Montague Township School District
Music Curriculum Guide
Grade 1
2025-2026
Jody Taylor
| Unit | Sept | Oct | Nov | Dec | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 35 | 36 | 37 | 38 | 39 | 40 | ||
01Creating | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Description
The General Music Curriculum for Grades K-2 at Montague Township School develops students' artistic literacy and fluency through four interconnected processes: creating, performing, responding, and connecting. Students compose and improvise rhythmic and melodic patterns using music notation and technology, perform songs with proper technique and expression, respond to music by analyzing its elements and context, and make meaningful connections between music and their own experiences and other disciplines. Throughout the year, instruction incorporates diverse repertoire with emphasis on discussing composers and musicians from varied backgrounds, including those with disabilities, and addresses social issues through music. The curriculum aligns with New Jersey Student Learning Standards and integrates cross-curricular connections with mathematics, science, health, physical education, social studies, language arts, and world languages.
Big Ideas
- Creative ideas, concepts, and feelings that influence musicians' work emerge from a variety of sources and are shaped by expertise, context, and expressive intent.
- Musicians evaluate and refine their work through openness to new ideas, persistence, and application of appropriate criteria.
- Performers' selection of repertoire and quality of performance are influenced by technical skill, knowledge, and the context of performance.
- Musical response is informed by analyzing context and how creators and performers manipulate elements of music to convey expressive intent.
- Musicians connect their personal interests, experiences, ideas, and knowledge to creating, performing, and responding to music across disciplines and daily life.
Essential Questions
- How do musicians generate creative ideas and make creative decisions?
- How do musicians improve the quality of their creative work?
- How do performers select repertoire and improve the quality of their performance?
- How do individuals choose music to experience and respond to it meaningfully?
- How do musicians make meaningful connections to creating, performing, and responding?
Music - Connecting
Music - Creating
Music - Performing
Music - Responding
Students use rhythm instruments and patterns to explore mathematical concepts including counting, patterning, and basic mathematical thinking through musical composition and performance activities.
Students investigate vibration, sound, and light through musical exploration and performance, making observations about how sound is produced and how materials vibrate.
Students develop speaking and listening skills through discussions, collaborative work, and question-and-answer activities related to music creation, performance, and response. Students use words and syllables to prepare rhythmic concepts and express musical ideas.
Students learn about diverse musicians, composers, and cultural music traditions, exploring how music reflects communities and different cultures while developing understanding of diversity, equity, and inclusion through exposure to varied performers and musical traditions.
Students develop body awareness, posture, breathing techniques, and physical coordination through musical performance and movement-based musical activities.
Students are assessed throughout the year using formative, summative, alternative, and benchmark assessment approaches. Assessment methods include group work, projects, discussions, question and answer exchanges, teacher observation, and skill testing. Students demonstrate learning through performance tasks such as creating rhythmic and melodic compositions, performing songs with proper technique and expression, drawing or moving to represent music elements, and explaining their musical choices and interpretations. Assessment emphasizes authentic demonstration of understanding across the four artistic processes.
| Unit | Formative | Summative | Benchmark | Alternative |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01Creating | ✓ | ✓ | — | ✓ |
| 02Performing | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| 03Responding | ✓ | ✓ | — | ✓ |
| 04Connecting | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Coverage | 4/4 | 4/4 | 2/2 | 4/4 |
| Unit | IEP | 504 | MLL | At-Risk | Gifted |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01Creating | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| 02Performing | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| 03Responding | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| 04Connecting | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Coverage | 4/4 | 4/4 | 4/4 | 4/4 | 4/4 |