MusicFirst Elementary - Fourth Grade (Texas Edition)

Evaluation for 1.1a
Materials include a scope and sequence outlining the TEKS, ELPS, and concepts taught in the course.

The materials include a “Grade Level Scope and Sequence—Fourth Grade Curriculum Map” that contains a chart that lists all the TEKS covered in each thematic area for the entire program. It includes content to be taught that matches each of the TEKS and when/where each TEKS and concept are addressed. For example, “Understanding Music” includes TEKS 117.115.2A, 117.115.2B, 117.115.3C, 117.115.4A, 117.115.4B, and 117.115.6D, and the concepts of pitch/melody including: staff (reading pitches), standard notation, treble clef, major and minor keys/scores: C major, F major, G major, A minor, D major, Bb major, sharps, flats, tonic pitch.

The materials include a “Fourth Grade TEKS Aligned Activity Guide” with a table that maps each TEKS code and standard to a corresponding MFE Student Activity. For example, the TEKS Code 117.115 (1A) is mapped to the TEKS standard “Categorize a variety of musical sounds,” including those of children’s voices. The MFE Student Activity column lists two activities that can be used with students, including “Dragon Song—Unit 6 Enrichment Extended Listening.”

Evaluation for 1.1b
Materials include suggested pacing to support effective implementation for various instructional schedules (e.g., rotational schedules) and various instructional calendars (e.g., varying number of instructional days).

The “Schedule, Pacing, and Rotation: Making MusicFirst Work for You” guide contains a variety of implementation strategies for various class lengths (30-, 45-, and 60-minute lessons), rotation schedules (once-weekly, twice-weekly, and daily classes), and differing instructional calendars (34 and 36 weeks). Additionally, the section “Adapting to School Calendar Challenges” further explains how to schedule around interruptions such as assemblies, events, and testing.

MusicFirst Elementary: An Overview focuses on effective implementation within a lesson. For example, chapter 7, “Flexibility: Teaching Your Way,” provides educators with flexible lesson structures, pacing options, and instructional supports that can be adapted to different schedules, teaching contexts, instructional approaches, and levels of educator experience.

Evaluation for 1.1c
Materials include an explanation for the rationale of unit order as well as how concepts to be learned connect throughout the course.

The materials include an explanation of the rationale for unit order and how concepts connect throughout the course in both the “Scope and Sequence” and Pacing Guide documents. For example, when the concept of steady beat is introduced in unit 1, it continues to be reinforced and applied in subsequent units.


The materials include a Curriculum tab that links to a “Fourth Grade Year at a Glance: The Musicianship Stage” document explaining the rationale for the unit order and how it builds on students’ grade 3 music literacy skills. It also describes the spiral progression of learning across units, showing how the unit sequence supports a coherent progression by intentionally revisiting and expanding musical concepts to increase student proficiency and understanding over time.

Evaluation for 1.1d
Materials include protocols with corresponding guidance for unit and lesson internalization.

“Designing Musical Connectivity: How MusicFirst Elementary Sequences and Connect Learning” includes a five-step unit protocol with guidance for unit internalization. Educators are directed to know the unit arc, internalize the songs, map the concept journey, consider student readiness and differentiation, and prepare materials, instruments, visual aids, technology, and “Enrich and Extend” resources before beginning instruction.

Teaching with the MusicFirst Elementary Platform: A Facilitation Guide for Teachers guides educators in internalizing and facilitating each lesson component using the seven instructional activity types, reflecting the variety of instructional approaches embedded in the platform.

Evaluation for 1.1e
Materials include resources and guidance for instructional leaders to support teachers with implementing the materials as designed.

MusicFirst Elementary: An Overview—A Complete Guide for Teachers and Leaders includes a section for instructional leaders that explains the program structure and identifies leader-facing supports for implementation. It provides guidance for educator onboarding, including using the Course Level Curriculum Guide and Teacher Assessment Guide, pairing new educators with experienced users, and ensuring educators can access grade-level resources before instruction begins. The guide also provides implementation guidance for instructional leaders through coaching and observation look-fors, progress monitoring recommendations, and questions for instructional conversations. Leaders are directed to look for student engagement, educator modeling, formative check-ins, use of assessment data, and student reflection through “My Music Passport.”

Teaching with the MusicFirst Elementary Platform: A Facilitation Guide for Teachers provides guidance for facilitating MusicFirst Elementary’s seven instructional activity types, reflecting the platform’s variety of instructional approaches.

Evaluation for 1.2a
Materials include comprehensive unit overviews that provide the background content knowledge and academic and discipline-specific vocabulary necessary to effectively teach the concepts in the unit.

The materials include comprehensive unit overviews that provide background knowledge and academic vocabulary. For example, the “Grade 4, Unit 1 Overview: Cracking the Code” provides background content knowledge by identifying the unit theme (“Musical Spotlight”), cross-curricular focus, lesson structure, learning objectives, TEKS coverage, and a Unit Learning Map. “Musical Spotlight” explains dotted rhythms, including dotted notes, dotted quarter notes, and dotted half notes, and how they function in different meters. The overview also includes unit vocabulary with definitions for new and revisited terms. New vocabulary includes dotted note, dotted quarter note, dotted half note, compound meter, 6/8, and dotted eighth-sixteenth. Revisited vocabulary includes meter, tempo, time signature, interval, and outro.

The “Grade 4, Unit 5 Overview: Layers of Sound” provides the background knowledge needed to teach the unit concept of musical texture. The “Musical Spotlight” explains that texture describes how many layers of sound are happening at once and how those layers relate to one another. It defines and explains texture types such as monophonic, homophonic, polyphonic, and antiphonal. The “Unit Vocabulary” section provides academic and discipline-specific vocabulary with definitions, including texture, monophonic, homophonic, polyphonic, layered texture, strophic, melody, harmony, ensemble, and verse-chorus.

Evaluation for 1.2b
Materials contain supports for families in both Spanish and English for each unit with suggestions on supporting the progress of their student.

The materials contain supports for families in Spanish and English. For example, the “Fourth Grade Family Connection Sheet” for the song “Joyful, Joyful” is broken down into the following: “About This Song,” which describes the style of the song in the unit and how it helps the student learn the unit concepts; “Did You Know?”, a fun fact about the concept; “Key Vocabulary,” including definitions; “Try This at Home,” a guide on activities families can do together to reinforce concepts taught; and “Talk Together,” questions that families can ask their children to reinforce concepts taught. The sheet is printed in both English and Spanish.

MusicFirst Elementary: An Overview explains that “Family Connection” resources are available for every unit and grade level. These resources are linked directly within the lesson plans and are provided in both English and Spanish. The “Family Connection” materials introduce families to what students are learning in music, identify the songs students are working on, and provide ways families can support and extend music learning at home. For example, the “Unit 3, Song 3 Lesson Plan: I Saw the Light” includes four ELPS support documents: the bilingual song lyrics and song structure document, the ELPS Standards Activity guide, the “Family Connection” document, and the ELPS Sentence Stems. The ELPS Standards Activity guide includes song context, key words, musical vocabulary, ELPS standards addressed, guidance for the ELPS activity, and sentence frames. All four ELPS documents are provided in both English and Spanish.

Evaluation for 1.3a
Materials include comprehensive, structured, detailed lesson plans that include objectives, questions, tasks, materials, and instructional assessments required to meet the content and language standards of the lesson (aligned with the TEKS and the ELPS).

