• Music Education Courses is an online learning environment accessible to music teachers anywhere in the world, brought to you by UK-based company Music Education Solutions®.
    For further information and to purchase course access, visit the Music Education Solutions website.

Available courses

Inclusive Music Education Certificate

This programme is devised and delivered by globally-recognised musical inclusion expert Dr Phil Mullen, drawing on his academic research and practical experience. It is designed for any music educator who wants to improve their own or their organisation’s inclusive practice, including school-based teachers and SENCos, music hub and service teachers and inclusion leads, community musicians and workshop leaders, private or peripatetic instrumental teachers, and education officers and managers working within music and arts organisations.

Understanding the National Plan for Music Education (England)

This course outlines what the National Plan for Music Education (England) means for schools, covering all relevant aspects of this non-statutory government guidance. You will learn about the aims of the national plan, and its specific expectations for schools around quality and quantity of music provision, music development planning, and partnership working.

This course is relevant to teachers and senior leaders from primary and secondary schools in England, and will help you plan for how you can support and deliver the National Plan for Music Education within your setting.


Understanding the History of Music at KS2

On this course you will learn how to help your KS2 pupils develop their understanding of the history of music. You will consider the core skills and knowledge that they need to develop, examples of different approaches to music history, and how to teach this aspect of the curriculum practically and musically, without it becoming a literacy exercise.

Understanding the Model Music Curriculum

This course provides an independent analysis of the non-statutory ‘Model Music Curriculum’ released by the UK government for potential use in England’s primary and secondary schools. The course covers the content of the curriculum, and how this relates to current best practice pedagogy and research on musical development, as well as how the curriculum compares to the most common schemes and resources that schools already buy into. It will help primary music subject leaders and head teachers to decide whether this model curriculum is something that they might wish to adopt in their own school, and provides insights for how adoption of this curriculum might work in practice. 


Improvising in the KS2 Classroom

This course covers why we should teach improvisation, what the purpose of improvisation is and what kind of outcomes we should be looking for when improvising in the KS2 classroom. By the end of the course you should feel more confident as improviser and as a teacher of improvisation.


Composing in the KS2 Classroom

The national curriculum for KS2 music states that children ‘should develop an understanding of musical composition, organising and manipulating ideas within musical structures’ and to ‘compose music for a range of purposes using the inter-related dimensions of music’. This course looks at creative ways to fulfill these aims as part of your KS2 music curriculum.

Excellence in First Access (WCET)

This course is a national training programme for teachers of First Access / Whole Class Ensemble Teaching. It features structured training based on the latest research into the pedagogical principles behind successful First Access / WCET teaching programmes. It is suitable for teachers at all stages of their careers, and who teach any instrument from any musical tradition.

Planning & Assessing Primary Music

This course covers the processes and pedagogy of planning and assessing primary music. Learners will explore the specific mechanics of planning and assessment for music, which can be very different from the other subjects of the primary curriculum. The course offers support and advice for creating schemes of work, individual pedagogically sound lesson plans, and assessment systems for music.

Excellence in Primary Music

This course looks in detail at the skills, knowledge and understanding that pupils need to develop in order to progress in Performing, Composing/Improvising and Listening, in order to meet the requirements of the National Curriculum for Music. 

Dive Deeper into Music

This course will give primary music subject leaders the confidence to develop their school's music curriculum, and to prepare for 'deep dive' music subject inspections under the new Ofsted framework.

The course covers best practice in planning, delivering, and assessing the primary music curriculum. It is suitable for both specialist and non-specialist teachers who lead the music in their primary school.

Primary Music Specialist Certficate

Whether you’re an experienced or developing primary music specialist, this programme will help you refine your teaching practice, enhance your pedagogical understanding, and demonstrate your expertise to current and future employers with the Music Education Solutions® Primary Music Specialist Certificate.

Diversifying Primary Music

In this course you will explore how to use diverse and inclusive music in your primary music lessons. The course will cover how to source repertoire from a range of genres, styles and traditions, and how to teach this effectively across performing, composing and listening activities. You will consider the term ‘world music’ and explore in depth four pieces of music from different continents that you could use with your class. On completing this course you will have a better understanding of global music and its creative application in the classroom and in ensembles

Developing Listening Skills in Primary Music

On this course you will learn how to develop your pupils' listening ability in music from EYFS to KS2. You will consider the different types of musical listening, and consider a variety of research findings that help us to understand how children's musical listening develops over their time at primary school. You will learn aboutthe core competencies that you should be planning and looking out for in each key stage, and what different activities and techniques you should use in the classroom to support your pupils' music listening development.

