Turkey 4th Grade Music Curriculum

The 4th-grade music curriculum in Turkey, as outlined by the Ministry of National Education (MEB), focuses on four key learning areas: Listening-Singing, Musical Perception and Knowledge, Musical Creativity, and Music Culture.

Listening-Singing:

• Students are expected to adhere to the rules of singing together, such as starting and ending at the same time and listening to their peers while singing.
• They should sing the Turkish National Anthem (İstiklal Marşı) correctly and with respect, paying attention to rhythm and melody.
• They learn to sing songs related to specific days and weeks, including national and religious holidays, and those commemorating Atatürk.
• They also learn to sing melodies with different rhythmic structures, including those in 5/8 time signature, typically taught by ear.

Musical Perception and Knowledge:

• Students are introduced to basic music notation, including the staff, clef, time signature, bar lines, final bar line, and notes (fa, sol, la).
• They learn about note values and rests (whole, half, quarter, eighth).
• They learn to represent musical pitch graphically, demonstrating their understanding of high and low notes.
• They identify changes in tempo (gradually slowing down, gradually speeding up) and dynamics (gradually getting louder, gradually getting softer) in songs, folk songs, and game music.
• They differentiate basic sound properties of learned notes (duration and pitch).
• They use music technology to distinguish basic musical elements (pitch, duration, tempo, dynamics).

Musical Creativity:

• Students express their feelings and thoughts about the music they listen to through various means, including drawing, verbal and written expression, drama, and dance.
• They create and perform their own rhythmic patterns, accompanying music of their choice.
• They compose and perform their own melodies.
• They create movements and dances to accompany songs with different rhythmic structures.
• They create dances to accompany different sections of music.

Music Culture:

• Students recognize the importance of creating a music archive.
• They collaboratively create a class music archive, classifying and archiving various works (sound recordings, musical notation) using technology.
• They expand their musical culture by listening to different genres of music, focusing on traditional music from their region.
• They develop national and spiritual awareness through the music they learn, particularly focusing on the value of patriotism.
• They participate in musical events in their environment (classroom, school, home, neighborhood) as listeners or performers.