The materials include lesson plans that include objectives. For example, the “Grade 4, Unit 1, Song 1 Lesson Plan: Joyful, Joyful” includes a structured lesson overview with music style, materials and instruments, supporting documentation, vocabulary, sheet music, TEKS, ELPS, and scheduling options. The lesson also identifies Big Ideas and Student Outcomes aligned to TEKS, including outcomes for describing musical concepts, responding through movement, singing in a rehearsal setting, and demonstrating appropriate audience behavior. The lesson plans do not include lesson-specific questions, tasks, or instructional assessments; instead, they provide general questions and a worksheet that can be used with any lesson.



In the student-facing materials, there is a “Listen and Respond” section (under the Teach tab in each lesson) with questions to ask students, and a Did You Know? tab that gives background information about some aspect of the song. Although these questions appear when you click the Teach button, they don’t appear in the written lesson plan for the educator to view. The questions do not have specific TEKS notated with them to show alignment.

Evaluation for 1.3b
Materials include a lesson overview listing the teacher and student materials necessary to effectively deliver the lesson (e.g., equipment, supplies, technology) and the suggested timing for each lesson component.

The materials include a lesson overview that lists the student materials needed and the timing for each lesson component. For example, the “Grade 4, Unit 1, Song 1 Lesson Plan: Joyful, Joyful” includes an overview of the student materials needed for the lesson, as well as a clear chart that organizes the timing for each lesson component. However, the lesson plan does not include a specific list of educator materials needed to deliver the lesson effectively.

The “Grade 4, Unit 4, Song 5 Lesson Plan: Happy to Be Me” includes an overview of the student materials needed for the lesson, as well as a clear chart that organizes the timing for each lesson component. However, the lesson plan does not include a specific list of educator materials needed to effectively deliver the lesson.

Evaluation for 1.3c
Materials include guidance on the effective use of lesson materials for extended practice (e.g., homework, extension, enrichment).

The materials include guidance for use of the materials for extended practice. For example, the “Grade 4, Unit 2 Enrich and Extend” document states that it accompanies the unit and provides activities that “enrich and extend musical learning across performance, listening, creativity, and cultural understanding” for students in the classroom or at home. The document includes extended-practice options aligned to the unit 2 focus, “Beyond the Staff,” including “Orffestration,” Kodály activities, instrumental play-alongs, musical games, “Focus on Sound” activities, creative tools, and artist-focused videos.

“Grade 4, Unit 2 Overview: Beyond the Staff” explains that “Enrich and Extend” activities deepen and extend learning for every lesson length and every learner. The overview states that “Enrich and Extend” activities are available in the platform and include Orff arrangements, Kodály activities, creative tools, additional listening, project work, and cultural exploration. It also explains that educators choose from the “Enrich and Extend” section based on lesson length and student needs.

Evaluation for 2.1a
Materials include a variety of instructional assessments at the unit and lesson level (including diagnostic, formative, and summative) that vary in types of tasks and questions, including skills demonstration.

The materials include instructional assessments (diagnostic, formative, summative), but do not include skills demonstrations or a variety of types of tasks and questions. For example, the Unit 1 overview includes the baseline diagnostic tool (the same across all elementary grade bands), but it does not include a performance task or skills demonstrations, nor does it vary the types of questions asked.


The materials include summative assessments; however, they are not embedded at the unit level. For example, the summative rubric in the “Assessment Tools” specifies an “End-of-Year Rubric.” However, the rubric has no specific performance tasks to accompany it, and it is not aligned in a way that allows it to be embedded in each unit.



The material includes a “Formative Assessment Checklist,” which provides a general lesson- and unit-level form across multiple instructional activity types, including “Understanding Music,” “Listen and Respond,” “Learn to Sing the Song,” “Play Instruments with the Song,” “Improvise with the Song,” “Compose with the Song,” “Perform the Song,” Music Notepad, and “Enrich & Extend.” The checklist identifies observable skills, such as moving in time with a steady beat, echo-clapping rhythmic patterns, reading and performing notation, playing designated instrumental parts, improvising with provided pitches, composing melodies, performing with accurate musical elements, and using technology to create music. However, the material does not provide explicit student-facing questions, tasks, or directions. As a result, it functions more as an educator checklist than as an assessment that requires students to independently demonstrate mastery of the lesson or unit objectives.

Evaluation for 2.1b
Materials include the definition and intended purpose for the types of instructional assessments included.

The materials include a MusicFirst Elementary Assessment Guide K–5 that outlines the intended purposes of the instructional assessment types. For example, this guide contains formative checklists, peer assessment tools, the “My Music Passport,” quizzes, and end-of-year rubrics. The “Assessment Guide” also labels each assessment type as diagnostic, formative, or summative.



The materials include MusicFirst Elementary: An Overview, which identifies instructional assessments and defines their intended purposes. For example, in chapter 12, the guide states, “The baseline quiz gives a snapshot of each student’s entry-level musical knowledge, end-of-unit quizzes summarize musical learning from the unit, and end-of-grade quizzes summarize the theory and listening skills across the grade level.”

Evaluation for 2.1c
Materials include teacher guidance to ensure consistent and accurate administration of instructional assessments.

The K–5 materials include an “Administration Guide: When, Who, How Long” with a table that specifies, for each assessment type, when it is administered in the learning cycle, how students are grouped, how long it takes, and what resources are needed. It includes educator guidance on diagnostic, formative, and summative assessments and notes that these instructions will appear in each unit across the program, ensuring consistent, accurate assessment administration.

The overall MusicFirst Elementary Assessment Guide K–5 guides educators in interpreting student performance, not just assigning a score. In the “Administration Guide—When, Who, How Long” section, there is an interpretation table that can be used with every rubric or checklist. This interpretation guide offers four bands (Beginning, Developing, Achieving, Mastering) that tell the educator how to interpret and what next steps to take with the student.

Evaluation for 2.1d
Diagnostic, formative, and summative assessments are aligned to the TEKS and objectives of the course, unit, or lesson.

The materials include “Fourth Grade Formative Assessment Checklists” that provide evidence that formative assessments are aligned to the TEKS and lesson/activity objectives. The checklists are organized by instructional activity, including “Understanding Music,’ “Listen and Respond,” “Learn to Sing the Song,” “Play Instruments with the Song,” “Improvise with the Song,” “Compose with the Song,” “Perform the Song,” Music Notepad, and “Enrich & Extend.” Each checklist includes student outcomes, performance levels ranging from beginning to mastery, and TEKS references for the assessed skill.



The materials do not contain diagnostic or summative assessments aligned with the TEKS or the objectives of the course, unit, or lesson. The “Music Passport” is listed as a summative assessment and a place to record what students can do, and it includes prompts such as “My favorite song is _____” and “My favorite activity was _____.” The TEKS are listed on the last page by category (warm-up, listening, singing, etc.), but are not linked to specific knowledge or skills. The materials provide no guidance on how students should demonstrate knowledge or skills.

The materials include a baseline diagnostic quiz; however, it is not aligned to the TEKS or the course, unit, or lesson objectives. For example, the Unit 1 baseline quiz asks generic questions such as “Is this loud or soft?” or “Are these notes the same or different?” which are the same questions asked in other grade levels.

Evaluation for 2.1e
Instructional assessments include TEKS-aligned items at varying levels of complexity.

The materials include “My Music Passport: Fourth Grade,” which is intended to serve as a unit-level summative assessment with student reflection, educator-scored “I can” statements, point totals, and a TEKS alignment chart connected to the platform’s embedded instructional activity types. Although the “Passport” contains a variety of item types, it does not include TEKS-aligned items at varying levels of complexity. Instead, the material indicates broad TEKS alignment without showing how individual items assess specific TEKS or reflect increasing complexity.


