High School Music Curriculum for American and International Schools Abroad
Music Complete – High School gives teachers at American and international schools abroad a ready grades 9–12 music course without importing a single book. You download 50+ resources covering listening and analysis, harmony and texture, and theory up to harmonic progressions, then print them locally or teach from screens. It suits schools that follow a U.S. model and cannot easily source music textbooks where they are.
Open the product page →Music Complete – High School costs from $149.90 and is delivered digitally, which removes the shipping and customs problems international schools face with printed materials. It covers listening across many periods and genres, theory from advanced rhythm through harmonic progressions, and applying theory to performance and composition, with depth increasing from grade 9 to 12. It is written for U.S. high school classrooms; each school should confirm how it fits its own accreditation and program.
The curriculum
Music Complete – High School, Grades 9–12
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 High School Music (Grades 9–12)
High School Music Complete Bundle | 15 Ready-to-Teach Units | Grades 9–12
Music History & Style Periods Bundle | Baroque, Classical, Romantic & Impressionism | 4 Complete Units | Grades 9–12
Music Complete – Ready-to-Use Curriculum for Middle School Music (Grades 6–8)
Teach-Life-Balance: The Complete Time-Saving Course for Teachers (incl. Planner, Guides & Templates)
The real problem
Running a high school music course from overseas
At an international high school, the music teacher often finds the materials problem in August. The previous teacher took their own files, the library holds a few theory books in the host country's language, and an order from a U.S. publisher will take weeks and cost more in import fees than in books. High school students also bring sharper expectations. Some are preparing portfolios or auditions for universities in several countries, and they want analysis that goes beyond naming instruments. Others see music as a relief from a heavy academic load and need a course that stays accessible. Your schedule may combine both groups in one section. Then there is turnover. Families relocate, so juniors arrive from a school in another country with a completely different theory background, and some seniors leave before spring. A course that relies on every student having finished last year's book breaks down quickly. What you need is a structured sequence on harmony, form and texture that you can enter at sensible points, material in clear English for multilingual students, and files that arrive the day you need them, wherever the school is.
Why it fits
Where it helps in an international setting
These are the parts of the curriculum that matter most when you teach far from a U.S. supplier.
- Delivered as downloads, so the course is ready whatever your country's import rules.
- Theory and analysis grow in depth across four grades, fitting students who arrive mid-sequence.
- Listening spans classical, film, pop, rock, jazz and contemporary music for a globally mixed class.
- Applying theory to composition gives university-bound students analytical work worth showing.
- Differentiated tasks help when English fluency and musical training vary widely in one room.
- Answer keys support co-teachers or substitutes who may not be music specialists.
Getting started
A practical start for teachers abroad
One way to get the course running smoothly during your first weeks at the school:
- Save local copies right awayDownload the files to a school drive and your own device. If your connection is unreliable or certain services are blocked in your country, you will not be stuck on lesson day.
- Assess incoming theory levelsStudents arrive from different systems. Use an early rhythm, meter and notation task to place each one and decide who gets the lighter or harder worksheets.
- Source listening examples locallyNo audio is included. Check which streaming or library sources work in your country and build a playlist for each listening unit before you teach it.
- Add a host-country exampleWhen you teach form or texture, add one piece from your host country's tradition alongside the provided topics. It gives local and expatriate students a shared reference.
- Record where each student finishedKeep a simple note of completed units. When a family relocates, you can tell the next school what the student studied. It also helps you plan for whoever replaces them.
Which version
Picking the right version
The $149.90 version with 50+ resources covers a full high school music course. For $189.90 you also get Teach-Life-Balance, a digital course built around a planner, guides and templates that save teacher time. Teachers abroad often carry extra duties such as trips, after-school activities and boarding responsibilities, so it can help, but it does not change the music content. If your school also needs a middle school course and you teach both, buying Music Complete – Middle School too with TEACHMORE15 gives 15% off and keeps both levels in the same familiar structure.
Honest limits
What it does not do
There are no recordings or videos; you provide the listening material in a way that works where you live. The course does not replace IB, host-country or exam-board requirements your school may follow alongside a U.S. model. Your curriculum coordinator should confirm how it fits your accreditation and credit structure. Department or school-wide use needs a short message to Teach Lessons first. If it is not a fit within 7 days, you can exchange it for store credit of equal value, which is not a cash refund.
Good to know
Frequently asked questions
Does it satisfy our accreditor or count for U.S. high school credit?
Teach Lessons does not claim it does, and no standards or accrediting body has endorsed it. It is written for U.S. high school music classrooms, which makes it a fit for American-model schools, but credit and accreditation decisions sit with your school. Ask your curriculum coordinator or registrar to review it against your requirements.
Can I use it alongside an IB or host-country program?
It can serve as general music content and theory support next to another program, but it is not built for IB or any national exam. If your school runs a different framework, compare the listening and theory topics with that framework and decide which parts to use.
How do I get the files if I live outside the U.S.?
Everything is delivered digitally. Right after purchase you receive a download link by email, and the files also stay in your customer account under Orders. Nothing is shipped, so there are no customs fees or delivery delays. You can save them to a school drive and print as many class sets as you need.
Students join us from schools in many countries. Will they fit in?
The course builds analytical depth over four grades but uses clear units that can be started at their boundaries. Begin a new arrival with a placement task on rhythm and notation, then use the differentiated worksheets to fill gaps while they join the current unit.
Are there extra music products that might help?
The High School Music Complete Bundle with 15 units at $129.99 and the Music History & Style Periods Bundle at $74.99 may appear as optional extras. They add depth, particularly in music history, but you can teach the full course with the main curriculum alone.
Can the school pay for it or share it with other teachers?
Purchase happens online. If you have questions about school purchasing, or the school wants several teachers to use the files, send a short message to Teach Lessons before buying. Use inside your own school is possible with that prior message, while sharing with other schools or posting publicly is not allowed.
Have your music course ready before term starts
Check the contents on the product page, choose a version, and download it today from wherever you teach.
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