Originally published July 10, 2022
Latest Update April 24, 2026
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If you need a manageable elementary music curriculum template to give you clarity, you’re in the right place. You’re staring at multiple tabs, multiple grade levels, and WAY too many learning objectives.
As a long-time K-8 music teacher, I spent many hours trying to make sense of it all.
What really made a difference was when I created a scope and sequence document with fewer, more focused learning objectives for each grade level.
My aha moment came while reading Jane Frazee’s book, “Artful, Playful, Mindful.” (affiliate link) She straight up talks about the need to simplify and deepen our activities in elementary music.
Let’s lessen your load and simplify elementary music curriculum planning with how-to guides for planners, templates, and lessons.
How Do You Lesson Plan in Elementary Music?
First start with a realistic yearly curriculum overview template. Then use that template to write detailed lesson plans in a lesson planner document.
Let’s look in more detail.
Table of Contents
Yearly Overview |Elementary Music Curriculum Template for Planning
It all starts with your yearly curriculum. Instead of starting with an overflowing number of objectives that you have to cull, let’s start with some basics and add to it.
Less Is More!
Create a template with what you want as your focus objectives for each month. Remember to include space for activities that are important to your program which might include monthly celebrations, holidays, concerts, etc.
Don’t spend hours. Don’t get bogged down and overthink it. It’s a living document that can change and grow with you and your students.
It’s easier to add to our goals than to have too many! Too many means we’re either behind or rushing to teach them and keep up so learning is probably not happening.
The K-5 Elementary Music Curriculum Template Scope & Sequence on TPT
Let me do the heavy lifting for you!
If you’d like a pre-made doc, here’s a manageable scope & sequence TEMPLATE for K-5 elementary music, with very basic rhythm and pitch learning, and flexibility to adjust or add curriculum that reflects your teaching philosophy and your students.
But even better?
This TPT resource also includes 12 (multi-lesson) song LESSON PLANS to get you started. There are two song resources per grade level K-5.
These no/low prep resources are enough to provide guidance and still do that thing I keep talking about, allow you to add the extras to fill in what’s important to your school program.
Bonus
Just for you: If you’d like just the template, you can get it for FREE here on the blog. Follow the link, put in your email address, and you’ll get the info to the Free Resource Library.
Once you have your template, it’s time to write more specific lesson plans to use in your weekly teaching.
Digital Lesson Elementary Music Curriculum Planner
Using Microsoft Word & Google Docs
Once you have your yearly curriculum template, it’s time to write weekly lesson plans. Teachers use everything from physical planners to digital. Planners are often set up in ways that don’t work for special area teacher schedules. And because of multiple grade levels and grading periods, digital documents can be in so many different locations.
Tabs, bookmarks, and folders. Oh, my!
Finding a great teacher planner is SO hard!
Here’s a different approach that puts all of your elementary music curriculum template resources in ONE location. No tabs, bookmarks, or folders but everything in one master document. I created this method and I’m sharing it with you. It’s not for everyone but you should take a look.
It works in both Microsoft Word and Google Docs and because it’s digital, it follows you everywhere.
See it action in the video below.
Master File Planner Instructions DOWNLOADS
These FREE downloads will make MUCH more sense after watching the above video.
Microsoft Word Template
Google Docs Template
K-5 Song Repertoire
Here’s an example of my song repertoire for one year. About 80% stayed the same each year and 20% would change. It would change because of curricular needs, school performance needs, and sometimes because I needed to teach something new.
These images are examples. If you want K-5, download button is below.
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Writing Cohesive Elementary Music Lesson Plans
You have a yearly overview template and a planner that works for you, it’s time to write the plans. Here’s one way to approach it.
Help! I Can’t Keep Up With Lesson Planning
Being truthful here.
Many new teachers and some who are more experienced are not using a curriculum/scope & sequence to write lesson plans and it’s a CREATE-AS-YOU-GO situation.
- If you’re flying by the seat of your pants sometimes or often, keeping track of what you’re teaching is IMPORTANT!
- For example, did you use a play along in third grade in three different lessons with some nice differentiation in each lesson that reinforced quarter notes and eighth notes?
- Maybe you planned it out or it happened as a result of you layering new learning as you saw the opportunities.
Document it!
How I did it!
- I used the systems above.
- There were “fly by the seat of my pants days” and I’d put those lessons (the good ones) in my master document!
How YOU Can Get Started
- Use whatever format you want. How about a simple Google Slide/Sheet and set it up by month and grade level?
- If you do this a little bit at a time, you will thank yourself.
- For example, if it’s the beginning of October, don’t try to go back and pick up August. Start with October and try to copy/paste/write what you taught last week. Just ONE week at a time.
And don’t try to make it look perfect & pretty. Just get last week’s lessons into a simple document!
By the end of the year, you’ll have SO much, organized and ready to go for next year.
Helpful Tools to Save You Time!
🎯 This easy-to-use digital tool lets you design and download barred instrument visuals for your elementary music classroom. FREE!
FAQs: Elementary Music Curriculum Template & Lesson Planning
How do I create an elementary music scope and sequence?
Start by creating a yearly overview template with just a FEW focused learning objectives for the year. Instead of overcomplicating with too many goals, focus on basic rhythm and pitch learning. This creates a “living document” that allows you to add elements as well as monthly celebrations, concerts, and holidays as you go.
What is the best way to organize music lesson plans for multiple grades?
For ME, the most efficient method is using a single “Master File” digital planner in Google Docs or Microsoft Word. By keeping all grade levels and weekly plans in one document, you eliminate the need for dozens of tabs, bookmarks, and folders, ensuring your curriculum follows you on any device.
Should I use a pre-made music curriculum or build my own?
Either will work but often it’s a combination of the two. You find a curriculum that you like such as Musicplay, Gameplan, or Essential Elements then pare it down to what’s manageable for your situation and teaching philosophy (e.g. heavier toward Orff or Kodaly or movement), while also adding/keeping elements that are more important to you.
How do you organize all of your lessons for the year so that it creates a “curriculum” or units?
Jot down what you want each grade level to learn. If you look at online curriculums, many can be quite extensive, having much more than you can accomplish in a year. (depending on your class contact time) Take one of those curriculums and scale it back to the most important things for you, or make one of your own with some general melody and rhythm objectives. Then add those lessons and songs you already have taught, adding where needed.
Tell Me More
Please share your favorite elementary music curriculum template, planner, or lesson writing resource, hint, tip, or trick.
Leave it in the comments below!
The master file planner is awesome. Have started to set it up but can’t get the Microsoft Word download to work.
I know, I LOVE it! The download worked ok for me so not sure where the problem is. Email me and I’ll send it to you that way! oodlesofmusic21@gmail.com
Funny, it works just fine on my phone but not on my computer. For everything I need from the video. I love your stuff and am planning on purchasing many of your TPT activities.
Thank you.
Sounds great! It’s funny that you wrote today because I just saw a TikTok from a Microsoft 365 guru talking about using the Styles tab and headings, sub-headings, etc. What I loved the most was that I put EVERYTHING into that one document, no more searching around trying to find stuff. And when I found an idea online, I just took a screenshot and plopped it into the doc. Glad it’s all working for you!