Musicplay Grade 4 Teacher's Guide + Digital Resources

Musicplay Grade 4 is a comprehensive program that offers a diverse range of songs and activities, providing you with options to teach concepts and skills your way. The sequencing of reading songs aligns with both Orff and Kodaly processes, so you know you’re getting a well-rounded program.

At the core of the Musicplay Grade 4 Teacher Guide, you'll find a suggested lesson plan, but here's the beauty: it's a menu. You know your students and community best. Customize your curriculum by choosing the songs and activities that align with your state or province requirements. You choose the songs and activities that hold the most appeal for you and your students.

Let Musicplay be your guiding framework while empowering you to make the choices that best suit your unique teaching style and the needs of your students.

Quick Summary

• 40 weekly detailed lessons
• A year plan
• Month outlines (August – June)
• Song notation + teaching suggestions (103 songs)
• Curriculum connections (language arts, drama, math, social studies, science, daily PE, dance, health, social skills)
• Assessment rubrics and checklists (beat & rhythm, melody, form, creating, responding to music, recorder)
• Classified indexes (theme, multicultural, holiday, seasonal, patriotic, song type, and genre)
• Performance / Vocal / Accompaniment mp3s (103 songs)
• Listening Resource Kit 4 (24 excerpts of classical pieces for easy listening)

Scope and Sequence & the Year Plan

Musicplay Grade 4 prepares, presents, and practices new concepts in a reinforcing way to ensure that the students are always having fun and being supported.

Areas of focus in the scope and sequence include beat and rhythm, melody, harmony, instrumental technique, creating, form, expression, cultural and historical context, listening, and creating cross-curriculum connections. The year plan also includes themes, theory, and instruments.

Month Outlines

Month outlines have three categories: song lists, lesson modules, and additional options. The month outline will give you the entire Musicplay song list with key concepts for each song. The list includes accompanying listening selections for each week. Many teachers highlight the songs that they want to use and loosely follow the monthly outlines. 

Week at a Glance

The week at a glance is a summarized look at the song list and where there are opportunities to sing, move, listen, read, write, create, and assess. It also includes the songs and activities that are used in the pre-built lesson on MusicplayOnline.

103 Songs

The concepts, I can statements, and core arts standards for every song are clearly labeled at the top of the song’s page. Below the song’s notation, you will find game directions, teaching purpose, and teaching suggestions. In addition, every song has suggested activities under headings such as playing and creating, music reading and writing, assessment, and curriculum connections. Each song comes with a vocal/performance mp3 and an accompaniment mp3.

Most of these songs have additional printables, interactives, videos, arrangements, and more that can be accessed on MusicplayOnline with a valid subscription.

Recordings

Download the vocal/performance mp3s to save your voice or help support a performance. Accompaniment mp3s are also available for performances.

Classical Listening – Bonus Resource!

The Musicplay Grade 4 teacher’s guide also comes with the Listening Resource Kit 4 teacher guide. In this bonus resource, you get 24 listening excerpts from well-known western classical selections edited for Grade 4 students. Each listening excerpt includes objectives, information about the composition and composer, and suggested activities. The classical excerpts are not available to download on MusicplayOnline but they are available as downloadable mp3s with this product.

I have MusicplayOnline – what’s the difference?

The printed materials included in this teacher guide are accessible across MusicplayOnline, but they are spread across the website rather than in one single location. Having the printed teacher’s guide saves you assembly time and the printing costs of assembling your own teacher's guide.

On MusicplayOnline you do have access to download the song accompaniment mp3s. However, MusicplayOnline does not allow you to download song vocal mp3s. Gain instant access to downloadable song vocal mp3s and classical listening excerpt mp3s with this teacher’s guide, perfect for offline situations such as gym performances or unexpected internet disruptions.

Finally, the world has moved to the internet but that doesn’t mean you have to. If you prefer using a printed program with audio mp3s or don’t have the internet signal to support teaching from a website, this printed teacher’s guide is for you.

Musicplay Grade 4 Digital Resources

The digital resource package includes all the digital content that compliments the Musicplay curriculum. If you’ve ever had the WiFi in your school let you down, having access to the song videos, PowerPoints or mp3s is very helpful!

Resource Index