Music for Learning - Unit 1
Foundation – Year 6
Music for Learning – Unit 1 provides every teacher with the confidence to deliver engaging, curriculum-aligned music lesson plans. Each lesson builds sequentially on skills, ensuring students’ progress step by step. With structured guides, demo videos and audio support, teachers can focus on teaching while students experience engaging lessons.
Why Choose Our Music For Learning Resources?
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Confidence for all primary teachers, with no musical background.
Curriculum V9 Aligned
Our music lesson plans cover skills across all year levels with a clear scope and sequence.
Engaging Lessons
Hands-on and active lessons using themes like travel and culture.
Save Time
Save time and boost your confidence with guides, demo video and audio support included.
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At Good to Great Schools Australia, we believe every teacher deserves access to high-quality, ready-to-use music resources for primary teachers. That’s why all our resources are free for teachers across Australia.
To give you a taste of what Music For Learning Unit 1 offers, we’re giving you access to two lessons that you can download instantly – no sign-up required.
✅ Ready-to-teach music lesson plans
✅ Curriculum-aligned for primary education in Australia
✅ Easy to use, including Year 1 music lesson plans
Music for Learning – Unit 1 (Version 3)
Foundation – Year 6
Starter Lessons
Year Overview
Foundation Year
Year F, Lesson 1
Year F, Lesson 2
Unit Overview
In the ‘Tell Me a Story’ unit, students will learn how stories can be told through music, while exploring their own ways of communicating stories through acting them out, experimenting with musical elements (tempo, dynamics, pitch) and different ways of creating sound with voices, percussion instruments and ukulele. The culminating project will be for students to perform a musical story through song and different instruments.
Student Activities and Music
Music Examples and Instrumentation
- Nursery Rhymes
- Incy, Wincy Spider
- Hairy, Scary Spider
- We’re Going on a Bear Hunt
- We’re Going on a Spider Hunt
- Sounds in Nature
- Four Seasons – Vivaldi
- O Trenzinho do Caipira – Villa Lobos
- Knight of the Hobbyhorse, Child Falling Asleep, The Happy Farmer, An Important Event – Robert Schumann
Instrumentation: percussion instruments, voice, ukulele.
Student Activities
Student activities include:
- listening to varied musical pieces
- responding to music in movement
- creating music for stories by singing, playing the ukulele and percussion instruments
- performing music by singing, playing the ukulele and using percussion instruments.
- Instrumentation: percussion instruments, voice, ukulele.
Features
Features
- Creative tasks that allow students to learn by doing.
- Animated slides to clearly visualise musical concepts and activities.
- Embedded audio tracks.
Special Inclusions
- Musical examples feature a diverse range of genres and musicians suitable for the year level.
- Hands-on music-making activities make learning fun and impactful and encourage creativity.
- Creative, visually appealing and engaging lessons, making the learning fun and accessible.
- Musical concepts taught through various art forms create a rich and meaningful learning experience.
- Ukulele playing is introduced at a year-appropriate level
Lessons, Assessment and Resources
Unit, Lesson and Assessment Information
- 9 Week Unit
- Lessons are 45 minutes and delivered once a week for nine weeks.
- Summative Assessment, Lessons 8–9: Students will demonstrate their understanding of musical elements by performing music for a story in small groups, playing the ukulele and percussion instruments.
Resources
- Lessons x9
- Instructional Teaching Guide
- Student Workbook
- Unit Overview
- Assessments/Progression Indicators
- Professional Learning Modules
Year 1 – Year 2
Years 1-2, Lesson 1
Years 1-2, Lesson 2
Unit Overview
In the Sing and Play unit, students will explore how their voices can bring the elements of music to life.
They will develop their understanding of key musical elements- pitch, dynamics, duration, and tempo-through both analysis and hands-on activities.
Students will also build their musicianship through performance using voice, keyboard, and body percussion.
The unit will culminate in small group presentations, where students perform the pieces they have learned.
Student Activities and Music
Music Examples and Instrumentation
Music examples:
- Do, Re Mi
- A Whole New World
- Hot Cross Buns
- Baby Shark
- Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star.
Instrumentation: Voice, body percussion and keyboard.
Student Activities
Student activities include:
- listening to varied musical pieces and identifying musical elements by movement
- performing music by singing in small groups, singing and playing the keyboard and by using body percussion.
Features
Features
- Creative tasks that allow students to learn by doing.
- Musical examples supporting every lesson.
- Animated slides to clearly visualise musical concepts and activities.
Special Inclusions
- Musical examples feature a diverse range of genres and musicians.
- Hands-on music-making activities make learning fun and impactful.
- Creative and engaging lessons, making the learning fun and accessible.
- Playing the keyboard as an integral part of the lessons.
Lessons, Assessment and Resources
Unit, Lesson and Assessment Information
- 9 Week Unit
- Lessons are 45 minutes and delivered once a week for nine weeks.
