Music Lesson Plan Template

A music lesson plan template is a one-page outline with spaces for the lesson title, year group, length, learning objectives, resources, a timed lesson outline (warm-up, main activities and a closing review), differentiation, assessment and curriculum links. Classfern’s free template can be filled in online, printed or downloaded, and turns your timings into a lesson timer.

Updated 28 October 2026 · By the Classfern Music Department

Works in the UK and the US. This version uses UK music words (bar, crotchet, stave) and UK year groups; the US version uses measure, quarter note, staff and US grades. · US version of this page

Kids’ mode: bigger buttons and text (shared with the other music pages)

Key facts

A good music lesson plan has 8 parts: title and focus, year group and length, objectives, resources, a timed outline, differentiation, assessment and curriculum links.
A typical 45-minute music lesson has a 5-minute warm-up, two or three main activities and a 5-minute closing review.
England’s Model Music Curriculum (2021) suggests at least one hour of music teaching a week at Key Stages 1 and 2, which can be split into shorter sessions.
Classfern uses five assessment labels: Marked by Classfern, Partly marked, Self-assessed, Judged by a teacher or parent (rubric), and Evidence kept at home.
The fill-in template below works in your browser: nothing is uploaded, and a draft is saved only if you press Save.

What should a music lesson plan include?

A music lesson plan should include the lesson focus, the year group and length, two or three learning objectives, the resources, a timed outline of each part of the lesson, differentiation for support and stretch, how learning will be assessed, and the curriculum links it covers.

The eight parts of a music lesson plan and what to write in each.
Part	What to write
Title and focus	What the lesson is about, in a few words (for example “Keeping a steady beat”).
Year group and length	Who it is for (for example Year 3) and how many minutes.
Learning objectives	Two or three things pupils will be able to do by the end, starting with a verb: sing, play, compose, describe.
Resources	Instruments, recordings, song sheets, screens and Classfern tools you will need.
Timed lesson outline	Each part with its minutes: warm-up, starter, main activities and a closing review (plenary). The parts should add up to the lesson length.
Differentiation	Support, stretch and access (SEND) ideas so every pupil can take part.
Assessment	How you will know they have learned it, and who judges it: marked by a computer, self-assessed or judged by the teacher.
Curriculum links	The national curriculum statements (and Model Music Curriculum year) the lesson covers.

Free printable music lesson plan template

Print this blank music class lesson plan template and fill it in by hand, or use the online version below. It prints on one page.

Music lesson plan

Blank music lesson plan template. The lesson outline has six rows for timed parts.
Section	Your plan
Lesson title and focus
Year group · length
Learning objectives (2–3)	1. 2. 3.
Resources
Part 1 · warm-up (… min)
Part 2 (… min)
Part 3 (… min)
Part 4 (… min)
Part 5 (… min)
Part 6 · review (… min)
Support
Stretch
Access (SEND)
Assessment (who judges it?)
Curriculum links

Fill in the music lesson plan template online

Type your plan below and press Make my plan. It checks that the parts add up to the lesson length, lays the plan out for printing, and gives you a lesson timer that follows your timings. Download saves it as a file you can open in a browser or word processor.

Everything stays in your browser. Nothing you type is uploaded; a draft is kept on this device only if you press Save.

How do you write a music lesson plan?

Start with what pupils should be able to do by the end, then choose one song or piece and two or three activities that build that skill. Give each part a time, add support and stretch ideas, decide how you will check learning, and finish with a short performance or review.

Set the objective. One skill, written as something you can see or hear: “keep a steady beat while singing”.
Choose the music. A song or piece that suits the skill and the age group (see the music curriculum and schemes of work).
Plan a warm-up of 3–5 minutes that gets voices and bodies ready: echo clapping, a vocal warm-up or a call-and-response.
Build the main activities in small steps: listen, copy, practise, then create or perform.
Time every part so the parts add up to the lesson length, with 5 minutes to review at the end.
Plan for everyone: one way to make it easier, one way to make it harder, and any access needs.
Decide on assessment: what you will listen or look for, and who judges it.

