurally zoom in on the musical characteristics of the material. Is the element we’re discussing long or short? Even or uneven? High or low? How much higher? How much lower?

The Review and Assessment Process:

This part of the process will have many variables! It’s entirely possible that in a single lesson, this step of noticing and describing an element will blend directly into the labeling step. This will depend on how familiar students are with the material and aural identification process from last year. If students are ready to move ahead, great! If not, we can stay in this step as long as we need.

Label: Assigning Vocabulary

After students have sung songs and played games, and after they’ve articulated what they notice about the music, we might be ready to move on to labeling.

When we label an element, we assign it a common classroom vocabulary.

Real musicians call these elements many things and write them many different ways! Sometimes real musicians don’t label these elements at all, and they don’t write them down. They just use them to make music.

Because real musicians can use so many different terms to describe music, it can be helpful to have a common classroom vocabulary so we can communicate visually and aurally more effectively.

 
 

Example 1: Catchy Song:

  • Review ta-di and taka-di. Compare those rhythms to other previously learned rhythmic elements, like ta, takadimi, and ta-dimi.

 

Example 2: Plainsies Clapsies:

  • Review the hand signs for sol, la, and mi. Review where these pitches live on the staff.

 

Example 3: Tortillitas para Mama:

  • Review the term, “beat.” Practice tracking beat icons of tortillas on the board.

 
 

Students as Teachers

This is a beautiful time for students to be the teacher! 

Sometimes this happens seamlessly in the moment - one student remembers and can share the information with the class, or several students remember and talk to each other.

Other times it might need a bit more structuring.

Facilitating Students as Teachers 

There are many different ways we might approach asking students to teach the class! Here’s a process to consider if you’re looking for a way to facilitate student-led review.

  • Turn and Talk: Students turn to a partner and work together to describe the element and recall the vocabulary we use in this class. 

    • As they talk, encourage students to think about how they would describe the element (higher than, lower than, longer than, shorter than, etc.), how they would show the element (either with a hand sign or something written), and what we call the element (either descriptive vocabulary or classroom vocabulary)

  • Partner Pair: Pairs of students join with another group, creating a group of four. In the group of four, students combine their information. Some students will recall things that others won’t! It can be helpful to join pieces of the musical puzzle together through small group work.

  • Share Out: One “spokesperson” from each group shares their group’s thoughts about how to describe, show, and label the element.

  • Check: Students have already come up with the important information about the element. The only missing piece might be what we call the element in this class. This is the time for the teacher to circle in and fill in any gaps, or decide to wait until next class to discuss.

This is also a great structure to consider for classes with combined grades, or new students who came from other programs.

In this process, students might recall the name, sign, or symbol of a new element, but perhaps not all three. In this case, remember that they’ve already done the most important work on their own by using the element musically and analyzing it critically.

Use: Creating Music

After we’ve had an active music experience, after we’ve described the characteristics of the target element, and after we have a common vocabulary for the element, we’re probably ready to start using it consciously in a creative way.

Students can certainly use the target element creatively without establishing a common vocabulary for it! Real musicians do this all the time. However, having a common vocabulary (such as “la” “takadimi” “half note”), and a common way to notate the element can help us communicate with each other more efficiently during the creative process.

Example 1: Catchy Song

  • Play the circle game.

  • Students sit.

  • Play the song again. During the verses, instead of walking around the circle, the teacher pats an improvised eight-beat rhythm pattern. Students improvise a rhythm response back. Continue improvising through the verses, then play the rhythm of the chorus like normal.

  • After the activity, students choose their favorite rhythm improvisation response and figure out how to speak it on rhythm syllables.

Assessment Questions: When they play their rhythm response, do you notice students improvising or imitating your pattern? Do you notice a variety of rhythms being used? Do students easily identify the rhythmic syllables of their rhythm? How much teacher assistance does this process take?

Example 2: Plainsies Clapsies  

  • Play the game.

  • Sing the song on solfege while pointing to stairsteps and a barred instrument.

  • With a partner, students figure out how to play the first eight beats of the song by ear.

  • With a partner, students mix up the pitches to create a new version of the song. Students practice and then share out as time allows.

Assessment Questions: Do students identify where sol la mi are on the barred instrument in this context? Do they play the first eight beats accurately? And when they mix up the pitches to create their new song, are they still using sol la mi? How much teacher assistance does this whole process take?

Example 3: Tortillitas para Mamá 

  • Speak the rhyme and pat the tortillitas.

  • Students help the teacher arrange the beat motions for each line of the rhyme using clap, pat, and stamp

    • Example:

    • Clap clap clap clap | stamp stamp stamp stamp | clap clap clap clap | stamp stamp stamp stamp

    • Pat pat pat pat | clap clap clap clap | pat pat pat pat | stamp stamp stamp stamp

Assessment Question: Do you notice that students have flexibility in how they keep the steady beat? Are some combinations of body percussion easier than others?

Assessment Documentation 

You’ll notice that these assessment questions lend themselves to qualitative - not quantitative - data collection.

My opinion is that for many teaching situations, qualitative data are more useful at the beginning of the year when we just want to get a sense of where the class is musically.

That said, these assessment questions can easily be formulated into rubrics or other quantitative measurement systems.

If you choose to collect qualitative data, you might consider using a document like this:

 
 

Next Steps

Now that students have reviewed known musical elements in known material, a great next step is to see if they can transfer their understanding to new, unknown material.

Bringing in new songs, games, and activities, do students apply the same critical thinking process to identify known concepts in unknown material?

Students are active learners, so it makes sense that our assessment and review process should be active as well!

This is an approach that starts the year musically, while looking for evidence of learning that will inform the pacing of the next steps.

Throughout the process, we’re looking at how students embody and interact with the musical material. This sets us up well to continue actively musicing in community.