What does music class look like this year?

Students sing songs, clap rhythms, play simple instruments, and move to music. They also start making up short musical ideas of their own and talk about what they hear in songs. Most of the learning happens by doing, not by reading about music.

How can I help with music at home if I am not musical?

Sing in the car, clap along to songs, or tap a steady beat on the table while music plays. Ask what the song made students think of, or whether it felt fast or slow, loud or soft. Five minutes of this is plenty.

Does music class help with reading and math?

Yes. Keeping a steady beat builds the same timing skills used in counting, and noticing patterns in a song is close to noticing patterns in numbers and words. Singing also strengthens listening and memory.

My child says they cannot sing. What should I do?

Keep singing with them anyway. At this age, voices are still figuring out how to match pitch, and the fix is practice in a low-pressure setting. Pick songs they love and sing together in the car or at bedtime.

How should I sequence the year?

Start with steady beat, simple singing, and basic listening habits, then layer in rhythm patterns, high and low sounds, and loud and soft. Save short composing tasks and small performances for later in the year once the basics feel secure.

What usually needs the most reteaching?

Keeping a steady beat while singing trips up the most students, especially when a new rhythm is added. Matching pitch and telling beat apart from rhythm also need repeated practice across many short sessions rather than one long lesson.

What does a short composing task look like at this age?

Students might arrange four icons for loud and soft, pick two classroom instruments to match a story, or make up a four-beat clapping pattern. The point is making real choices about sound, not writing notes on a staff.

How do I know students are ready for next year?

By spring, students should keep a steady beat, sing simple songs in tune most of the time, echo short rhythm patterns, and say something specific about a piece of music they hear. They should also share a small musical idea they made up.

What does a student learn in ?

This is the year music shifts from simple play to making real choices about sound. Students invent short rhythms and melodies, then practice them so a song is ready to share. They listen closely to music and start saying why a piece feels happy, calm, or loud, using words they can back up. By spring, they can perform a short song for the class and explain one thing they changed to make it better.

Singing
Rhythm
Making up music
Listening
Performing

Source: Delaware Delaware Content Standards

Year at a glance

How the year usually goes. Every school and district set their own curriculum, so treat this as a guide, not official pacing.

1
Listening with purpose
Students start the year tuning their ears. They notice when music is fast or slow, loud or quiet, and learn to talk about what they hear in a song.
2
Making up musical ideas
Students try out their own short patterns with their voice, body, or simple instruments. They get used to the idea that making up music is something they can do.
3
Shaping a piece to keep
Students take a musical idea and work on it until it feels finished. They practice the same pattern more than once and decide what to change to make it better.
4
Performing for others
Students rehearse a song or rhythm and share it with the class. They learn how to start together, stay with the group, and show feeling in what they perform.
5
Music from many places
By the end of the year, students connect songs to where they come from and to their own lives. They share why a piece of music matters and what it reminds them of.

Mastery Learning Standards

The required skills a student should display by the end of Grade 1.

Connecting

Synthesize and relate knowledge and personal experiences to make art

MU:Cn10.1

Students connect something they know or have lived through to a song, rhythm, or musical idea they create or perform.
Relate artistic ideas and works with societal, cultural

MU:Cn11.1

Students connect songs and musical pieces to the time, place, or culture they came from. A folk song from another country or a lullaby passed down through families counts as the kind of work they explore.

Standard	Definition	Code
Synthesize and relate knowledge and personal experiences to make art	Students connect something they know or have lived through to a song, rhythm, or musical idea they create or perform.	MU:Cn10.1
Relate artistic ideas and works with societal, cultural	Students connect songs and musical pieces to the time, place, or culture they came from. A folk song from another country or a lullaby passed down through families counts as the kind of work they explore.	MU:Cn11.1

Connecting

Synthesize and relate knowledge and personal experiences to make art

MU:Cn10.1

Students connect something they know or have lived through to a song, rhythm, or musical idea they create or perform.
Relate artistic ideas and works with societal, cultural

MU:Cn11.1

Students connect songs and musical pieces to the time, place, or culture they came from. A folk song from another country or a lullaby passed down through families counts as the kind of work they explore.