The materials include “Fourth Grade Formative Assessment Checklists,” which provide a general lesson- and unit-level format across multiple instructional activity types. The checklist identifies TEKS-based skills, such as moving in time with a steady beat, echo-clapping rhythmic patterns, and reading and performing notation. However, it does not include tasks or items that increase in complexity. While the checklist includes skill mastery levels, these levels reflect educator observations of mastery rather than varying levels of task complexity. Additionally, the material does not include student-facing tasks or provide a variety of TEKS-aligned assessment items at different complexity levels.

Evaluation for 2.2a
Instructional assessments and scoring information provide guidance for interpreting student performance.

The materials include a MusicFirst Elementary Assessment Guide K–5 that guides educators in interpreting assessment data from “End-of-Grade Rubrics,” “Formative Assessment Checklists,” “My Music Passport,” quizzes, peer assessments, and Yumu platform data. However, it does not provide scoring guidance for each assessment option. The guide explains how assessment results can be used to identify skill gaps, monitor progress, plan reteaching or extension, and make instructional decisions; however, it does not clearly indicate how educators should consistently score the assessments.



The materials include an “End-of-Grade Performance Rubric” that provides a scoring system for student performance through score ranges, performance levels, and category-specific descriptors. However, the rubric does not guide educators in interpreting the results beyond assigning a score.

Evaluation for 2.2b
Materials provide guidance for the use of included tasks and activities to respond to student trends in performance on assessments.

The materials include the MusicFirst Elementary Assessment Guide K–5, which provides guidance for reviewing assessment data, such as identifying students marked Beginning or Developing, revisiting a skill when most of the class demonstrates need, and using an “Assessment-to-Differentiation Loop.” However, the materials do not provide specific guidance, tasks, or activities to help educators respond directly to trends in student performance on assessments. Additionally, the guide does not explain when to use specific assessments, when to provide whole-group reteaching versus small-group support, or which tasks and activities to use in response to particular assessment outcomes.


The material includes lesson plans, which provide differentiation supports within each lesson component, such as visual supports, peer buddy modeling, adapted movement, sentence starters, graphic organizers, simplified parts, templates, and advanced leadership opportunities. However, the materials do not provide guidance on using these tasks and activities in response to trends in student assessment performance. The lessons do not identify which assessment evidence or performance trends indicate the need for specific support, or explain how educators should adjust instruction based on those needs.

Evaluation for 2.2c
Materials include tools for teachers to track student progress and growth and tools for students to track their own progress and growth.

The materials include a “Fourth Grade Music Theory Quiz Log” that an educator can use to track student progress throughout the course. The log includes space to record each student’s name, baseline quiz scores, unit scores 1 through 6, and the end-of-grade score.

The “My Music Passport: Fourth Grade” provides a unit-level tool for student reflection. It includes both in-unit and across-unit opportunities for students to monitor their growth. For example, within a unit, students use sentence stems to respond, such as “My favorite song is _____.” Across the unit, students complete a running “Skills I can do” ladder to monitor their growth throughout the year.

Evaluation for 3.1a
Materials include teacher guidance for differentiated instruction, activities, and/or paired (scaffolded) lessons for students who have not yet reached proficiency on content and skills in the course TEKS.

The materials include individual lesson plans, each with a “Differentiation at a Glance” section offering instruction and activities to support students who have not yet reached proficiency in the lesson’s content and skills. However, the materials do not provide guidance for educators on differentiated instruction. Additionally, the materials include no resources, such as anchor charts or graphic organizers, and no suggestions for small-group instruction to support students below grade level.

The materials include a MusicFirst Elementary Assessment Guide K–5 with an “Assessment-to-Differentiation Loop” section that offers strategies for differentiated instruction, activities, and/or paired (scaffolded) lessons. The guide suggests using a formative assessment checklist to mark students as Beginning, Developing, or Achieving, then adjusting their task complexity accordingly. However, the guide’s strategies are not aligned to specific lessons and are the same for each unit overview. For example, the guide says the educator should “note which students or skills need attention before the next lesson,” then adjust their lesson accordingly. Moreover, the guide does not advise educators on when to use which strategies, how to provide differentiated activities, or when to use paired/scaffolded lessons for students who have not yet reached proficiency in content and skills.

Evaluation for 3.1b
Materials include pre-teaching or embedded supports for unfamiliar vocabulary and references in text (e.g., figurative language, idioms, academic and discipline-specific language).

The materials include unit overviews with “New Vocabulary” and “Revisited Vocabulary” sections that list terms used in the lesson. However, the materials do not provide pre-teaching or embedded support strategies within the unit overview. For example, “Grade 4, Unit 2: Beyond the Staff” includes new vocabulary words such as ledger line, extended range, and middle C, but does not include educator guidance for pre-teaching the vocabulary.


The materials include lesson plans that include new key vocabulary. For example, the “Grade 4, Unit 2, Song 6 Lesson Plan: Let’s Go Surfin’” includes the terms middle C and ledger lines but does not define them in the lesson, nor does it include pre-teaching or embedded supports for unfamiliar vocabulary.

Evaluation for 3.1c
Materials include teacher guidance for differentiated instruction, enrichment, and extension activities for students who have demonstrated proficiency in content and skills in the course TEKS.

Within the unit plans, the materials include an “Enrich and Extend” plan that includes options for additional songs or activities to extend the lesson for those who have demonstrated proficiency in the content and skills in the course TEKS. For example, it offers Kodály or Orff activities, a graphic score, and a music notepad. However, it does not include guidance for educators on effectively using the materials for differentiated instruction for students who have demonstrated proficiency in content and skills. The materials also include an “Enrich and Extend” document for each unit, which states, “These activities enrich and extend musical learning across performance, listening, creativity, and cultural understanding—for all students in the classroom or at home.” No guidance is provided for the educator on how to use the songs and activities listed to differentiate instruction.


The materials include a Music First Elementary Assessment Guide K–5 that provides guidance for using assessment data; for example, it guides educators on how to identify students ready for extension and enrichment. However, it does not provide specific guidance for educators on enrichment or extension activities for students who have demonstrated proficiency in content and skills. The guidance is not tied to specific skills. Additionally, it does not connect these extension activities to a proficiency-based instructional pathway.

Evaluation for 3.1d
Materials include teacher guidance for providing specially designed instruction (SDI) for students receiving supports and services through special education.

The materials include a “Specially Designed Instruction (SDI) Guidance” document that guides educators on implementing supports for students who need special education services. For example, the document includes adaptation examples based on the area of need and IEP goals, such as simplifying prompts, reducing instruction to a single concept, or allowing visual or nonverbal prompts. Additionally, a note at the top of the document helps educators align adaptations with their students’ specific IEP and 504 plan goals.


The materials include a MusicFirst Elementary Assessment Guide K–5 that provides additional guidance for educators on adapting assessments for students with disabilities and those receiving special education services. For example, it suggests using observable, activity-based criteria in formative assessments rather than written responses. It also advises educators to allow for alternative demonstrations of skills such as pointing, moving, using assistive devices, or responding verbally. Finally, it suggests using portfolio evidence when live observation is challenging.

Evaluation for 3.2a
Materials include explicit (direct) prompts and guidance to support the teacher in modeling and explaining the concept(s) to be learned.

The material includes an “Enrich and Extend” section at the end of every unit, which contains a document titled, ”Mini-Projects Involving Form Grade 4.” This document contains project ideas that guide the educator in modeling and explaining concepts to be learned. However, the material does not include explicit prompts to support the educator.

The materials include a “Guided Questions Bank” that offers explicit (direct) prompts to support the discussion of musical concepts being learned. The questions are grouped by activity (e.g., “Listen and Respond,” “Play Your Instruments with the Song”) and grade level (K–1, 2–3, 4–5). However, the questions are identical throughout the entire K–5 program and do not directly align with a specific lesson or unit. The materials do not include any guidance to support the educator in modeling and explaining the concept(s) to be learned.

