As a music teacher, you know how important it is to have a structured approach to the teaching and learning cycle. But how do you ensure your students make measurable progress? The answer lies in well-defined learning objectives and having simple classroom objective examples for your students. Setting classroom objective examples ensures that your students know exactly what end goal they are working toward, leading to effective learning and improved student achievement.
Writing clear, measurable objectives allows you to track student progress, align your music lessons with your course goals, and refine your teaching methods to better meet your students’ needs. Whether you’re teaching middle school or high school music, well-crafted objectives provide a clear picture of what success looks like in your music classroom.
In this guide, you’ll learn how to write classroom objective examples that align with your lesson plan, support problem-solving skills, and create an engaging learning experience. You’ll also explore best practices for crafting well-defined learning objectives that foster higher-order thinking, build new knowledge, and will help your music students develop essential music skills.
What is a Learning Objective?
A learning objective is a clear, specific statement that outlines what students should know, understand, or be able to do by the end of a lesson. In the music classroom, learning objectives provide focus and direction, ensuring that your music instruction is purposeful and aligned with music curriculum goals. Using effective learning objectives will help students understand expectations, track their progress, and engage more meaningfully in their learning. For teachers, well-defined objectives guide lesson planning, assessment, and differentiation, making it easier to measure and track student growth. Whether your music students are analyzing a piece of music, mastering a performance skill, or composing their own melodies, good learning objectives create a structured path to success.
Music Classroom Objective Examples: Where to Start?
Before you begin writing classroom objective examples, you need a starting point—a clear understanding of what your music students should achieve by the end of the lesson or end of the course.
Key Considerations for Writing Learning Objectives
When crafting classroom objective examples, ask yourself:
- What new skills or new knowledge should students gain?
- How will students demonstrate their learning?
- What is the desired outcome of the lesson?
- How does this objective fit into the overall course content and course objectives?
- Are the objectives aligned with students’ grade level and prior knowledge students have?
Every music lesson should contribute to a broader learning goal, ensuring students develop their cognitive domain and problem-solving skills.
Example Classroom Objective Examples for Music:
- By the end of this lesson, students will be able to compose an 8-bar melody using a given chord progression.
- Upon completion of an educational activity, students will demonstrate an understanding of rhythm patterns by clapping out a notated rhythm correctly 80% of the time.
Writing Measurable Classroom Objective Examples with Action Verbs
One of the biggest mistakes music teachers make when writing classroom objective examples is using vague language. Objectives should include measurable verbs to define what students should be able to do.
Using Bloom’s Taxonomy to Create Clear Learning Objectives
A strong classroom objective example should align with Bloom’s Taxonomy, which categorizes learning into different levels within the cognitive domain:
- Lower level: recall and understanding (define, identify, describe)
- Higher order: application and analysis (compare, analyze, create)
By applying Bloom’s Taxonomy verbs, you can write measurable learning objectives that support effective ways of learning and teaching.
Examples of Measurable Classroom Objective Examples in Music
- Vague Objective: Students will understand rhythm.
- Measurable Classroom Objective Example: Students will demonstrate an understanding of rhythm by clapping syncopated patterns from a provided score.
- Vague Objective: Students will learn about dynamics.
- Measurable Classroom Objective Example: Students will identify and apply dynamic markings in a short performance piece.
Using Bloom’s Taxonomy helps you write well-defined learning objectives that support student learning and ensure that objectives are measurable, specific, and meaningful.
Below are some classroom objective examples starters, using verbs from Blooms Taxonomy that you can use to help you write better learning outcomes.
The verbs are categorized according to Bloom’s six levels of cognitive learning.
Remembering – Recall and Recognition
- Identify – Identify the elements of music in a piece
- Recognize – Recognize different instrument families
- Define – Define key musical terms such as tempo, dynamics, and timbre
- List – List the notes of a major scale
- Name – Name the composers of the Classical period
- Describe – Describe the characteristics of jazz music
Understanding – Explain Concepts and Ideas
- Explain – Explain the difference between melody and harmony
- Summarize – Summarize the structure of a pop song
- Compare – Compare two different musical genres
- Interpret – Interpret the mood of a piece using expressive techniques
- Discuss – Discuss the role of music in different cultures
- Classify – Classify instruments based on their sound production methods
Applying – Use Knowledge in New Situations
- Demonstrate – Demonstrate proper posture for playing the ukulele
- Play – Play a simple melody using correct finger placement
- Perform – Perform a rhythmic pattern using body percussion
- Apply – Apply music notation skills to write a short melody
- Use – Use dynamics to enhance musical expression in performance
- Illustrate – Illustrate a piece’s form by mapping out its sections
Analyzing – Break Down Information into Parts
- Differentiate – Differentiate between major and minor scales by ear
- Compare – Compare two recordings of the same piece to analyze interpretation
- Analyze – Analyze the rhythmic structure of a jazz improvisation
- Examine – Examine how instrumentation affects the texture of a piece
- Categorize – Categorize instruments based on their orchestral family
- Contrast – Contrast two composers’ use of harmony in their compositions
Evaluating – Make Judgments and Justify Decisions
- Justify – Justify the choice of tempo in a performance
- Assess – Assess the effectiveness of an ensemble performance
- Evaluate – Evaluate the emotional impact of a film score
- Critique – Critique a peer’s composition based on melody and harmony
- Defend – Defend the use of a particular chord progression in a song
- Argue – Argue for or against the use of electronic instruments in classical music
Creating – Generate New Ideas and Produce Original Work
- Compose – Compose a short melody using a pentatonic scale
- Arrange – Arrange a song for a different ensemble
- Improvise – Improvise a rhythmic pattern over a given beat
- Design – Design a creative soundscape using found objects
- Construct – Construct a simple piece using a 12-bar blues form
- Develop – Develop a performance that conveys a specific emotion
This list of classroom objective examples will help you craft well-structured learning objectives that align with different levels of cognitive complexity in music education.
