Exploring sound and voice
Students start the year by listening to music and trying out their singing voices. They notice loud and quiet, fast and slow, and start to copy simple songs they hear at circle time.
What does a student learn in
This is the year music becomes something students make, not just hear. Students explore sounds with their voices, simple instruments, and their bodies, and they start making up little songs and rhythms of their own. They also listen to music from home and around the world and talk about how it makes them feel. By spring, students can sing a familiar song, keep a steady beat, and share what they liked about a piece of music.
- Singing
- Steady beat
- Making up songs
- Listening to music
- Music and feelings
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
- 2
Making music with the body
Students clap, tap, and move to a steady beat. They join in with classroom instruments like shakers and drums, and start to match what they play to the song.
- 3
Making up their own music
Students invent little tunes, sound effects, and rhythm patterns of their own. They try out ideas, pick the ones they like, and practice them again so they remember how it goes.
- 4
Sharing songs with others
Students perform songs and rhythms for classmates and family. They practice singing or playing together, watch the teacher for cues, and learn what it feels like to be part of a group performance.
- 5
Music in our lives
Students talk about songs from home, holidays, and different cultures. They share how a piece of music makes them feel and notice when a song sounds happy, calm, silly, or sad.
Mastery Learning Standards
The required skills a student should display by the end of Pre-Kindergarten.
Connecting
Connecting
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Synthesize and relate knowledge and personal experiences to make art
Students connect what they know and feel to the music they make and hear, like linking a song about rain to a rainy day they remember.
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Relate artistic ideas and works with societal, cultural
Songs and musical traditions come from somewhere. Students begin to notice how the music around them connects to their family, community, and the world.
| Standard | Definition | Code |
|---|---|---|
| Synthesize and relate knowledge and personal experiences to make art | Students connect what they know and feel to the music they make and hear, like linking a song about rain to a rainy day they remember. | MU:Cn10.pk |
| Relate artistic ideas and works with societal, cultural | Songs and musical traditions come from somewhere. Students begin to notice how the music around them connects to their family, community, and the world. | MU:Cn11.pk |
Creating
Creating
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Generate and conceptualize artistic ideas and work
Students come up with their own musical ideas, like clapping a rhythm, humming a tune, or deciding how a song should sound.
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Organize and develop artistic ideas and work
Students pick a song or sound idea they like and find a way to share it, maybe by clapping, humming, or moving. They start turning a simple musical idea into something they can perform for others.
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Refine and complete artistic work
Students pick a song or sound they made and decide if they want to change anything before sharing it. It is an early lesson in listening to your own work and making it better.
| Standard | Definition | Code |
|---|---|---|
| Generate and conceptualize artistic ideas and work | Students come up with their own musical ideas, like clapping a rhythm, humming a tune, or deciding how a song should sound. | MU:Cr1.pk |
| Organize and develop artistic ideas and work | Students pick a song or sound idea they like and find a way to share it, maybe by clapping, humming, or moving. They start turning a simple musical idea into something they can perform for others. | MU:Cr2.pk |
| Refine and complete artistic work | Students pick a song or sound they made and decide if they want to change anything before sharing it. It is an early lesson in listening to your own work and making it better. | MU:Cr3.pk |
Performing/Presenting/Producing
Performing/Presenting/Producing
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Analyze, interpret, and select artistic work for presentation
Students pick a song to sing or perform and start learning how to play or sing it the way they want it to sound.
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Develop and refine artistic techniques and work for presentation
Students practice a song or rhythm until they can perform it for others. The goal is to keep getting better, not just get it done.
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Convey meaning through the presentation of artistic work
Singing a song or tapping a beat for others is its own kind of communication. Students share what a piece of music means to them through how they perform it.
| Standard | Definition | Code |
|---|---|---|
| Analyze, interpret, and select artistic work for presentation | Students pick a song to sing or perform and start learning how to play or sing it the way they want it to sound. | MU:Pr4.pk |
| Develop and refine artistic techniques and work for presentation | Students practice a song or rhythm until they can perform it for others. The goal is to keep getting better, not just get it done. | MU:Pr5.pk |
| Convey meaning through the presentation of artistic work | Singing a song or tapping a beat for others is its own kind of communication. Students share what a piece of music means to them through how they perform it. | MU:Pr6.pk |
Responding
Responding
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Perceive and analyze artistic work
Students listen to a short piece of music and talk about what they notice, like whether it sounds fast or slow, loud or quiet.
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Interpret intent and meaning in artistic work
Students listen to a short song and share what it makes them think or feel, using their own words or by showing it with their body.
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Apply criteria to evaluate artistic work
Students listen to a song or watch a performance and say what they liked or what they noticed. They start to explain why, using words like "too loud" or "that part was fun."
| Standard | Definition | Code |
|---|---|---|
| Perceive and analyze artistic work | Students listen to a short piece of music and talk about what they notice, like whether it sounds fast or slow, loud or quiet. | MU:Re7.pk |
| Interpret intent and meaning in artistic work | Students listen to a short song and share what it makes them think or feel, using their own words or by showing it with their body. | MU:Re8.pk |
| Apply criteria to evaluate artistic work | Students listen to a song or watch a performance and say what they liked or what they noticed. They start to explain why, using words like "too loud" or "that part was fun." | MU:Re9.pk |
Common Questions
What does music look like for a four-year-old?
Music at this age is mostly singing, moving, and playing simple instruments like shakers and drums. Students learn to keep a steady beat, match a tune with their voice, and listen for loud, soft, fast, and slow. Most of it happens through play.
How can families support music learning at home?
Sing together in the car, clap along to songs, and let children bang on pots or shake a jar of beans. Five minutes of singing or dancing each day does more than any app. Ask what song they sang at school and join in.
Does a child need to read music or play an instrument yet?
No. Reading notes and formal lessons come much later. Right now the goal is a child who loves to sing, move to music, and try out sounds without worrying about getting it right.
How should music be sequenced across the year?
Start with steady beat, call-and-response songs, and exploring classroom instruments. Move into matching pitch, simple patterns, and songs tied to seasons or stories. End the year with short performances where students share a favorite song or sound piece they helped make.
Which skills usually need the most reteaching?
Keeping a steady beat while singing is the hardest. Many students can clap a beat or sing a song, but doing both at once takes months of practice. Build it in daily with marching, patting laps, and tapping rhythm sticks.
What if a child says they cannot sing or feels shy?
That is common at this age. Sing in groups so no one feels on the spot, and use puppets or stuffed animals as the singer. Praise trying, not pitch. Most children grow into their voices over the year.
How do students show what a song means to them?
They pick the instrument that fits the mood, choose to play loud or soft, or move their bodies in a way that matches the music. Ask a child why they picked a shaker for the rain song. Their reasons count as musical thinking.
How do I know a student is ready for kindergarten music?
Look for a student who joins in singing, can keep a beat for short stretches, names instruments by sound, and shares an opinion about a piece of music. Confidence to try matters more than polish.
Why connect songs to stories, seasons, or family traditions?
Music sticks when it ties to something students already know. Singing a harvest song while talking about apples, or learning a lullaby from a family at home, helps students see that music belongs to real people and real moments.