Skip to content
Learning Standards Standards

What does a student learn in ?

This is the year music becomes something students make, not just hear. Students sing simple songs, clap steady beats, and try out instruments to build their own short pieces. They start listening with a purpose, noticing if a song feels fast or slow, loud or soft, and saying why they like it. By spring, students can perform a short song or rhythm in front of others and share what it reminds them of.

  • Singing
  • Steady beat
  • Playing instruments
  • Listening to music
  • Sharing performances
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. 1

    Exploring sound and voice

    Students start the year discovering how their voices and bodies can make music. They sing simple songs, clap to a steady beat, and try out classroom instruments to hear how each one sounds different.

  2. 2

    Making up musical ideas

    Students begin inventing their own short musical ideas. They pick sounds, try out patterns, and decide which ones they like best, with a teacher helping them shape their choices.

  3. 3

    Practicing for an audience

    Students learn what it takes to share music with others. They practice a song or pattern, work on getting better each time, and think about what they want listeners to feel.

  4. 4

    Listening and responding

    Students listen to different kinds of music and talk about what they hear. They notice if music is fast or slow, loud or soft, and connect songs to places, holidays, and family traditions.

Mastery Learning Standards
The required skills a student should display by the end of Kindergarten.
Connecting

  • Synthesize and relate knowledge and personal experiences to make art

    MU:Cn10.k

    Students connect what they already know and feel to the music they make or hear. Their own experiences shape how they create and respond.

  • Relate artistic ideas and works with societal, cultural

    MU:Cn11.k

    Songs and music come from real places and real people. Students begin to notice that the music they hear and sing connects to where people live, what they celebrate, and how they share stories.

Creating

  • Generate and conceptualize artistic ideas and work

    MU:Cr1.k

    Students explore sounds, rhythms, and musical ideas through play. They hum, clap, or tap out patterns to start turning a simple idea into a song.

  • Organize and develop artistic ideas and work

    MU:Cr2.k

    Students arrange sounds and musical ideas into a short piece, making choices about what to keep, change, or leave out.

  • Refine and complete artistic work

    MU:Cr3.k

    Students revisit a simple song or rhythm they made and make small changes to improve it before sharing it with the class.

Performing/Presenting/Producing

  • Analyze, interpret, and select artistic work for presentation

    MU:Pr4.k

    Students choose a song or piece of music to perform and start to explain why they picked it.

  • Develop and refine artistic techniques and work for presentation

    MU:Pr5.k

    Students practice a song or rhythm until it sounds the way they want it to sound. They learn that rehearsing and fixing small mistakes is part of getting ready to perform.

  • Convey meaning through the presentation of artistic work

    MU:Pr6.k

    Students share a song or rhythm they have practiced, performing it for others so the music means something to the listeners.

Responding

  • Perceive and analyze artistic work

    MU:Re7.k

    Students listen to a short piece of music and share what they notice, like whether it's loud or soft, fast or slow.

  • Interpret intent and meaning in artistic work

    MU:Re8.k

    Students listen to a short piece of music and share what they think it feels like or what it makes them picture.

  • Apply criteria to evaluate artistic work

    MU:Re9.k

    Students listen to a short piece of music and say what they liked or what felt interesting, giving a reason for their answer.

Common Questions
  • What does music class look like this year?

    Students sing simple songs, clap and tap steady beats, play small instruments like shakers and drums, and move to music. They also start to notice differences between loud and soft, fast and slow, and high and low sounds.

  • How can families support music learning at home?

    Sing together in the car, clap along to favorite songs, and let students bang on pots or shake a jar of beans to a beat. Five minutes of music play counts. Asking what a song makes students feel also builds the listening skills used in class.

  • Does a student need to be musically talented to do well?

    No. The focus is on trying things, not performing perfectly. Students who sing off-key, miss the beat, or feel shy are exactly where they should be in their first year of music.

  • How should the year be sequenced?

    Start with steady beat, call-and-response singing, and simple movement. Add high and low, loud and soft, and fast and slow over the fall. Save short performance pieces and basic peer feedback for spring, once routines are solid.

  • Which skills usually need the most reteaching?

    Keeping a steady beat without rushing is the biggest one. Matching pitch when singing is the other. Plan to revisit both all year through games, echo songs, and movement, not as isolated drills.

  • What does mastery look like by the end of the year?

    Students can keep a steady beat, sing a short song with the group, pick an instrument or movement that fits a song, and say something simple about what they heard or liked. They can also share a small idea, like a sound effect for a story.

  • How do students show what a piece of music means?

    Students might move their bodies to show a sleepy song, pick a soft shaker for a quiet part, or draw a picture of what a song reminded them of. These small choices are how the year connects feeling, listening, and making music.

  • How do I know a student is ready for next year?

    Students should join in singing and movement without much prompting, keep a steady beat most of the time, and tell something they noticed about a song. Comfort taking small musical risks in front of classmates matters more than polish.