Evaluation for 3.2b
Materials include teacher guidance and recommendations for effective lesson delivery and facilitation using a variety of instructional approaches.

The materials include a variety of instructional approaches. For example, the “Grade 4, Unit 4, Song 3 Lesson Plan: We Live in the Solar System” suggests using kinesthetic movement, modeled practice, creative expression, guided inquiry, collaborative discourse, reflection, and performance. However, the material does not include educator guidance and recommendations for effective lesson delivery and facilitation using a variety of instructional approaches. For example, while the lesson includes notes on timing, materials, sequencing, and differentiation, it does not provide facilitation tips, protocols, scripted delivery, educator moves, potential misconceptions, or grouping guidance.


The materials provide a variety of instructional approaches. In grade 4, unit 4, lesson 3, an “Orff-inspired activity” provides performance resources with a vocal melody and multiple instrumental parts, including glockenspiels, metallophones, xylophones, and unpitched percussion. However, the document is primarily a musical score for ensemble performances rather than educator-facing guidance for lesson delivery. The scores do not include facilitation tips, instructional approaches, scripted delivery, grouping recommendations, sequencing guidance, educator moves, or recommendations for how to effectively deliver or facilitate the lesson.

Evaluation for 3.2c
Materials support multiple types of practice (e.g., guided, independent, collaborative) and include guidance for teachers and recommended structures (e.g., whole group, small group, individual) to support effective implementation.

The materials include lesson plans that support multiple types of student practice. For example, the “Grade 4, Unit 5, Song 5 Lesson Plan: A Bright Sunny Day” includes activities that let children listen and move, respond to music, sing a song, and play instruments. However, the material primarily identifies activity types and student tasks rather than providing educator guidance for structuring practice. It does not explain when or how to use whole-group, small-group, partner, or individual practice to support effective implementation.

Teaching with the MusicFirst Elementary Platform provides facilitation guidance for MusicFirst Elementary’s seven instructional activity types, addressing the variety of instructional approaches embedded in the platform and following the same sequence as the platform’s activity menu: “Understanding Music,” “Listen and Respond,” “Learn to Sing,” “Play Instruments,” “Improvise,” “Compose,” and “Perform.” Each section within this guide follows a consistent structure: platform resources, instructional approaches, educator facilitation (Before/During/After), key things to watch for, and suggested groupings. The second section of this document, “Listen and Respond,” provides educator guidance and recommended structures for movement-based “Listen and Respond” activities, which are found in each song activity throughout the platform. However, the evidence is limited to one activity type and does not show that the materials support multiple types of practice, such as guided, independent, and collaborative practice, within the grade 4 instructional sequence.

Evaluation for 3.3a
Materials include teacher guidance on providing linguistic accommodations for various levels of language proficiency [as defined by the English Language Proficiency Standards (ELPS)], which are designed to engage students in using increasingly more academic and discipline-specific language.

Each song’s lesson plan lists “Teachers’ Supporting Documents,” including ELPS support and a song-specific “ELPS Sentence Stems” document. The sentence stems are organized by levels and connect to the specific activity within the lesson. They are provided in English and Spanish, increase in complexity, and support EB students in using academic and discipline-specific music language. Additionally, the document includes a “How to Use this Sheet” section with guidance for educators on implementing optional ELPS scaffolds by selecting songs, proficiency-level supports, and language stems that best align with students’ English-language proficiency and the instructional activity.

For each song throughout the curriculum, the materials include “ELPS Standards Activities ”that provide linguistic support for EB students, including bilingual key song words, bilingual musical vocabulary, ELPS standards, a short activity sequence, and sentence frames by proficiency level. For example, the “Grade 4, Unit 6, Song 3 Lesson Plan: Crawdad Song” includes terms such as I chord, IV chord, and V chord. The document also includes educator guidance for linguistic accommodations by directing educators to select the proficiency level that matches students and choose sentence stems aligned to the lesson activity. The bilingual sentence stems are organized by Beginning, Intermediate, and Advanced/Advanced High levels and connect to Warm-Up, Listen, Sing, Play, Compose, and Perform activities. The stems increase in complexity and support EB students in using academic and discipline-specific music language.

Evaluation for 3.3b
Materials include implementation guidance to support teachers in effectively using the materials in state-approved bilingual/ESL programs.

Under the Curriculum tab, the materials include an “ELPS Support Summary” that describes each ELPS document used throughout the MusicFirst Elementary program. For example, it includes descriptions for the “ELPS Standard Activity Sheets,” “ELPS Activity,” “Sentence Stems,” “Interactive Vocab/ELPS Support Tab,” “Bilingual Family Connection Sheets,” how ELPS align across the program, and a summary of ELPS deliverables. However, this document does not include implementation guidance to support educators in using the materials in state-approved bilingual/ESL programs.

The materials include documents to provide linguistic support for EB students, such as the “ELPS Standards Activities” for each song, which include key song words and musical vocabulary in English and Spanish. The materials include the ELPS standards and sentence frames in English and Spanish for each proficiency level. However, these materials do not include implementation guidance to support educators in using the materials in state-approved bilingual/ESL programs.

Evaluation for 3.3c
Materials include embedded guidance for teachers to support emergent bilingual students in developing academic and discipline-specific vocabulary, increasing comprehension, building background knowledge, and making cross-linguistic connections through oral and written discourse.

The materials include embedded guidance for educators to support EB students in developing academic and discipline-specific vocabulary through oral discourse. For example, the “Extended ELPS” document directs educators to select the proficiency level that best matches students’ abilities and use sentence stems aligned to lesson activities. The stems are organized by proficiency levels and provided in English and Spanish. The materials do not provide guidance for developing vocabulary through written discourse.

The materials include embedded guidance for educators to support EB students in developing academic and discipline-specific vocabulary through oral discourse. For example, the MusicFirst Elementary platform provides bilingual lyrics and song sheets for each curriculum song. These song sheets present the song text in English and Spanish side by side (e.g., Grade 4, Unit 2, Song 5, “Dreaming of Mars”). The document also notes that bold text highlights key vocabulary from the corresponding “ELPS Support Activity.” However, the material functions primarily as a bilingual lyric and does not support comprehension. The materials do not provide embedded guidance for educators to support EB students in increasing comprehension, building background knowledge, or making cross-linguistic connections through oral or written discourse.

Evaluation for 3.3d
If designed for dual language immersion (DLI) programs, materials include resources that outline opportunities to address metalinguistic transfer from English to the partner language.

This guidance is not applicable because the program is not designed for dual language immersion (DLI) programs.

Evaluation for 4.1a
Materials include guidance for teachers to provide explicit (direct) instruction in discipline-specific artistic literacy in alignment with the course TEKS.

Within each grade-level lesson, the “Musical Spotlight” and “Lesson Focus” guidance sections include scripted sentences educators can use to facilitate instruction. However, the guidance does not support educators in providing explicit (direct) instruction in discipline-specific artistic literacy aligned with the course TEKS. For example, the “Grade 4, Unit 3, Song 5 Lesson Plan: Do You Ever Wonder?” identifies the song as 20th- and 21st-century orchestral music in C major and lists parallel phrasing as new key vocabulary. The “Musical Spotlight: Telling a Musical Story” section explains phrases as complete musical ideas and introduces question-and-answer functions, unresolved endings, and resolution. However, the educator guidance does not explain how to identify phrase boundaries, distinguish question-and-answer phrases, compare repeated phrase structures, or recognize unresolved and resolved phrase endings. The directions to listen for the same eight-measure tune shape, identify the oboe, and respond through movement to show rhythm, dynamics, and melodic shape do not include educator modeling, scaffolds, checks for understanding, or feedback guidance. Relatedly, while the lesson provides artistic literacy vocabulary and general concept statements, it does not clearly explain, reinforce, or assess these concepts elsewhere in the lesson.


