The installment in the My Music Journal, designed for Fifth Grade students will expand on the material learned in all previous textbooks to continue the students’ musical education throughout grade five. The material in this textbook will continue where the fourth-grade installment ends and will continue to teach new material based on the students’ previous music education up to that point, providing a solid foundation of knowledge to prepare elementary students for the next phases of their music education and achievements. In this installment, several more advanced concepts of rhythm will be taught, including various meters like 2/4, 3/4, and 4/4, a review of common and cut time, and new vocabulary like triplets, ties, and slurs. Students will continue their education of melodies by learning the differences in naturals, flats, and sharps, differentiating between major and minor keys, building the major scale, and introducing the bass clef. Students will learn a variety of new tone color vocabulary and their applications, such as duet, trio, quartet, chorus, soprano, alto, tenor, and bass. The concept of tempo will be expanded on with students learning andante, moderato, allegro, and presto as well as learning the basics and experimenting with a metronome. The concepts of harmony and tone will be expanded upon with students engaging in topics such as thick and thin textures, unison and harmony, new vocabulary like ostinato, partner songs, descants, counter-melodies, and rounds, and various chord patterns. Finally, students will continue their education of different musical styles, engaging in various musical pieces from different cultures and time periods and comparing and contrasting these different types of music.

Teacher and student follow the same textbook. The teacher receives also Curriculum Outline and Assessments for My Music Journal - Music Teaching Method for Fifth Grade.

My Music Journal Teaching Method for Fifth Grade will teach the following:

Concept: Rhythm
The student will:
• move to the meter in a variety of recorded and improvised pieces
• indicate changes in meter through movement
• determine and demonstrate meter in 2s, 3s, and 4s
• read, create, and perform patterns in 2/4, 3/4, 4/4, and 6/8
• review common and cut time
• point out examples of syncopation in listening selections and in a score
• continue to read and perform patterns using triplets, ties, and slurs
• hear, recognize, and move to patterns using dotted eighth followed by sixteenth notes

Concept: Melody
The student will:
• recognize and understand accidentals and their symbols: natural, flat, and sharp
• explain the effect naturals, sharps, and flats have on the pitch
• recognize the chromatic structure, i.e., half steps
• determine whether a listening selection is in a major or minor tonality
• discuss reasons a composer might choose a major or minor tonality for a composition
• build the major scales using the correct interval pattern or by ear
• explore the bass clef and its range
• recognize and define a cappella
• listen to an a cappella selection; create a drawing or painting of the impression drawn from the selection
• write a brief paragraph or essay in which the student artist describes the drawing/painting for the class
• begin to understand key signatures

Concept: Tone Color
The student will:
• define duet, trio, quartet, and chorus
• recognize vocal performances of each
• participate in singing examples of each
• group voices as soprano, alto, tenor, or bass
• distinguish between changed and unchanged voices
• review the grouping of common instruments
• listen to a recording or attend a performance of a local or area musical ensemble
• describe and give a personal opinion of the recording or performance, in writing and as part of class discussion, giving a rationale for the opinion
• compare the recording/performance to another having the same characteristics

Concept: Tempo
The student will:
• define common tempo words: andante, moderato, allegro, presto
• experiment with a metronome
• understand the purpose of the metronome

Concept: Dynamics
The student will:
• apply dynamic markings to a variety of listening selections, using the appropriate terms
• respond to each dynamic marking while performing
• demonstrate each marking vocally or using classroom instruments
• improvise movement to portray dynamic changes in a piece
• accompany the movement with rhythm instruments

Concept: Form
The student will:
• review the structure of a suite
• listen to a variety of suites as a review
• explain the composers’ subject matter in a specific suite and how is it expressed musically
• define and use the terms suite and prelude/overture
• recognize the prelude/overture in a listening selection

Concept: Harmony/Texture
The student will:
• recognize textures as thick/thin
• identify sections of a listening selection as performed in unison/harmony
• continue to perform songs in a variety of textures: ostinati, partner songs, descants, countermelodies, rounds
• begin to sing in two-part harmony
• develop recognition of chord changes in a song
• experiment with accompaniments using I-V and I-IV-V chord patterns

Concept: Style
The student will:
• locate a review of a local/area musical performance and summarize the critic’s opinion
• listen to music from various cultures and historical periods
• recognize and contrast differences in expressive qualities between cultures/historical periods
• discuss and compare the expressive qualities in a variety of listening selections
• listen to, make simple identifications, and discuss reactions to the music of great composers

Apollo Publishing has 9 music textbooks for each grade level, K-8. Each grade level is Teacher and Student edition. Teacher and student follow the same textbook. In addition teacher receives Curriculum Outline and Assessments for each grade level.