I knew I wanted to be a music teacher from the time I was in third grade when our new music teacher, Ms. Bannan, arrived at our school. Not only was she young, fun, and cool, but she also sang beautifully—and could even play the piano while standing! We were thoroughly impressed and couldn’t wait to go to music class every week.
Looking back on my time with Ms. Bannan in elementary school, I realize I gained essential knowledge and skills that built a strong foundation for my future musical learning. More importantly, she sparked a passion in me that led to my career as a music educator.
Foundational Music Class – The Opportunities Abound!
Whether you call it foundational music, general music, or another name, these classes reach all students and are crucial in establishing the building blocks for lifelong musical learning and appreciation. While mostly found in elementary schools, they can be taught at any level and for all students, regardless of their prior musical knowledge or experience. Instruction focuses on developing core musical skills such as steady beat, pitch matching, rhythm recognition, and expressive movement. Students actively learn these skills through engaging activities such as singing, playing instruments, listening to a wide variety of music, participating in musical games, and creating, just to name a few.
Although performances can certainly be part of foundational music classes, they are not usually performance-based classes. Not being tied to a strict performance schedule provides teachers with opportunities for project-based learning. This allows students to apply skills in real-world contexts. Whether it’s a collaborative composition project, creating a game to teach music skills to younger students, or a project like writing a jingle for a local business, project-based learning is highly engaging and encourages deeper musical understanding.
First and Foremost, Find a Mentor!
For those new to teaching foundational music, the vast range of content and instructional possibilities can feel overwhelming. Instructional time varies greatly depending on school scheduling practices, often requiring teachers to prepare for multiple classes and grade levels. In many schools, there is only one foundational music teacher who often travels between multiple buildings.
Other educators in your school can offer support but they may not have the specific knowledge and experience needed for music instruction. It is essential to connect with others who teach in your content area. If you don’t have access to mentors within your district, seek connections through your state MEA, other professional music education organizations, or even social media.
Once you find your mentor or professional learning community, approach your communication with an open mind. Don’t be afraid to ask for help and advice, but also be willing to share your own ideas, success stories, and even lessons that didn’t go as planned. Some of the best teaching strategies come from collaborative conversations between colleagues. Take the initiative, don’t wait for someone to reach out to you. The most successful teachers recognize they don’t have all the answers and collaboration is a crucial for professional growth.
Advocate, Educate, and Celebrate
We understand the profound impact of foundational music classes which develop students’ musical literacy while simultaneously enhancing their social, emotional, and cognitive skills, improving coordination and motor skills, and fostering well-rounded individuals. However, not everyone shares this understanding.
Often, scheduling of music classes is driven mostly by the need to provide planning periods for classroom teachers. Staffing and budget limitations sometimes impact music programs more than other content areas, making music educators feel like their subject is undervalued. While this can be frustrating, it presents an opportunity to educate others and celebrate the meaningful learning experiences happening in your classroom every day.
Keep your students front and center, and make your program visible! Public performances are one way to do this, but there are many other ways to share what’s happening in your classroom. Invite administrators to observe a lesson, participate in an activity, view student projects, or listen to a classroom performance. Extend these invitations to classroom teachers, district administrators, board of education members, and community leaders. Keep parents informed about your classroom—not just about upcoming performances but also about the daily learning experiences of their children.
It’s important to help parents and administrators understand music class is not just fun and games. Students are actively developing musical and cognitive skills with purpose and clear learning goals. One way to reinforce this is by ensuring students know what they are learning by including clear learning intentions at the beginning of each lesson. These don’t have to be time-consuming or complicated. They can simply start with “Today we are learning about . . . “
This simple yet effective approach ensures students recognize the purpose behind each activity. However, be careful not to confuse learning intentions with activities—what students are doing (e.g., playing a song on the recorder) is simply how they achieve the learning intention (e.g., reading and performing rhythms with accuracy).
Additionally, include success criteria so both you and your students can assess progress. These might take the form of “I can” statements, rubrics, or examples of high-quality student work. When the inevitable question “What did you learn at school today?” comes up at the dinner table, wouldn’t it be great if the answer was “We learned to play a C major chord on our ukuleles!” rather than the dreaded “Nothing.”
Foundational Music Instruction – The Key to Musical Success
Foundational music instruction is a powerful and essential part of a well-rounded education. It teaches students the fundamental skills they need for future musical success and nurtures creativity, critical thinking, collaboration, and confidence.
While the challenges can feel daunting, you are not alone. Seek out support, collaborate with colleagues, and always keep your students at the heart of everything you do.
Every day, you are making a difference—whether by teaching a child to keep a steady beat, helping a student discover their singing voice, or inspiring the next generation of music educators, just as Ms. Bannan did for me. The work you do matters, and the foundation you build will stay with your students for a lifetime.
So, keep singing, keep playing, and keep advocating for the power of music education!
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