Each grade level includes a “TEKS Aligned Activity Guide” that provides a TEKS-aligned list of student activities and the skills students should be able to demonstrate. The document provides educator scripts for what to say. For example, the “Fourth Grade TEKS Aligned Activity Guide” discusses reading and writing rhythmic patterns using standard notation, working with previously learned note values and separated eighth notes, reading and writing extended pentatonic melodic patterns using standard staff notation, and identifying dynamic symbols such as crescendo and decrescendo. While these activities are aligned to the TEKS, the sentence stems do not provide educator guidance on explicit instruction related to discipline-specific artistic literacy.

Evaluation for 4.1b
Materials explicitly connect new discipline-specific artistic literacy to prior learning across lessons and units within the course and across courses as applicable.

The MusicFirst Elementary Grade 4 materials include a program-wide “Designing Musical Connectivity” document that outlines a “Prepare-Present-Practice” model for learning new artistic literacy skills, and indicates that the program will reiterate these skills throughout the units to support the spiral curriculum design. For example, it explains how the program builds vocabulary and develops notation and how it bridges prior knowledge, including review from previous lessons, to the next lesson in the sequence. However, the materials do not include this beyond description. This document includes no explicit connections between new music literacy and prior learning across lessons or units, or across courses, as applicable.


The materials include a “Fourth Grade Curriculum Overview” that describes connections to prior learning within each unit overview. For example, the “Grade 4, Unit 1 Overview” states, “MusicFirst Elementary is built on a spiral curriculum—knowledge and skills are repeated over time in different musical contexts; every unit builds on the last. What students discover in unit 1 becomes the foundation for everything that follows across K–5.” However, this unit overview and the larger curriculum overview provide no examples of explicit connections between new music literacy and prior learning across lessons or units, or across courses, as applicable.

Evaluation for 4.1c
Materials consistently provide opportunities for students to develop and use discipline-specific artistic literacy vocabulary.

The curriculum materials at each grade level include a “Listen and Respond Activity Form” that gives students consistent opportunities to use discipline-specific artistic literacy vocabulary. For example, students are asked to answer questions like “Is the music fast like a cheetah, slow like a turtle, or somewhere in between like a dog?” and “Does the music sound mostly loud or mostly quiet?” However, there is no opportunity to develop discipline-specific artistic literacy vocabulary in these “Listen and Respond” forms. This form does not demonstrate the ongoing process of learning and acquiring new words, their meanings, or how to use them appropriately in different contexts. Students have no opportunities to build deeper knowledge by continuously engaging with vocabulary through reading, writing, and speaking.

In every lesson, the materials include teaching slides with a “Listen and Respond” section that gives students consistent opportunities to use discipline-specific artistic literacy vocabulary. For example, in the “Grade 4, Unit 2, Song 4 Teach Slides: Get on Board,” students answer questions such as “Is the tempo fast, slow, or steady?” and “In music, dynamics means how loud or quiet the music is. Were there any big dynamic contrasts in this piece of music?” However, the lesson provides no opportunity for students to develop discipline-specific artistic literacy vocabulary. While the “Teach Slides” also include a “Vocab/ELPS Support” section, it only lists vocabulary words used throughout the grade level. Students have no opportunities to consistently build deeper knowledge by encountering the words repeatedly, in varied contexts, or through active engagement with them.

Evaluation for 4.1d
Materials include activities and tasks that require students to demonstrate understanding of discipline-specific artistic literacy in alignment with the course TEKS.

The MusicFirst Elementary Grade 4 materials include “Formative Assessment Checklists” that list the performance tasks expected for that grade. For example, the “Fourth Grade Formative Assessment Checklist” lists “Move in time with and keep a steady beat” and “Demonstrate warming up face, body, and voice” as two of its expectations. However, the checklist includes no activities or tasks that give students opportunities to demonstrate understanding of discipline-specific artistic literacy. While the performance tasks are all TEKS-aligned, the checklist provides no guidance on how students should demonstrate these skills.



Every lesson includes a composition tool called “Compose with the Song,” which provides students with a composition workspace where they can choose a scale or note set, select an instrumental group, and work with pulse, rhythm, pitch, rhythm notation, a note grid, notation with note names, and standard notation. The standard notation workspace includes treble clef, 4/4 meter, bar lines, repeat signs, and selectable note values such as whole note, dotted half note, half note, and quarter note. These features connect to discipline-specific artistic literacy because students encounter concepts such as scale, note set, pitch, rhythm, pulse, standard notation, meter, and note values. However, the interactive platform does not clearly show how students demonstrate understanding of these concepts through activities or tasks because it lacks a required student-facing prompt, explanation, reflection, rubric, success criteria, or completed response that shows how students apply and explain their understanding of discipline-specific artistic literacy. Further, the composition activity is the same across all K–5 grade levels and is therefore not TEKS-aligned with the appropriate grade level. Many of the available tools or activities are above the intended grade level.

Evaluation for 4.2a
Materials include guidance for teachers to provide explicit (direct) instruction in discipline-specific artistic skills at developmentally appropriate levels and in alignment with the course TEKS.

The MusicFirst Elementary Grade 4 curriculum includes individual lesson plans for each song, providing educators with activities that require students to demonstrate discipline-specific artistic skills. Each lesson contains a “Musical Learning Pathway” section that lists activities and uses labels such as “direct instruction,” “modeled practice,” and “independent practice.” However, the materials do not provide sufficient guidance for educators to deliver explicit (direct) instruction in discipline-specific artistic skills aligned to the course’s TEKS.

Each unit overview describes the artistic skills to be learned in the lessons. For example, the “Grade 4, Unit 1 Overview” describes how students will listen to, move to, and respond to songs, as well as sing and perform them. However, the document does not provide educator-facing guidance for explicit (direct) instruction in those skills. The unit overview identifies what students will experience and what they should be able to do. It shows unit-level planning support and TEKS-aligned artistic skill outcomes, but does not provide educator guidance for explicit, direct instruction in discipline-specific artistic skills, nor does it address how to deliver that instruction in a developmentally appropriate way.

Evaluation for 4.2b
Materials explicitly connect new discipline-specific artistic skills to prior learning across lessons and units within the course and across courses as applicable.

The MusicFirst Elementary Grade 4 curriculum explicitly connects new discipline-specific artistic skills to prior learning across lessons and units in “Designing Musical Connectivity—How MusicFirst Elementary Sequences and Connects Learning.” This document describes a spiral curriculum in which concepts are introduced, revisited, and deepened across units and grades, such as introducing a steady beat in unit 1 and reinforcing it later, adding pitches from sol-mi to la and beyond, and moving from aural and kinesthetic experiences to terminology, notation, and application. The “Prepare-Present-Practice” model also explains that students experience concepts through singing, listening, movement, or playing before formally naming and practicing them through reading, writing, improvising, composing, singing, moving, or playing. However, these connections do not explicitly appear within or across courses, because the materials do not identify a specific new grade 4 discipline-specific artistic skill and connect it to a named skill from an earlier grade 4 lesson or unit or from grade 3. The materials also lack educator directions, student prompts, reflection stems, comparison tasks, or cumulative demonstrations that require students to make or apply those connections.

