High School Music Curriculum for Private and Independent Schools
Private and independent high schools that need a credible music course for grades 9–12 can use Music Complete – High School: 50+ resources on listening, analysis and theory, with harmonic progressions, texture and form taught at increasing depth. It is a digital, no-prep curriculum, so a music teacher or department head can build an upper school music class without commissioning new materials.
See what's included →Music Complete – High School, from $149.90, is a digital music curriculum for grades 9–12. It teaches listening and analysis across classical, film, pop, rock, jazz and contemporary music, and theory from advanced rhythm and meter through scales, chords and harmonic progressions, then applies that theory to performance and composition. Private schools can use it to give a music elective a clear academic structure. Whether it counts toward graduation or credit requirements is a decision your school makes.
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
Building an academic music course in a small upper school
Many independent high schools have strong ensembles and a weak classroom offering. The music teacher conducts choir or orchestra, maybe coaches a jazz combo, and the one academic music elective changes shape every year depending on who signed up. Without a district, there is no ready-made syllabus to point to. That causes real problems. College-bound students and their families ask whether the class is rigorous or just a performance hour. The course catalog needs a description that matches what actually happens in the room. And the students vary enormously: one plays at a conservatory prep level, another joined because the schedule had a gap. A useful high school course has to move from rhythm and notation into harmony, harmonic progressions and texture without losing the beginners, and it has to connect that theory to real listening, from a symphony movement to a film cue. It also needs to grow over four years so a senior is analyzing at a different level than a freshman. Writing that sequence from scratch, while also preparing concerts, is usually what keeps a small school's music classroom from becoming a real course.
Why it fits
What the curriculum gives an independent school
The material provides the academic backbone that ensemble-heavy programs often lack.
- Theory moves from advanced rhythm and meter to chords and harmonic progressions in order.
- Listening and analysis cover form, motifs, harmony and texture across many periods and genres.
- Lessons apply theory to performance and composition, linking the classroom to your ensembles.
- Analytical depth increases across grades 9–12, so you can describe a clear multi-year progression.
- Differentiated worksheets serve both the advanced instrumentalist and the student with no training.
- Answer keys and structured units make a course catalog description easy to write honestly.
Getting started
From purchase to a published course
For a school that wants the class to look and run like a real academic course, here is one workable order.
- Draft the catalog entryAfter reading through the units, write a short course description listing the listening, theory and composition areas covered. Share it with your academic dean before registration opens.
- Set a theory baselineGive an early rhythm and notation worksheet in the first week. It sorts students quickly and tells you who needs the lighter versions of later tasks.
- Pair theory with a listening unitTeach an interval or chord lesson, then hear it in a film score or jazz standard you bring yourself. Students see why the theory matters.
- Connect to your ensemblesUse the performance and composition lessons to analyze a piece your choir or band is preparing. Rehearsal time and class time start to reinforce each other.
- Grade with the provided keysUse the answer keys for written work and keep a short record of each unit. It gives you clear evidence of rigor when families or administrators ask.
Which version
Which version to buy
The standard version with 50+ resources at $149.90 is the core choice for one high school music course. The version with Teach-Life-Balance costs $189.90 and adds a digital course with a planner, guides and templates on managing teacher time. It is useful if your concert calendar crowds out planning, but the curriculum works the same without it. If your school also runs a middle school music class taught by you, adding Music Complete – Middle School with code TEACHMORE15 gives 15% off both and keeps the two levels in the same structure.
Honest limits
What it does not do
It contains no audio or video, so you use your own recordings and clips for listening lessons. It is not an AP Music Theory course or ensemble repertoire. Credit, graduation requirements and accreditation are your school's call, so check the content against your own program before listing it in the catalog. Sharing it with other faculty needs a short message to Teach Lessons first. If it is not the right fit, you have 7 days to exchange it for store credit of equal value; there is no cash refund.
Good to know
Frequently asked questions
Is it accredited, standards-aligned or approved for high school credit?
Teach Lessons makes no such claim. The curriculum is not endorsed by any standards body, and it has not been reviewed for any particular credit or accreditation rule. It is written for U.S. high school music classrooms. Your registrar, academic dean or accrediting association decides how it counts, so confirm with them before advertising credit.
Is this an AP Music Theory course?
No. It covers serious theory, including scales, intervals, chords, harmonic progressions and terminology, and applies it to listening and composition. That makes it a solid foundation for students who later take a theory exam. It is not designed around any exam framework, so plan separately if your school offers AP.
Can it serve a mixed group of grades 9 through 12?
Yes, with some planning. Small schools often run one music elective for all four grades. The differentiated worksheets help, and the increasing analytical depth means you can assign older students the more demanding analysis questions while younger students work on the fundamentals. Pair students across grades for listening tasks.
What other music products could help?
Two supporting products may appear on the product page. The High School Music Complete Bundle has 15 units at $129.99, and the Music History & Style Periods Bundle at $74.99 can deepen a course that leans toward history. Both are optional additions, not requirements for using the main curriculum.
Our head of school wants to see it first. What can I share?
The product page lists what is included, which you can send directly. If there are questions about school purchasing or about faculty sharing the files, those can go to Teach Lessons before you buy so you have the answers ready for the conversation. Buy them later only if the main course leaves you wanting more.
How does it connect to our choir and orchestra?
The curriculum applies theory to performance and composition, so you can use its lessons to study the form, harmony and texture of pieces your ensembles are rehearsing. It does not include performance repertoire or sheet music for your groups, which you continue to select yourself.
Turn your music elective into a real course
Look over the full list of contents on the product page and choose the version that fits your schedule.
See what's included →