General Music Curriculum for Band and Choir Directors
If you run a band or choir program and just got handed general music sections, Music Complete – Middle School gives you a full Grades 6–8 course in listening, theory and creating music, ready to teach. It is written for kids who do not play in your ensembles, so you are not bending rehearsal habits to fit a room of thirty non-players.
See Music Complete – MS →Music Complete – Middle School is a no-prep general music curriculum for Grades 6–8, priced from $149.90. It covers listening and analysis, music theory foundations, music and culture, and creating and presenting, with differentiated worksheets, slides, activities and answer keys. Band and choir directors use it to run general music sections for non-ensemble students without writing a second course from scratch. Audio is not included, so you play your own recordings.
The curriculum
Music Complete – Middle School, Grades 6–8
Start with the full curriculum. The other resources below are optional add-ons. Open any cover for the full contents and price.
Music Complete – Ready-to-Use Curriculum for Middle School Music (Grades 6–8)
Music Complete – Ready-to-Use Curriculum for High School Music (Grades 9–12)
Music History & Style Periods Bundle | Baroque, Classical, Romantic & Impressionism | 4 Complete Units | Grades 9–12
Teach-Life-Balance: The Complete Time-Saving Course for Teachers (incl. Planner, Guides & Templates)
The real problem
Why general music is a different job from the podium
Rehearsal teaching runs on a shared goal: the concert. Everyone in the room chose to be there, most can read at least a little, and they know what a downbeat means. A general music section has none of that. Half the class has never held an instrument, a few are there because the schedule put them there, and no performance date pulls the work forward. The tools you lean on hardest, like sectionals, warm-up chorales and fixing intonation by ear, do not carry over to 32 kids at desks. What fills the gap has to be content: how to listen to a piece and describe what is happening, why a film cue builds tension, what makes a rhythm feel in three instead of four. Directors usually know this material cold but have never sequenced it for beginners, and writing that sequence takes evenings already spoken for by festival prep, uniform orders and pep band charts. The other trap is pitching too high. Intervals and chords are second nature to you, so it is easy to skip the small steps a non-reader needs before notation makes any sense at all.
Why it fits
Where the curriculum covers what rehearsal never did
The product is organized around the content areas a general music class needs, not around an ensemble. Here is how that lines up with a director's situation.
- Listening units on classical, film, pop, rock and jazz give non-players something to talk about on day one.
- Theory foundations start at notation and rhythm, so nothing assumes a student can already read a part.
- Lessons on program vs absolute music let you put your own repertoire knowledge to work.
- Composing, improvising and arranging tasks run at desks, with no ensemble setup or chairs to move.
- Rubrics and written assessments give you defensible grades in a class that has no chair tests.
- Differentiated worksheets cover the kid who sings in your choir and the one who never has.
Getting started
Running it alongside your ensemble season
One way to start, so general music does not eat the prep time your ensembles need.
- Open with a listening unitStart with listening and describing music rather than theory. Students can talk about a film score or a pop song before they can read a note, and you find out quickly who already has some background.
- Pull recordings you already ownNo audio comes with the curriculum. Use recordings from your ensemble library plus a few pieces students know. Having one playlist ready per unit saves you from searching while the class waits.
- Bring in notation graduallyMove to notation, rhythm and meter once students have a reason to care. Use the differentiated worksheets so your choir kids stay busy while true beginners catch up.
- Add a small creating taskGive groups a short composing or arranging task. It shows how much theory has stuck and gives non-players a small taste of what your ensemble students do every day.
- Grade with the included rubricsUse the rubrics and written assessments rather than inventing a grading system. Your general music grades then rest on clear criteria you can show parents and administrators.
Which version
Which version makes sense for a director
If general music is one or two sections on top of a full ensemble load, the Starter version at $149.90 with 50+ resources covers a year. If you teach several sections, or want more options for review and differentiation, the Extended version at $199.90 has 90+ resources. The Pro version at $239.90 adds Teach-Life-Balance, a separate course with a planner, guides and templates for managing teacher workload. It is worth it if concert season regularly swallows your evenings. If your time is already under control, you do not need it.
Honest limits
What you still handle yourself
There is no audio or video in the package, so listening lessons depend on your own recordings and a way to play them. It does not teach instrumental technique or replace your method books. It is written for U.S. middle school classrooms, but check it against your state or district music requirements before relying on it. If other teachers in your department want to use it, send Teach Lessons a short message first. If it turns out not to fit, you can exchange it within 7 days for store credit of equal value. That is store credit, not cash.
Good to know
Frequently asked questions
Is it aligned to the National Core Arts Standards?
No alignment, approval or endorsement is claimed for any standards set. The curriculum is written for U.S. middle school general music and covers listening, analysis, theory foundations, creating and performing. Compare the units with your own state or district requirements before you rely on it, and plan where you would fill any gaps with your own material.
I have never taught non-ensemble kids. Is it pitched right?
It starts with notation, rhythm and basic vocabulary and works toward intervals, chords and basic harmony, so beginners have a real entry point. Worksheets are differentiated, which matters when a few of your band or choir students land in the same section as kids who have never read music. The product page has a browser preview of three sample documents if you want to judge the level.
How much prep does it need during concert season?
Units are described as no-prep and ready to teach, with slides, worksheets and answer keys in place. Your main prep is choosing recordings for the listening lessons. In your busiest weeks you can lean on the written review activities instead of group projects that need more supervision and setup.
Do students need instruments?
No. The creating and performing work is classroom-friendly: composing, improvising, arranging, group projects and presentations. If you want ensemble students to play an example for the class, you can, but nothing in the sequence depends on instruments being available. A trumpet player demonstrating a motif for the class can be a nice touch, though it is entirely optional.
Can the choir director at my school use it too?
Use within your own teaching team or school is possible, but send Teach Lessons a short message before sharing it. Redistribution, resale or posting the files publicly is not allowed. Questions about school purchasing or team use can also be sent to Teach Lessons before you buy.
What if I also pick up a high school general music class?
Music Complete – High School covers Grades 9–12 with deeper listening, harmonic progressions and analysis. Both follow the same structure, so you would not have to learn a new layout. If you buy both, code TEACHMORE15 takes 15% off when you buy two or more Complete Curriculum packages.
Teach general music without writing a second course
Open the product page, look through the three sample documents in the preview, and pick the version that fits your load.
See Music Complete – MS →