Lesson plans throughout the curriculum do not provide opportunities to review previously learned artistic skills before introducing new content. For example, the “Grade 4, Unit 2, Song 1 Lesson Plan: The Sparkle in My Life” identifies low ledger lines and middle C as new vocabulary, and staff, treble clef, and note names as revisited vocabulary. The “Musical Spotlight” explains that ledger lines extend the staff and that the familiar note-naming pattern continues in both directions. The “Lesson Focus” directs students to name and read high A and B and connect the notes’ vertical placement with the pitches they hear and perform. Warm-up activities also review beat, rhythm, melodic imitation, and creative responses before students engage with ledger-line content. However, the materials do not identify where the revisited notation skills were previously taught, or explicitly connect those skills to the new learning involving ledger lines and middle C. The lesson also lacks student prompts, comparison tasks, or cumulative demonstrations that require students to apply prior reading, writing, or performance skills to the new ledger-line skill.

Evaluation for 4.2c
Materials provide opportunities for students to develop discipline-specific artistic skills through performing, exhibiting, or presenting artistic works at developmentally appropriate levels and in alignment with the course TEKS.

Students have multiple opportunities to develop discipline-specific artistic skills through performing and presenting musical work throughout the curriculum. For example, the “Grade 4, Unit 3, Song 3 Lesson Plan: I Saw the Light” includes outcomes for warming up the body, face, and voice; playing an instrument in rehearsal to improve technique, interpretation, expression, and other musical challenges; performing an instrumental part for classmates with accurate technique, expression, and appropriate interpretation; and improvising through movement. Students also imitate and create rhythmic and melodic responses, use movement to show musical elements, rehearse with vocal and instrumental techniques, and follow a score while singing or playing. In the “Perform” section, students introduce, perform, record, and reflect on their work.

The materials give students opportunities to develop discipline-specific artistic skills through an online instrumental workspace. In the “Grade 4, Unit 3, Song 3 Lesson Plan: I Saw the Light,” students select an instrumental part, such as a barred instrument part or Boomwhackers, and use note sets, standard notation, note names, score view, 4/4 meter, playback controls, and visual instrument supports. These features support grade 4 instrumental music skills, including reading notation, identifying pitches, following a score, selecting an appropriate part, and preparing to play an instrumental part. The activity provides students with opportunities to apply and develop these discipline-specific skills through interactive instrumental practice.

Evaluation for 4.2d
Materials provide opportunities for students to refine discipline-specific artistic skills through activities and tasks that progressively increase in rigor and complexity over lessons and units within the course.

The materials include opportunities for students to refine discipline-specific artistic skills through the Fourth Grade TEKS Aligned Activity Guide, which provides multiple examples of activities that engage students in music-specific tasks throughout the course. For example, students write and reproduce rhythmic patterns using standard notation with tools such as Rhythm Grids, Music Notepad, and Music Explorer. They sing while practicing good posture and breath support to improve intonation, play instruments while rehearsing to strengthen technique and intonation, and perform using dynamics indicated in vocal and instrumental scores. Students also compose and perform melodies using previously learned note values, note names, and dynamics. In addition, they create rhythmic and melodic phrases through improvisation and composition activities using digital and classroom music tools. However, the guide is primarily a TEKS correlation and activity-location document. It identifies multiple aligned activities, but it does not clearly show how activities and tasks progressively increase in rigor and complexity over lessons and units.


The “4th Grade Year at a Glance: Musicianship Stage” provides a broad yearlong overview of grade 4 music learning, outlining that grade 4 students extend prior work in reading, writing, performing, and creating standard notation into more complex rhythmic and melodic patterns, independent notation, expressive interpretation, and multi-measure melodies. It also describes spiral learning across rhythm, pitch/melody, expression, form/structure, and texture/harmony, and identifies six units across the year. These sections describe artistic skill areas students may encounter, including singing, playing, improvising, composing, performing, reading notation, and interpreting expression. However, the document does not provide the actual activities or tasks for students to complete. It does not show how students refine artistic skills through rehearsal, feedback, revision, reflection, performance criteria, or repeated improvement. It also does not show a specific progression of tasks that increase in rigor and complexity over lessons and units.

Evaluation for 4.2e
Materials include activities and tasks that require students to demonstrate mastery of discipline-specific artistic skills through performing, exhibiting, or presenting artistic works at developmentally appropriate levels and in alignment with the course TEKS.

The materials provide a “My Music Passport: Fourth Grade,” a unit-level reflection and scoring tool for students to document learning across instructional activity types, including keeping a steady beat, echo-clapping rhythms, creating rhythmic and melodic phrases, singing and playing with accuracy, improvising, composing, performing, and using feedback to refine performance. However, the document does not include an activity or task requiring students to perform, exhibit, or present an artistic work to demonstrate mastery of these discipline-specific skills. The tool also lacks a rubric, performance descriptors, scoring criteria, or other means to determine mastery of specific unit learning objectives.

The “End-of-Grade Performance Rubric: 4th Grade” identifies an overall end-of-grade performance level and evaluates six broad skill areas: Music Reading and Rhythm, Singing and Vocal Performance, Listening and Critical Response, Instrument Technique, Improvise and Compose, and Performance and Self-Reflection. Each area includes Developing, Achieving, and Mastering descriptors with point values and discipline-specific language related to notation, rhythm, ensemble pulse, vocal performance, instrumental technique, improvisation, composition, presentation, reflection, and goal-setting. However, the rubric does not include a required activity or task in which students demonstrate mastery by performing, exhibiting, or presenting an artistic work. It is not aligned to a specific unit, lesson, song, composition, improvisation, or performance task, and does not include TEKS alignment or directions for demonstrating mastery of unit-level musical skills.

Evaluation for 4.3a
Materials provide opportunities for students to explore a variety of discipline-specific art forms (e.g., variety of media, variety of performance genres and styles).

The MusicFirst Elementary Fourth Grade curriculum provides information about multiple opportunities for students to explore a variety of discipline-specific music genres and styles across each grade level and subsequent unit. For example, the grade 4 curriculum’s “Fourth Grade Songs and Styles” document includes 36 songs across six units, representing numerous contrasting musical genres and styles: gospel, soul, mariachi, klezmer, rock ’n’ roll, country, bluegrass, ranchera, sea shanty, and California Sound.


In grade 4, the materials give students opportunities to explore a variety of discipline-specific art forms through the online platform. For example, the materials include a “Global Connections” collection that offers additional genre-specific six-week units for students to explore a variety of discipline-specific art forms. The collection includes the “Darbar Indian Music Experience,” a six-week unit that introduces elements of Indian musical tradition through listening, singing, playing instruments, and composing. The cited Darbar resources show students exploring Indian music through multiple discipline-specific experiences. The “Darbar Indian Music Experience Teacher’s Handbook” explains Indian music concepts such as sargam, raga, tala, drone, tanpura, performance practice, and improvisation, and states that students learn a short two- to three-minute composition on keyboard or piano. They may sing the composition or perform it with some students playing instruments while others sing, giving students opportunities to explore a discipline-specific music tradition through listening, identifying, describing, comparing, singing, playing, performing, and improvising.

Evaluation for 4.3b
Materials provide opportunities for students to create, adapt, or extend discipline-specific artistic works for performance, exhibition, or presentation (in line with appropriate fair use and copyright).

The grade 4 materials give students opportunities to create, adapt, or extend discipline-specific artistic works for performance, exhibition, or presentation (in line with appropriate fair use and copyright). In the Collections tab, under the “Instrumental Instruction and Composition” section, there are “Resources for Composition” that include “4th Grade Extension Activities for Composition,” which contains four extension activities for students to expand their learning. “Extension Activity 2” is connected to the “Grade 4, Unit 2, Song 1 Lesson Plan: The Sparkle in My Life.” This activity asks students to improvise rhythmic percussion patterns and create an accompaniment that can be played during the “Musical Activity Options” section of the lesson. Students are also encouraged to practice their rhythms and accompaniments with the performance track found in the “Perform” section of the student-facing materials.

