Music · Instruments
The Instrument Pathway — Kindergarten to University
英語版
One cumulative road: the voice first, then one new instrument family at each level, with every earlier skill retained and used in the level's own songs.
| Level | Instrument introduction |
|---|---|
| Kindergarten | Voice, clapping, body percussion, hand percussion |
| Grade 1 | Add bells and chimes |
| Grade 2 | Add keyboard / piano |
| Grade 3 | Add acoustic guitar |
| Grade 4 | Add flute |
| Grade 5 | Add bass guitar |
| Grade 6 | Add drum kit |
| Grade 7 | Add violin / fiddle |
| Grade 8 | Add viola / cello |
| Grade 9 | Add rhythm electric guitar |
| Grade 10 | Add saxophone / trumpet |
| Grade 11 | Add trombone / French horn |
| Grade 12 | Full ensemble integration |
| College | Full ensemble + DAW/MIDI, arranging, songwriting, recording, live sound and collaborative production |
| University | Complete palette + synthesis, acoustics, orchestration, conducting, MIDI, scoring, recording, mixing, mastering and research-led production |
How the programme runs
The master's instrument rule: each grade adds the designated instrument family while retaining earlier musicianship, and songs must actively use the newly introduced instrument so that the lyric, the frequency arc and the instrument-learning objective reinforce one another.
At the youngest levels the sampler is wide, and the programme's rotation system carries no lock-in before Grade 4 — a child is found by trying, not by being assigned. The voice is the first instrument and never leaves the programme. A shared school instrument collection means no child is denied for lack of money.
Practice and performance
Use the level's assigned instrument progression cumulatively. Earlier musicianship is retained as new instruments and production skills are introduced.
Learning sequence: (1) Listen and identify pulse, form and dynamic shape. (2) Practise the assigned instrument or voice part. (3) Rehearse with the cumulative ensemble. (4) Explore arrangement and composition choices. (5) Perform or record the piece. (6) Reflect on musical accuracy, expression, collaboration and next steps.
Notation integrity. Where the governing master provides key, range, tempo, register, frequency, arrangement or composer notes, they are preserved on the level pages. Finished staff notation is not invented where it is absent from the source master.
The pathway inside the school: The Music Program (education edition) · the songs themselves: Songs by Level.
Sources: Music Education Master v05 (cumulative instrument pathway, instrument rule); the level companions (Practice and Performance); the Songs of Praise curriculum (the instrument programme). Text as held.