- Summative Assessment, Lessons 8–9: Students will demonstrate their understanding of musical elements by performing two songs in small groups: one by singing, and another by singing and playing the keyboard at the same time.
Resources
- Lessons x9
- Instructional Teaching Guide
- Student Workbook
- Unit Overview
- Assessments/Progression Indicators
- Professional Learning Modules
Year 3 – Year 4
Years 3-4, Lesson 1
Years 3-4, Lesson 2
Unit Overview
In the Music and the Elements: Earth, Water, Fire and Air unit, students will explore how nature has been represented through art for hundreds of years before taking charge of their creative process to improvise and compose their own responses to nature.
They will develop knowledge and understanding of specific musical elements through analysis and practical work, as well as develop their musicianship in composition and performance on selected instrumentation (voice, percussion).
The unit will culminate in a presentation of small group performances where students perform the pieces they have created in response to one of the natural elements: Earth, Water, Fire or Air.
Student Activities and Music
Music Examples and Instrumentation
Music examples:
- ‘Naka Wara Wara To’o’, Small Island, Big Song ft. Charles Maimarosia
- ‘Bloom’, Michael Torke
- Vanuatu Women’s Water Music
- ‘Re(new)al’, Viet Cuong
- ‘Tuvan Throat Singing’, Saidash Mongush
- ‘Harmonica Beatbox’ Zipporah Temelloso
- ‘Winter Bonfire’, Sergei Prokofiev
- ‘Swamp Fire’, Duke Ellington
- ‘Bardju’, Brenda Gifford.
Instrumentation: Pitched and unpitched percussion, including homemade ‘water instruments’ and voice.
Student Activities
Student activities include:
- listening to varied musical examples and identifying the musical components that make up the music
- exploring a range of percussion instruments and vocal techniques
- using homemade ‘water instruments’ inspired by traditional music making in Vanuatu
- creating and performing music inspired by the unit’s musical examples.
Features
Features
- Creative tasks that allow students to learn by doing.
- Musical examples supporting every lesson.
- Embedded demonstration videos and audio tracks.
Special Inclusions
- Bespoke audio and video demonstrations support teaching and learning.
- Musical examples feature a diverse range of genres and musicians.
- Hands-on music-making activities make learning fun and impactful.
Lessons, Assessment and Resources
Unit, Lesson and Assessment Information
- 9 Week Unit
- Lessons are 45 minutes and delivered once a week for nine weeks.
- Summative Assessment, Lessons 8–9: Students will demonstrate their understanding of musical components by creating a group composition inspired by one of the natural elements: earth, water, fire or air. Students will make informed choices throughout the creative process and demonstrate their skills by presenting their ideas through music.
Resources
- Lessons x9
- Instructional Teaching Guide
- Student Workbook
- Unit Overview
- Assessments/Progression Indicators
- Professional Learning Modules
Year 5 – Year 6
Years 5-6, Lesson 1
Years 5-6, Lesson 2
Unit Overview
In the Introduction to Jazz Music unit, students will explore the distinctive qualities of jazz music through listening, analysis and performance. They will learn to recognise key elements that define jazz, such as rhythm, melody and expression. Through practical activities, students will develop their skills in performing jazz rhythms and melodies, while also understanding more about writing and reading music.
Student Activities and Music
Music Examples and Instrumentation
Music examples:
- Moanin’ – Charles Mingus
- Woodchopper’s Ball – Woody Herman and his Swingin’ Herd
- A-Train – Duke Ellington and his Orchestra
- C Jam Blues – Duke Ellington
- Alley Cat – Bent Fabric
- When the Saints Go Marching In – Louis Armstrong
- Backing tracks for student composition and improvisation
Instrumentation: Keyboard.
Student Activities
Student activities include:
- listening to jazz music and identifying jazz characteristics
- improvising, creating solos and call and response on the keyboard
- performing jazz music using the keyboard.
Features
Features
- Creative tasks that allow students to learn by doing.
- Musical examples supporting every lesson.
- Embedded demonstration videos and audio tracks.
Special Inclusions
- Bespoke audio and video demonstrations support teaching and learning.
- Hands-on music-making activities make learning fun and impactful.
- Class set of keyboards required.
Lessons, Assessment and Resources
Unit, Lesson and Assessment Information
- 9 week unit
- Lessons are 45 minutes and delivered once a week for nine weeks.
- There are two assessment tasks in this unit: a content assessment worth 40% and a practical assessment worth 60%.
- The content assessment will be completed in Lesson 8 and covers all the learning material from Lessons 1–7.
- The practical assessment will take place in Lesson 9, where students perform their own tunes they have created and practised on the keyboard.
Resources
- Lessons x9
- Instructional Teaching Guide
- Student Workbook
- Unit Overview
- Assessments/Progression Indicators
- Understanding Written Music poster
- Professional Learning Modules
- Class set of keyboards
Other Units
Lesson Design
Lesson Objective
Success Criteria
Activating Prior Knowledge
I Do
We Do
Apple Question
You Do
Revise
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