Several issues will need to be considered by the teacher to ensure effective planning. Among these are the needs of the children, the school plan, time, resources, health and safety aspects and cross-curricular links.
Needs of the children in the class
In planning for the management of music within the curriculum the teacher will need to consider the previous musical experiences of the children. This will determine the level at which the teacher should begin. Consultation with the former teacher of the class, review of written records and reports, discussions with the children themselves, along with a number of musical activities with an assessment focus, will help the teacher to clarify the learning needs of the pupils at the beginning of the year.
The school plan in music
This will include a rationale for music in the school, the aims and objectives of the curriculum within the three strands, suggested approaches to teaching and assessing, the available resources, timetables, and other related school policy matters. The teacher will need to refer to the school plan in designing his/her classroom programme.
Approaches to teaching
In adopting the teaching methodologies or approaches favoured in the school plan, the teacher will need to consider his/her level of familiarity with
- a variety of appropriate songs
- listening material, spanning a wide range of styles, traditions and eras
- instrumental work (for example the melodic instrument to be taught, in line with school policy)
- music literacy (for example the type of notation used in the school)
- composing, for a range of purposes, using a variety of sound materials and musical elements.
For the teacher who is less experienced in music literacy, the curriculum suggests a variety of progressive and enjoyable activities in listening, singing and playing instruments. Participation in these musical experiences can be beneficial in the preparation of more difficult work in literacy, aural or rhythm training at a later stage.
Time
Long-term planning will require consideration of the amount of content to be covered, for instance the number of songs to be learned or the range of notes to explored, and the amount of time to be devoted to particular projects, such as a composing project or involvement with visiting musicians. Short-term planning should ensure that the time allocated to music is spread over a number of days, rather than as a single block. Structured lessons aimed at developing skills are most successful if organised in frequent, short, intensive lessons within the week. In infant classes, musical activities should occur daily, while in senior classes, time for music could be divided over two or three days. Ideally, children in all classes should experience the joy of singing for at least a few moments every day.
Health and safety aspects
When organising a music lesson, it is important to consider the following health and safety issues:
- the level of sound in the room
- ventilation
- the amount of space available for children to sit, stand or move
- access to and transport of musical equipment.
Cross-curricular links
Integrated learning can provide authentic and satisfying experiences both for the teacher and the child. While musical activity lends itself to integration with other subject areas, it is important that at all stages of planning the breadth and depth of the subject is maintained and that time allocated to music blends with other subject areas in a meaningful way. It is preferable to consider how the chosen topic might complement the developmental aspects of music that arise in the yearly scheme, rather than how music (for example a song) might slot in to a chosen topic.