The Difference Between Course-Level and Lesson-Level Classroom Objective Examples
Course-Level Classroom Objective Examples
These define what students should achieve by the end of a course and align with the course design process and course goals.
Example Course-Level Objective:
- By the end of this course, students will analyze and compare different musical genres using appropriate terminology.
Lesson-Level Classroom Objective Examples
These are short-term objectives that focus on a single class or activity, aligning with instructional course materials and lesson plans.
Example Lesson-Level Objective:
- By the end of this lesson, students will identify the differences between major and minor chords by listening to three musical excerpts.
For online courses, adapting objectives to include digital tools and remote learning strategies ensures effective learning in an online music class setting.
How to Align Classroom Objective Examples with Instructional Design
Writing classroom objective examples is only part of the process—you also need a solid instructional design approach, along with great course material to ensure students achieve their learning goals.
Aligning Objectives with Teaching Methods
- Instructional activities: Use group projects, real-life applications, and course activities to reinforce learning.
- Instructional strategies: Adapt your teaching methods to different student levels and learning styles.
- Intrinsic motivation: Help students see the value in achieving their educational goals through engaging activities.
For example, if an objective is for students to compose a short melody, using group work and peer feedback can support the learning process and encourage creativity.
Examples of Classroom Objective Examples for Music Teachers
Performance Classroom Objective Examples
- By the end of this lesson, students will perform a 12-bar blues progression with correct timing and articulation.
- Students will demonstrate knowledge of dynamic contrast by performing a short piece with expressive changes in volume.
Music Theory Classroom Objective Examples
- Students will notate a given melody using proper rhythmic values and key signatures.
- By the end of this lesson, students will classify chords as major, minor, diminished, or augmented.
Composition Classroom Objective Examples
- Students will create a 16-bar melody incorporating at least two different rhythmic motifs.
- By the end of this course, students will develop an original composition and present their work in a live performance setting.
Lesson Objective Examples Using the Elements of Music Mind Maps
Mind maps are a fantastic learning tool for helping students visually organize their musical understanding, making higher level connections between musical concepts and deepening their learning. In the music classroom, mind maps can be used for listening, composing, and performing activities.
- Listening: Students can create a listening mind map that breaks down the elements of music, such as dynamics, texture, and structure.
- Learning Objective: Identify and describe how the elements of music are used to create contrast in a piece.
- Composing: When planning a composition, students can brainstorm melodic and rhythmic ideas in a mind map before structuring their final piece.
- Learning Objective: Plan and develop a short composition using a chosen scale and rhythmic motif.
- Performing: Mind maps can help students analyze technique, expression, and stage presence, providing a structured way to refine their skills.
- Learning Objective: Evaluate and apply expressive techniques to improve a performance.
If you’d like a ready-made resource to introduce mind mapping in your music lessons, grab your free copy of the Elements of Music Mind Maps today!
Get your FREE Elements of Music Mind Maps link here
Learning Objective Prompt Writing Template for Music Teachers
If you are struggling with writing learning objectives for the level of learning for both your younger and older students, then try using this template below, along with your preferred AI platform.
By the end of this lesson/unit, students will be able to ________________[action verb] [musical concept or skill] by _________________[specific task or method].
Examples:
- By the end of this lesson, students will be able to identify the elements of music by analyzing a recorded performance and describing its use of dynamics and texture.
- By the end of this unit, students will be able to perform a 12-bar blues progression by playing a chord sequence on the ukulele with correct strumming patterns.
- By the end of this lesson, students will be able to compose a short melody by using a pentatonic scale and a rhythmic pattern of their choice.
More Customizable Prompts for Different Music Activities:
- Listening: By the end of this lesson, students will be able to [analyze/describe/compare] _______________ by [listening to/applying musical terminology to] _____________________.
- Composing: By the end of this lesson, students will be able to [create/arrange/improvise] ______________ by [experimenting with/applying] ___________________.
- Performing: By the end of this lesson, students will be able to [demonstrate/play/express] ___________________ by [using/applying] ________________.
Writing classroom objective examples is one of the most effective ways to ensure student success. By using measurable verbs, applying Bloom’s Taxonomy, and structuring objectives based on lesson plans and course design, you can provide students with clear, meaningful objectives that drive engagement and achievement.
Remember: providing a well-written objective helps to create a clear picture of what students will accomplish and how their student progress will be measured. Whether you’re teaching music theory, performance, or composition, setting specific learning objectives, along with specific goals, is essential for a successful teaching and learning process.
Now, take a look at your own lesson plan and refine one of your objectives using the best practices from this guide. You’ll see an immediate difference in how effectively your students engage with your lessons!
Until next time
Happy Teaching
Julia from Jooya