Music Curriculum: What to Teach at Each Grade
A music curriculum sets out what students learn in music from kindergarten to grade 12. Most US states base their music standards on the 2014 National Core Arts Standards, built around creating, performing, responding and connecting. Elementary general music covers singing, rhythm and reading music; middle and high school add bands, choirs, orchestras, music theory and AP Music Theory.
Works in the UK and the US. This version uses US music words (measure, quarter note, staff) and US grades; the UK version uses bar, crotchet, stave and UK year groups. · UK version of this page
Key facts
- The National Core Arts Standards (2014) organize music into creating, performing, responding and connecting, with 11 anchor standards.
- They give grade-by-grade standards for general music up to grade 8, and five levels from novice to advanced for ensembles, harmonizing instruments, theory and composition, and technology.
- Each state sets its own music standards; many are based on the National Core Arts Standards.
- AP Music Theory is the College Board’s college-level high school course; its exam is about 2 hours 40 minutes.
- A unit (or scheme of work) usually lasts about 6 lessons; Classfern’s builder makes one for any of 24 units.
What is a music curriculum?
A music curriculum is the plan for what students learn in music, grade by grade: the songs and skills, how to read and write music, how to create and perform, and how to listen and respond. Standards say what students should know; the curriculum is the order of units and lessons that gets them there.
| Stage | Status | What is taught | Classfern plans |
|---|---|---|---|
| Preschool and kindergarten (ages 3–6) | Early learning standards vary by state | Singing, moving, steady beat, loud and quiet, high and low | Kindergarten lesson plans · Nursery rhymes |
| Elementary, grades 1–5 (ages 6–11) | General music, usually taught by a music specialist | Singing, rhythm and note reading, recorder or ukulele, listening, improvising and composing | Elementary music curriculum and plans |
| Middle school, grades 6–8 (ages 11–14) | General music plus band, choir or orchestra | Ensemble playing, keyboard and guitar, reading music, composing and music technology | Middle school lesson plans |
| High school, grades 9–12 (ages 14–18) | Electives: ensembles, music theory, music technology | Advanced performing, theory, composition and history; AP Music Theory | AP Music Theory guide · Music theory |
What is a music scheme of work?
A music scheme of work (often called a unit plan in the US) is a medium-term plan for a block of about six lessons on one topic, such as rhythm, film music or the blues. It lists what students learn each week, the music and activities, and how progress is assessed. It sits between the year plan and individual lesson plans.
- Long-term plan – the whole year: which units, in what order (see the map below).
- Medium-term plan (scheme of work) – one unit of about six lessons, week by week.
- Short-term plan – a single lesson, with timings (use the music lesson plan template).
A year-long music curriculum map
Classfern’s map has six units a year for four stages – 24 units in all. Each one builds on the year before: beat, pitch and rhythm first, then reading, ensembles and composing, then chords, structures and styles.
| Stage | Unit 1 | Unit 2 | Unit 3 | Unit 4 | Unit 5 | Unit 6 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kindergarten to grade 2 (ages 5–8) | Pulse and beat Find, show and keep a steady beat | High and low Hear and show pitch going up and down | Rhythm patterns Copy and read short rhythms | Sounds and instruments Explore how instruments make sounds (timbre) | Songs and singing games Sing a range of nursery rhymes and action songs | Our performance Perform songs with percussion to an audience |
| Grades 3–4 (ages 8–10) | Rounds and ostinatos Sing in parts and keep a repeated pattern | Reading notes Read the staff, lines and spaces, and note values | Pentatonic composing Compose with the five notes C D E G A | First recorder or glockenspiel Play simple tunes in a group | Music around the world Listen to and describe music from other cultures | Showcase Rehearse and perform as an ensemble |
| Grades 5–6 (ages 10–12) | Time signatures Feel and count 2/4, 3/4 and 4/4 | Three-part singing Sing rounds and partner songs in three parts | Chords I, IV and V Play and hear the three main chords | Music that tells a story Use music to create a mood or character | Blues and jazz Hear and play the 12-bar blues | Leavers’ performance Perform and reflect on progress |
| Middle school, grades 6–8 (ages 11–14) | The elements of music Use the elements to describe what you hear | Keyboard and chords Play chord sequences using the primary chords | Film music Hear how film music uses leitmotifs | The blues Play the 12-bar blues with swung rhythm and a walking bass | Songwriting Write a song in verse–chorus form | World music Learn about music from another culture by playing it |
Music scheme of work builder
Pick a unit and press Make the scheme of work for a six-week plan with what students do each week, the Classfern tool to use and how each week is assessed. Print it or copy it into your planning.
The builder runs in your browser. Nothing is sent anywhere.
Sample scheme of work: Pentatonic composing (Grades 3–4 (ages 8–10))
Focus: Compose with the five notes C D E G A. This is what the builder makes for the unit chosen above.
| Week | Stage | What students do | Classfern tool | How it is assessed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Listen and explore | Listen: Pentatonic folk tunes. Talk about what you hear. Share the unit focus: Compose with the five notes C D E G A. | Tuned percussion tubes | Self-assessed |
| Week 2 | Learn the skill | Find C D E G A on tuned percussion. | Tuned percussion tubes | Judged by a teacher or parent (rubric) |
| Week 3 | Practice | Improvise question-and-answer phrases. | Tuned percussion tubes | Judged by a teacher or parent (rubric) |
| Week 4 | Create | Compose an eight-measure pentatonic piece in pairs. | Tuned percussion tubes | Judged by a teacher or parent (rubric) |
| Week 5 | Refine and rehearse | Fix a phrase so it ends on C. Improve the work from week 4. | Tuned percussion tubes | Self-assessed |
| Week 6 | Perform and assess | Perform or share the work. Check progress against the unit focus. | Tuned percussion tubes | Judged by a teacher or parent (rubric) |
How do you plan an elementary (primary) music curriculum?
Plan an elementary music curriculum around a little singing, rhythm and listening every lesson, with six units a year that build skills in order: steady beat and pitch first, then rhythm reading, rounds and simple instruments, then composing, chords and music from many cultures. Give every unit a performance at the end.
- Start from the statutory aims: your state standards (often based on the National Core Arts Standards).
- Map six units a year so each skill comes back and grows (use the map above).
- Choose the repertoire: songs to sing, pieces to listen to and music from different traditions.
- Plan progression in notation: stick notation, then staff notation with quarter and eighth notes, then longer notes and rests.
- Build in assessment at the end of each unit, using a performance and short listening checks.
Ready-made units are on the elementary music curriculum page, with full lesson plans and a grade-by-grade map.
What should a good music curriculum include?
A good music curriculum includes regular singing, playing instruments, composing and improvising, listening to a wide range of music, and learning to read and write notation. It should build skills in a clear order, include music from many times and places, give every student the chance to perform, and check progress in ways that suit music.
Many schools also add whole-class instrumental lessons for a year or more, a choir or ensemble, and trips to live music. For students who want to go further, link the curriculum to exams: AP Music Theory in high school, or graded music exams outside school (see music grades explained).
How do you assess a music curriculum?
Music is best assessed by listening and watching, not only by written tests. Classfern labels every activity with who judges it: Marked by Classfern (quizzes checked in the browser), Partly marked, Self-assessed, Judged by a teacher or parent (rubric) and Evidence kept at home. A simple three-point rubric (secure, developing, not yet) for each unit focus works well.
Classfern’s free curriculum tools on lessonplanner.info follow the structure of the National Core Arts Standards; they are Classfern’s own and are not published by NAfME or any state. Classfern is not connected with or endorsed by NAfME, the National Coalition for Core Arts Standards or the College Board.
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