Additionally, the MusicFirst Elementary Grade 4 curriculum provides other opportunities for students to create, adapt, or extend discipline-specific artistic works for performance, exhibition, or presentation (in line with appropriate fair use and copyright). For example, the “Music Explorer Teacher Guide” describes the Music Explorer tool as supporting a range of musical activities, including notation, improvising, and composing. Through Music Explorer, students can create, adapt, or extend musical works.

Evaluation for 4.3c
Materials include guidance for teachers on promoting student agency in making or selecting discipline-specific artistic works for study, performance, exhibition, or presentation.

The MusicFirst Elementary Grade 4 curriculum gives students opportunities to exercise agency by creating or selecting discipline-specific artistic works for study. For example, the “Grade 4, Unit 5, Song 1 Lesson Plan: Look Into the Night” includes a section entitled “Compose with the Song,” which suggests choices students may make to promote student agency, including: “Choose to work by yourself or with friends,” “Create your own musical ideas and melodies, “Make your music better using ideas from your educator and friends,” and “Talk about how you made your music and which sounds you chose.” However, the materials do not provide educator guidance on promoting student agency, working with students through the process, or using the materials.

The materials give students opportunities to create or select discipline-specific artistic works for study, performance, exhibition, or presentation. For example, the “Guided Questions Bank: Grades K–5” includes questions for musical activities found within lesson plans. The “Compose with the Song” row provides questions that ask students what story their composition tells, how they could use the shape of the melody to tell a story, what could make the composition unique or interesting, what note they should start or end on, what the feeling or mood of the song is, and what they can add or take away to improve the song. However, the cited questions do not connect the student-created composition to study, performance, exhibition, presentation, sharing, or audience-facing use, nor do they include guidance for educators on promoting student agency in making or selecting discipline-specific artistic works for study, performance, exhibition, or presentation.

Evaluation for 5.1a
Materials include guidance for teachers to provide explicit (direct) instruction in interpreting, evaluating, and responding to discipline-specific artistic works of other artists at the level of depth and complexity required by the course TEKS.

The Music First Elementary Grade 4 curriculum does not include the educator guidance needed to provide explicit instruction in interpreting, evaluating, and responding to discipline-specific artistic works of other artists at the level of depth and complexity required by the course TEKS. For example, the “MusicFirst Elementary: An Overview” document describes the “Listen and Respond” activity as a recurring part of the MusicFirst Elementary curriculum, and the overview states that students listen and respond to the weekly song, discuss historical and cultural context, learn about elements of music, and use tabs such as Listen, Respond, Extended Listening, Understand, and Connect. However, the overview does not include guidance for educators to provide explicit/direct instruction in interpreting, evaluating, and responding to discipline-specific artistic works of other artists at the level of depth and complexity required by the course TEKS. The cited overview does not provide educator-facing instructional steps, modeling, criteria, or prompts for explicit instruction. It does not show all three required actions—interpreting, evaluating, and responding—to direct instruction.

The materials do not include educator guidance to provide explicit (direct) instruction in interpreting, evaluating, and responding to discipline-specific artistic works as appropriate for grade and TEKS alignment. For example, while the “Grade 4, Unit 1, Song 4 Lesson Plan: De Colores” provides short sentences within the Listen, Move, and Respond options section, these are only bulleted lists sequencing the steps in the lessons and a few questions like “Is it fast or slow?” as options to ask students. However, it provides no explicit instruction on interpreting or evaluating music, nor does it include the depth and complexity needed to meet the course TEKS.

Evaluation for 5.1b
Materials emphasize the use of discipline-specific vocabulary in interpreting, evaluating, and responding to artistic works.

Throughout the program, the materials emphasize using discipline-specific vocabulary to interpret, evaluate, and respond to artistic works. The “Discipline Specific Vocabulary Progression” document contains a table that sequences the vocabulary across K–5 so that every unit’s “Evaluating & Responding” activities draw from and build on an explicit, cumulative word list. For example, the Grade 4 vocabulary list includes phrase, expression, articulation, and ABA form, and provides student-friendly definitions to use alongside them.

Additionally, the materials contain “Listen and Respond” tasks that are built directly from a specific lesson’s own vocabulary and are aligned to TEKS for each lesson. These tasks will include a list of the vocabulary being used in that specific lesson, as well as a script for educators to use that incorporates the vocabulary when talking to students.

Evaluation for 5.1c
Materials provide opportunities for students to practice interpreting, evaluating, and responding to discipline-specific artistic works of other artists through activities and tasks that progressively increase in rigor and complexity over lessons and units within the course.

The materials include opportunities for students to practice interpreting, evaluating, and responding to discipline-specific artistic works of other artists. For example, the “Grade 4, Unit 1, Song 4 Lesson Plan: De Colores” includes questions for students to answer at the end of the lesson. However, these activities and tasks do not progressively increase in rigor or complexity, as these questions are identical to the “Respond” questions used throughout the other lessons and units within this grade level.

The MusicFirst Elementary Grade 4 curriculum gives students opportunities to practice interpreting, evaluating, and responding to discipline-specific artistic works by other artists. For example, the “Third Grade Listen and Respond Activity Form” provides an opportunity for students to practice interpreting, evaluating, and responding to musical works by answering basic questions such as “Do you hear high sounds or low sounds in the music, or both?” and “Does the music sound mostly loud or mostly quiet?” Despite these opportunities, the activities and tasks do not progressively increase in rigor or complexity throughout the lessons or units, as these questions remain the same across lessons and units.

Evaluation for 5.2a
Materials include guidance for teachers to provide explicit (direct) instruction in giving and receiving feedback on discipline-specific artistic works to self and other students.

The “Explicit Instruction—Giving & Receiving Feedback” document guides educators in teaching students to give and receive feedback on discipline-specific artistic works with peers. The document includes educator scripts and structured processes for teaching students to give feedback to peers and respond to peer feedback. While it guides students in giving feedback to others, the materials do not provide explicit instructional guidance for educators to teach students how to give themselves feedback.

Additionally, the materials include a “My Music Passport—Summative Assessment” document that provides a general overview of its use. However, these materials do not include guidance for educators on how to have students receive peer feedback.

Evaluation for 5.2b
Materials provide opportunities for students to give feedback on discipline-specific artistic works created by other students.

The MusicFirst Elementary Grade 4 materials give students opportunities to give feedback on discipline-specific artistic works created by other students. For example, the “Fourth Grade Peer Assessment Tool” provides a list of sentence stems for students to use when giving feedback to peers. Students are encouraged to identify what worked in others’ work, explain what they noticed, and offer a specific suggestion for next time.

The materials for grade 4 include opportunities for students to give feedback on discipline-specific artistic works created by other students. For example, the “Grade 4, Unit 5, Song 4 Lesson Plan: Get On Board” includes a “Perform” section that includes a “Musical Learning Pathway” that states, “Talk about how you made your performance better using ideas from others.” Additionally, the “Learning Objectives by Activity” section suggests “Use teacher, peer, and personal feedback to improve, refine, and reflect on the performance.”

Evaluation for 5.2c
Materials provide opportunities for students to receive feedback on their discipline-specific artistic works from teachers and other students.