Mr Chopin, Classfern’s head of music, in his sage-green cardigan and brown bow tie, explaining with one hand raised, explaining how to plan a music lesson step by step

Example: a completed music lesson plan

Here is the template filled in for a real Year 3 lesson. Press Run the lesson timer to use it in class, or print it.

Example: Steady beat and ostinato (45 minutes)

Year group: Year 3 (ages 7–8)
Time: 45 minutes
Focus: Keeping a steady beat and adding a repeated rhythm (ostinato) to a song

Learning objectives

Pupils keep a steady beat with body percussion while singing.
Clap and say a four-beat ostinato in time.
Perform the song in two groups: one sings, one plays the ostinato.

Resources

Frère Jacques (Are You Sleeping?) – the tune player on the nursery rhymes page
Claves, drums or shakers (one per pair)
Classfern metronome and backing tracks

Lesson outline

45-minute lesson. Each row is one part; the lesson timer follows these times.
Time	Part	What happens
0–5 min	Warm-up	Echo-clap four-beat patterns; pass the beat round the circle.
5–13 min	Learn the song	Sing Frère Jacques in unison with the tune player on Slow, then Normal.
13–23 min	Beat and ostinato	Pat the beat while singing. Teach the ostinato “Ding, dong, bell” (two crotchets and a minim).
23–35 min	Two-group performance	Half the class sings; half plays the ostinato on percussion. Swap. Then try the song as a two-part round.
35–40 min	Perform	Perform the best version; record it on a class device if your school allows.
40–45 min	Review (plenary)	Thumbs up/sideways/down: Could you keep your part going? What helped?

Differentiation

Support: Play the ostinato on one drum only, or pat the beat instead of the rhythm.
Stretch: Make up a new four-beat ostinato and teach it to the group.
Access (SEND): Offer a drum with a large surface or a shaker that is easy to grip; use a visual beat (a bouncing hand or light).

Assessment

Judged by a teacher or parent (rubric) Teacher checks who keeps the beat and holds the ostinato against the singing (secure / developing / not yet).
Self-assessed Pupils show thumbs for how well they kept their part going.

Curriculum links

National curriculum KS2 – “play and perform in solo and ensemble contexts, using their voices and playing musical instruments with increasing accuracy, fluency, control and expression”
Model Music Curriculum, Year 3 – singing within “a pitch range of do–so”

How long should a music lesson be?

Most school music lessons last 30 to 60 minutes. Younger children do best with shorter sessions, often 20 to 30 minutes, and England’s Model Music Curriculum suggests at least one hour a week at ages 5 to 11, which can be split into shorter sessions. Older pupils often have one 45- to 60-minute lesson a week.

Whatever the length, keep the shape: a quick warm-up, the main learning in small steps, and a short review. In a 30-minute lesson that might be 5 + 20 + 5 minutes; in a 60-minute lesson, 5 + 45 + 10. The online template warns you if your parts do not add up.

What is a good warm-up for a music class?

A good warm-up takes 3 to 5 minutes and gets everyone listening and moving together: echo-clap short rhythms, pass a beat around a circle, sing a call-and-response, or hum and slide the voice from low to high. Choose a warm-up that leads into the main activity.

For singing lessons, try Classfern’s vocal warm-ups; for rhythm work, use the metronome and backing tracks. More ideas are on the music games and activities page.

Miss Clara Schumann, Classfern’s music helper, in her dark green jacket and tartan skirt, holding her green book and waving, waving goodbye at the end of the lesson

Classfern also has general lesson plan templates for every subject and a free lesson plan maker on lessonplanner.info. For whole units, use the scheme of work builder on the music curriculum and schemes of work page.

More music tools

Music curriculum and schemes of workStage-by-stage overview and a scheme of work builder.KS2 music curriculumReady-made lesson plans and a year-by-year map.KS3 music lesson plansFull lessons for ages 11–14.Free music worksheetsPrintable note naming, rhythm and bingo sheets.Instant music lessonA ready-to-teach lesson in one click.All music toolsThe Classfern Music hub.

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