Standard	Definition	Code
Synthesize and relate knowledge and personal experiences to make art	Students connect something they know or have lived through to a song, rhythm, or musical idea they create or perform.	MU:Cn10.1
Relate artistic ideas and works with societal, cultural	Students connect songs and musical pieces to the time, place, or culture they came from. A folk song from another country or a lullaby passed down through families counts as the kind of work they explore.	MU:Cn11.1

Creating

Generate and conceptualize artistic ideas and work

MU:Cr1.1

Students come up with their own musical ideas, like inventing a short melody or choosing a rhythm to clap, and start turning those ideas into something they can share.
Organize and develop artistic ideas and work

MU:Cr2.1

Students arrange simple musical ideas, like a short melody or rhythm pattern, into a sequence that makes sense. They try different orders and make basic choices about how the piece should sound.
Refine and complete artistic work

MU:Cr3.1

Students revisit a song or rhythm they made, make small changes to improve it, and decide when it sounds the way they want.

Standard	Definition	Code
Generate and conceptualize artistic ideas and work	Students come up with their own musical ideas, like inventing a short melody or choosing a rhythm to clap, and start turning those ideas into something they can share.	MU:Cr1.1
Organize and develop artistic ideas and work	Students arrange simple musical ideas, like a short melody or rhythm pattern, into a sequence that makes sense. They try different orders and make basic choices about how the piece should sound.	MU:Cr2.1
Refine and complete artistic work	Students revisit a song or rhythm they made, make small changes to improve it, and decide when it sounds the way they want.	MU:Cr3.1

Creating

Generate and conceptualize artistic ideas and work

MU:Cr1.1

Students come up with their own musical ideas, like inventing a short melody or choosing a rhythm to clap, and start turning those ideas into something they can share.
Organize and develop artistic ideas and work

MU:Cr2.1

Students arrange simple musical ideas, like a short melody or rhythm pattern, into a sequence that makes sense. They try different orders and make basic choices about how the piece should sound.
Refine and complete artistic work

MU:Cr3.1

Students revisit a song or rhythm they made, make small changes to improve it, and decide when it sounds the way they want.

Standard	Definition	Code
Generate and conceptualize artistic ideas and work	Students come up with their own musical ideas, like inventing a short melody or choosing a rhythm to clap, and start turning those ideas into something they can share.	MU:Cr1.1
Organize and develop artistic ideas and work	Students arrange simple musical ideas, like a short melody or rhythm pattern, into a sequence that makes sense. They try different orders and make basic choices about how the piece should sound.	MU:Cr2.1
Refine and complete artistic work	Students revisit a song or rhythm they made, make small changes to improve it, and decide when it sounds the way they want.	MU:Cr3.1

Performing/Presenting/Producing

Analyze, interpret, and select artistic work for presentation

MU:Pr4.1

Students choose a song or piece of music to perform and start thinking about how they want it to sound.
Develop and refine artistic techniques and work for presentation

MU:Pr5.1

Students practice a song or rhythm until they can perform it the way they intended. They make small adjustments along the way to get it right before sharing it with others.
Convey meaning through the presentation of artistic work

MU:Pr6.1

Students perform a song or rhythm and think about what feeling or idea they want to share with the audience.

Standard	Definition	Code
Analyze, interpret, and select artistic work for presentation	Students choose a song or piece of music to perform and start thinking about how they want it to sound.	MU:Pr4.1
Develop and refine artistic techniques and work for presentation	Students practice a song or rhythm until they can perform it the way they intended. They make small adjustments along the way to get it right before sharing it with others.	MU:Pr5.1
Convey meaning through the presentation of artistic work	Students perform a song or rhythm and think about what feeling or idea they want to share with the audience.	MU:Pr6.1

Performing/Presenting/Producing

Analyze, interpret, and select artistic work for presentation

MU:Pr4.1

Students choose a song or piece of music to perform and start thinking about how they want it to sound.
Develop and refine artistic techniques and work for presentation

MU:Pr5.1

Students practice a song or rhythm until they can perform it the way they intended. They make small adjustments along the way to get it right before sharing it with others.
Convey meaning through the presentation of artistic work

MU:Pr6.1

Students perform a song or rhythm and think about what feeling or idea they want to share with the audience.

