Planning your program

Sequential and developmental programs

There is no single blueprint for an effective music learning program.

 

It is essential to recognise that there are many ways of shaping sequential music teaching programs that offer rounded, complete and satisfying music-learning outcomes for students.

Success can look very different, especially in diverse settings. Yet music learning does need to follow a logical and stepwise progression of skill and knowledge acquisition.

Playing Bach or Hendrix requires understanding of concepts such as pitch and rhythm.

A high-quality music learning program will take a sequential and developmentally appropriate approach. However, in order to avoid the potential pitfalls of your music program becoming narrow and rigid, there are some important questions to consider:

• Where is the individual learner starting from? What do they already know?
• What outcome are you aiming for?
  

Some students will learn particular musical skills and knowledge more easily than others. Their musical understanding develops at varying rates. For example:

• Some students find it challenging to listen, or to know what to listen for
• Some students may require additional support when learning about and practising dexterity, particularly when learning to play with independence between their right and left hands
• Some will welcome the process of imagining and combining sounds in a variety of ways, while for others this may be challenging.

 

Create open-ended, guided tasks that allow students with different abilities and needs to build on their previous musical knowledge. This helps to avoid a sequential program from becoming didactic.

The benefits of sequential learning are that, as a teacher, you know where the students are in terms of their knowledge and skill levels. You can map and see progress, and move on to new learning goals once certain milestones are met.

 

Music: Curriculum mapping templates

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