LEARN NC

K–12 teaching and learning · from the UNC School of Education

Music Education — Grade 4

Goal 8: The learner will understand relationships between music, the other arts, and content areas outside the arts.

Objective 8.02. Identify ways in which the principles and subject matter of other content areas taught in the school are related to those of music.

Additional related resources

We’re in the process of aligning our content for students to the Standard Course of Study. As we do, you’ll find it here.

General resources

Aligned lesson plans

Where is sound in our environment?
In BioMusic, page 2.1
In this lesson, you will take your students on a sound walk. Students will identify sounds using music terminology and distinguish if they are natural or man-made.
Format: lesson plan (grade 4–5 Visual Arts Education and Music Education)
By Debra Hall and Crystal Patillo.
What sounds do whales use to communicate?
In BioMusic, page 2.8
In this lesson, students will listen to whale sounds. They will identify the difference between a whale song and a whale call. While using appropriate music terminology, students will also compare the similarities between whale song and human song.
Format: lesson plan (grade 4–6 Music Education)
By Debra Hall and Crystal Patillo.
What are the reasons animals use sounds?
In BioMusic, page 2.9
Crows are fascinating creatures. In this lesson, students will explore their complex communication and behavior. They will make connections between the crow's method of counter-singing with the call and response style of singing.
Format: lesson plan (grade 4–6 Music Education)
By Debra Hall and Crystal Patillo.
What are some careers in biomusicology?
In BioMusic, page 2.11
By gathering information in books, from interviews, and on the Internet, learners will identify several career possibilities in the field of biomusicology research.
Format: lesson plan (grade 4–5 Guidance and Music Education)
By Debra Hall and Crystal Patillo.
How sound is like a wave: Investigating animal echolocation
In BioMusic, page 2.5
In this lesson, students will use two models to demonstrate how sound waves occur. They will infer how sound waves travel from a source and weaken as they spread. By demonstrating how sound echoes off objects, students will learn about animal echolocation.
Format: lesson plan (grade 5–6 Music Education and Science)
By Debra Hall and Crystal Patillo.
How is dolphin communication similar to human communication?
In BioMusic, page 2.10
In this lesson, students will find several similarities between the ways humans and dolphins use sound to communicate. They will practice making their own dolphin sounds and use them to communicate with a partner. They will also use these sounds to accompany a reading of Dolphin Talk: Whistles, Clicks, and Clapping Jaws by Wendy Pfeffer.
Format: lesson plan (grade 4–5 Music Education)
By Debra Hall and Crystal Patillo.
How does sound travel in different environments?
In BioMusic, page 2.7
In this lesson, students will identify mediums that sounds can travel through and use experiments to discover how each medium affects sound. By listening to recordings and viewing sound spectrograms, they will learn about whale song and how these animals transmit sound through water (liquid).
Format: lesson plan (grade 5–6 Music Education and Science)
By Debra Hall and Crystal Patillo.
How does an animal's environment affect the frequency of its sound?
In BioMusic, page 2.6
In this lesson, students will explore the relationship between frequency and pitch. In addition to conducting a simple experiment, they will also examine bat and elephant sound spectrograms. Students will learn how both animals and humans use their environments to create sound for communication.
Format: lesson plan (grade 5–6 Music Education and Science)
By Debra Hall and Crystal Patillo.
How do animals create sound to communicate?
In BioMusic, page 2.3
In this interdisciplinary lesson, students will experiment with a variety of objects and musical instruments to show how sound is caused by vibrations. They will learn how humans and birds create sound using the larynx and the syrinx, and identify two animals that use objects in their environments to create specific sounds.
Format: lesson plan (grade 5–6 Music Education and Science)
By Debra Hall and Crystal Patillo.
How can we view and distinguish sounds?
In BioMusic, page 2.4
In this engaging lesson, students will listen to recordings of various animals sounds and compare them with their visual representations on sound spectrograms. They will explore topics such as pitch, frequency, timbre, and vibration through animal vocalization, human voice, and instrumental composition.
Format: lesson plan (grade 4–5 Music Education)
By Debra Hall and Crystal Patillo.
How can we represent sounds that are in the environment?
In BioMusic, page 2.2
In this interdisciplinary lesson, students will listen to frog calls and identify the difference between high and low pitches. They will represent sounds using aural, graphic, and kinesthetic methods.
Format: lesson plan (grade 4–5 Dance Arts Education and Music Education)
By Debra Hall and Crystal Patillo.

Resources on the web

Musical Harlem
Students will learn to identify musical styles and musicians associated with Harlem, focusing on jazz. They will learn about the special role of music in Harlem as a unifier of a community and of a culture. Students can listen to audio samples and analyze... (Learn more)
Format: lesson plan (grade K–5 Music Education and Social Studies)
Provided by: ArtsEdge
Brass instruments and pitch
In this ARTSEDGE lesson, students create a “brass” instrument, make predictions, and explore how pitch changes based on the length of the air pipe. Students will: design investigations that determine what factors affect the... (Learn more)
Format: lesson plan (grade 3–5 English Language Arts and Music Education)
Provided by: ArtsEdge