The MusicFirst Elementary Grade 4 materials give students opportunities to receive feedback on their discipline-specific artistic work from peers. For example, the “Peer & Teacher Feedback Protocols” include structured peer-feedback opportunities, such as the “Listening Partners” protocol, that support students in exchanging and responding to feedback. However, the materials do not provide planned opportunities for educators to give students feedback on their discipline-specific artistic work. Although the “Protocols” include a general “Teacher Feedback Conference” protocol, it does not identify when or where students receive educator feedback during instruction.

The grade 4 materials do not include guidance for educators on providing feedback that helps students refine their discipline-specific artistic work. For example, the “Fourth Grade Formative Assessment Checklist” contains educator-facing rating scales for musical knowledge and artistic skills. However, the materials do not include guidance on how educators can share ratings, provide comments, or communicate strengths and areas for growth to students.

Evaluation for 5.2d
Materials include guidance for teachers to provide feedback to students to refine their discipline-specific artistic works.

The MusicFirst Elementary Assessment Guide K–5 summarizes optional assessments and ways educators can use the resulting data to provide feedback to students and refine their discipline-specific artistic work.

The “Teacher Feedback to Refine Student Work” document guides educators in giving students feedback to refine their discipline-specific artistic work. The document gives educators a structured process for providing timely, specific, and actionable feedback. It also includes discipline-specific examples that show how educators can identify an area for improvement, provide targeted feedback, and give students an opportunity to apply it through a re-attempt.

Evaluation for 5.2e
Materials provide opportunities for students to engage in self-reflection or self-evaluation to refine their discipline-specific artistic works.

The MusicFirst Elementary—Grade 4 materials do not give students opportunities to reflect on their artistic work. For example, the “My Music Passport: Fourth Grade” offers students sentence stems to complete about how they feel about the activities or songs and draw a picture of something they learned. However, students have no opportunity to reflect on their musical skills or skill development.



The materials do not provide opportunities for students to engage in self-evaluation. For example, a “Guided Question Bank” offers a list of questions students may ask themselves after a song or lesson, but the materials do not provide a structured process for students to record responses, evaluate their artistic work against criteria, or use their reflections to revise and improve their performance or creation. Additionally, the materials also do not include student response forms, reflection tools, or follow-up activities that connect self-evaluation to artistic refinement.

Evaluation for 6.1a
Materials include guidance for teachers to provide explicit (direct) instruction on cross-curricular connections within and across the fine arts disciplines and between fine arts and core academic subjects (e.g., literacy, math, social studies, science) as applicable.

The grade 4 materials include lessons with cross-curricular connections between fine arts and core academic subjects. For example, the “Grade 4, Unit 3, Song 6 Lesson Plan: Sacramento” includes a section labeled “Cross-Curricular Focus” with a paragraph for students to read about California history, the Gold Rush, and sea shanties. However, the materials do not provide guidance for educators to give explicit (direct) instruction on cross-curricular connections within and across the fine arts disciplines and between the fine arts and core academic subjects. There is no guidance on when to use this paragraph within the lesson. Additionally, this paragraph does not connect to any specific part of the lesson.

Although the grade 4 materials include lessons with cross-curricular connections between fine arts and core academic subjects, they do not provide guidance for educators to deliver explicit (direct) instruction. For example, MusicFirst Elementary: An Overview lists cross-curricular connections embedded throughout the grade levels, such as history, social justice, communities, traditions, and science. However, the materials do not provide guidance for educators on explicitly teaching these elements to students.

Evaluation for 6.1b
Materials provide opportunities for students to explore cross-curricular connections within and across the various fine art disciplines and between fine arts and core academic subjects (e.g., literacy, math, social studies, science) as applicable.

The grade 4 materials give students opportunities to explore cross-curricular connections across fine arts disciplines and between fine arts and core academic subjects. For example, the “Grade 4, Unit 3, Song 6 Lesson Plan: Sacramento” includes student-facing opportunities to explore the connection between music and science and between music and social studies. The Understand tab includes an expanded cross-curricular resource that addresses California history, Spanish colonization, and Indigenous peoples of the Sacramento region, and introduces diseases, oppression, resistance, and cultural preservation. The content is intentionally embedded in the sea shanty lesson and develops the song’s geographic and historical setting.


The grade 4 materials give students opportunities to explore cross-curricular connections within and across subjects. For example, within the MusicFirst Elementary Collections tab, a section titled “Global Connections” provides musical examples from countries such as Ghana, Brazil, and India, allowing students to explore different genres and styles of music from around the world.

Evaluation for 6.2a
Materials include guidance for teachers to provide explicit (direct) instruction on relevant discipline-specific historical and cultural context in alignment with the course TEKS.

The materials do not include guidance for educators to provide explicit (direct) instruction on relevant discipline-specific historical and cultural context in alignment with the course TEKS. For example, the “Grade 4, Unit 2, Song 3 Lesson Plan: Shalom My Friend” identifies relevant historical, cultural, and discipline-specific information about the meaning of shalom, Jewish traditions, klezmer’s Eastern European origins, immigration, and the blending of klezmer with jazz. However, the lesson plan does not direct the educator where or how to teach the content.



Although the materials include lessons that offer discipline-specific historical and cultural context aligned with the course TEKS, they do not include guidance for educators to provide explicit (direct) instruction on these topics. For example, the MusicFirst Elementary Collections tab includes an “American Patriotic Music” section with six slide decks and student-facing materials featuring songs and activities. At least one song per slide deck contains information about the historical and/or cultural context of the song. However, materials do not include educator guidance on how to use the Collection. Additionally, these materials are the same for each grade level and do not align to the grade-level TEKS.

Evaluation for 6.2b
Materials provide opportunities for students to explore a variety of discipline-specific artistic works and traditions (e.g., variety of historical and contemporary artistic works, artistic traditions from diverse cultures).

The materials give students opportunities to explore a variety of discipline-specific historical and contemporary artistic works. For example, the “Grade 4, Unit 2, Song 4 Lesson Plan: Get On Board” lets students listen to, move to, respond to, and discuss the musical, historical, and cultural significance of a 19th-century gospel selection. The materials connect the focal work with related gospel and spiritual repertoire, Paul Robeson’s recording, spirituals, field hollers, work songs, hymns, West African traditions, soul, and rock ’n’ roll. Students examine musical elements, stylistic characteristics, cultural functions, historical background, and expressive meaning.

The grade 4 materials give students opportunities to explore a variety of discipline-specific artistic traditions. For example, the Collections tab includes a “Listen and Respond” section with eight subcategories that explore different music styles. Each slide deck includes songs, activities, and information about the song’s historical and/or cultural context. Additionally, a Connect tab includes information about the music style and where the song comes from, and connects the music to other styles in music history.

Evaluation for 6.2c
Materials include activities and tasks that require students to demonstrate understanding of relevant discipline-specific historical and cultural context in alignment with the course TEKS.

The MusicFirst Elementary Grade 4 materials do not include activities and tasks that require students to demonstrate understanding of relevant discipline-specific historical and cultural context in alignment with the course TEKS. For example, the “4th Grade Listen and Respond Activity Form” includes questions such as “Does this have a steady beat?” or “Is the music fast like a cheetah, slow like a turtle, or somewhere in between like a dog?” However, the form does not include prompts or questions that ask students to examine the historical or cultural context of the music they hear. The materials do not give students an opportunity to demonstrate how historical and cultural influences shape a musical work.


Although the materials include lessons that provide historical and cultural context aligned with the course TEKS, they do not include activities and tasks that require students to demonstrate understanding of these concepts. For example, the “4th Grade Formative Assessment Checklist” describes what students should be able to do and lists the skills they should have. However, it does not include tasks that would require students to demonstrate their understanding of relevant discipline-specific historical and cultural context.