Standard	Definition	Code
Analyze, interpret, and select artistic work for presentation	Students choose a song or piece of music to perform and start thinking about how they want it to sound.	MU:Pr4.1
Develop and refine artistic techniques and work for presentation	Students practice a song or rhythm until they can perform it the way they intended. They make small adjustments along the way to get it right before sharing it with others.	MU:Pr5.1
Convey meaning through the presentation of artistic work	Students perform a song or rhythm and think about what feeling or idea they want to share with the audience.	MU:Pr6.1

Responding

Perceive and analyze artistic work

MU:Re7.1

Students listen to a short piece of music and describe what they notice, like whether it feels fast or slow, loud or soft, or happy or sad.
Interpret intent and meaning in artistic work

MU:Re8.1

Students listen to a short piece of music and explain what feeling or story they think it tells, using what they hear in the melody, rhythm, or tempo to back up their thinking.
Apply criteria to evaluate artistic work

MU:Re9.1

Students listen to a short piece of music and explain why they liked it or didn't, using simple reasons like "it was too loud" or "the beat was steady."

Standard	Definition	Code
Perceive and analyze artistic work	Students listen to a short piece of music and describe what they notice, like whether it feels fast or slow, loud or soft, or happy or sad.	MU:Re7.1
Interpret intent and meaning in artistic work	Students listen to a short piece of music and explain what feeling or story they think it tells, using what they hear in the melody, rhythm, or tempo to back up their thinking.	MU:Re8.1
Apply criteria to evaluate artistic work	Students listen to a short piece of music and explain why they liked it or didn't, using simple reasons like "it was too loud" or "the beat was steady."	MU:Re9.1

Responding

Perceive and analyze artistic work

MU:Re7.1

Students listen to a short piece of music and describe what they notice, like whether it feels fast or slow, loud or soft, or happy or sad.
Interpret intent and meaning in artistic work

MU:Re8.1

Students listen to a short piece of music and explain what feeling or story they think it tells, using what they hear in the melody, rhythm, or tempo to back up their thinking.
Apply criteria to evaluate artistic work

MU:Re9.1

Students listen to a short piece of music and explain why they liked it or didn't, using simple reasons like "it was too loud" or "the beat was steady."

Standard	Definition	Code
Perceive and analyze artistic work	Students listen to a short piece of music and describe what they notice, like whether it feels fast or slow, loud or soft, or happy or sad.	MU:Re7.1
Interpret intent and meaning in artistic work	Students listen to a short piece of music and explain what feeling or story they think it tells, using what they hear in the melody, rhythm, or tempo to back up their thinking.	MU:Re8.1
Apply criteria to evaluate artistic work	Students listen to a short piece of music and explain why they liked it or didn't, using simple reasons like "it was too loud" or "the beat was steady."	MU:Re9.1

Common Questions

What does music class look like this year?
Students sing songs, clap rhythms, play simple instruments, and move to music. They also start making up short musical ideas of their own and talk about what they hear in songs. Most of the learning happens by doing, not by reading about music.
How can I help with music at home if I am not musical?
Sing in the car, clap along to songs, or tap a steady beat on the table while music plays. Ask what the song made students think of, or whether it felt fast or slow, loud or soft. Five minutes of this is plenty.
Does music class help with reading and math?
Yes. Keeping a steady beat builds the same timing skills used in counting, and noticing patterns in a song is close to noticing patterns in numbers and words. Singing also strengthens listening and memory.
My child says they cannot sing. What should I do?
Keep singing with them anyway. At this age, voices are still figuring out how to match pitch, and the fix is practice in a low-pressure setting. Pick songs they love and sing together in the car or at bedtime.
How should I sequence the year?
Start with steady beat, simple singing, and basic listening habits, then layer in rhythm patterns, high and low sounds, and loud and soft. Save short composing tasks and small performances for later in the year once the basics feel secure.
What usually needs the most reteaching?
Keeping a steady beat while singing trips up the most students, especially when a new rhythm is added. Matching pitch and telling beat apart from rhythm also need repeated practice across many short sessions rather than one long lesson.
What does a short composing task look like at this age?
Students might arrange four icons for loud and soft, pick two classroom instruments to match a story, or make up a four-beat clapping pattern. The point is making real choices about sound, not writing notes on a staff.
How do I know students are ready for next year?
By spring, students should keep a steady beat, sing simple songs in tune most of the time, echo short rhythm patterns, and say something specific about a piece of music they hear. They should also share a small musical idea they made up.