Primary Music Leadership Certificate

This blended learning course comprises three half-day training sessions across one term. These will be supported with access to online learning materials, and challenges, ideas and activities to try out in the classroom, culminating in a short assignment. On completion of the assignment participants will be awarded with the Music Education Solutions® Primary Music Leadership Certificate.

Singing in Primary Schools

This course covers everything you need to know about leading singing in a primary (5-11) setting. It includes the latest research into the impact of singing in schools, advice on developing a whole school culture of singing, video tutorials on singing and conducting techniques, advice on selecting repertoire, using singing to support the curriculum, and how to start, maintain, and improve a choir.

Confidence in Primary Music

This course is designed for non-specialists teaching music to primary aged children (5-11 years) anywhere in the world. The course will help develop your understanding of basic musical concepts, and give you the skills and knowledge to teach music with confidence.

Development and Progression in Primary Music

On this course you will explore research around development and progression of musical skills in primary aged children. You will learn how knowledge of these different developmental stages can inform the way that you plan, teach and assess music in your primary school.

This webinar is not specific to a particular curriculum, and is suitable for educators working with children from the ages of 5-11 anywhere in the world.


Level 4 Certificate for Music Educators

The Level 4 Certificate for Music Educators is an international qualification validated by Trinity College London. For more information visit the Music Education Solutions® website.

Excellence in Instrumental & Vocal Teaching

On this course you will develop a deeper understanding of instrumental teaching pedagogy, in order to develop excellent practice in instrumental and vocal teaching.

Planning for GCSE Music

On this course you will learn how to prepare your students for the performance, composition and listening components of GCSE music. You will consider what level of skill your students need to achieve success against the criteria, including some myth busting around required prior experience, input and ‘standards’ for GCSE. The course will help you decide how and when you teach different skills during Year 10 and 11, to ensure that students are fully prepared for success in their assessments.

Confidence in Secondary Music

This course is designed for non-specialists teaching music as an extra subject at KS3. This course will help you understand basic musical concepts, and will give you the skills and knowledge to teach music with confidence.

Secondary Music Leadership Certificate

This programme aims to provide tools to support teachers in developing a thriving music department and delivering a high quality curriculum appropriate to their local context. It is suitable for anyone teaching music in a secondary school, anywhere in the world, but will be of particular relevance to those who are currently leading a department, or working towards their first head of department role.

KS3 Music - A values-based approach

On this course you will reflect on how you learned music yourself and how this impacts on the way that you teach it. You will be challenged to consider how your current KS3 curriculum is balanced between formal, informal and non formal approaches to music teaching to ensure that all kinds of musical learners can be both engaged and challenged by what is on offer. You will also explore the balance between different approaches to music learning to identify what aligns with the needs of your students, your beliefs and values about music education and the requirement to deliver a broad and balanced curriculum at KS4.

Music Education & Social, Emotional, and Mental Health Difficulties

In this course you will explore strategies for delivering music activities for children and young people with Social, Emotional and Mental Health Difficulties (SEMHD). You will learn how to work with what the young people bring, and how you organise and resource your sessions, as well as thinking about your own intentions and using reflective practice to ensure that you are always meeting these young people’s needs. This course is not specific to a particular curriculum or age range, and is suitable for educators working anywhere in the world.

Teaching Music Inclusively

In this course you will explore how to take an inclusive approach to teaching music in your setting. You will consider how to ensure that your lessons and activities are accessible to pupils with SEND, how to promote cultural diversity within your curriculum or syllabus, and how to adopt an ‘adaptive teaching’ approach to ensure that all your pupils are able to fulfil their potential.


Curriculum Design in Music

This course will will take you through the process of designing an effective, sequential, and progressive music curriculum. You will consider how to develop a vision for music, and how to keep this ‘big picture’ in mind when creating the fine detail of your curriculum. You will also learn how to ensure that your curriculum develops all the different types of musical knowledge, as well as how to plan content which reflects the cultural backgrounds represented in your school community and the wider world.

Creating a Music Development Plan

On this course you will explore how to create and implement a music development plan for your school or setting. You will consider how to create your big-picture vision, link your plan to important accountability measures, and plan the detail without losing sight of your overarching aims.

This course is not specific to a particular curriculum, and is suitable for educators working anywhere in the world. However, it will reference the National Plan for Music Education in England, as music development planning is a key part of this initiative.

Singing in Secondary Schools

This course covers everything you need to know about leading singing in a secondary (11-18) setting. It includes the latest research into the impact of singing in schools, advice on developing a culture of singing, video tutorials on singing and conducting techniques, advice on selecting repertoire, using singing to support the curriculum, and how to start, maintain, and improve a choir.

Managing Behaviour in Music Lessons

This course will help you to promote positive behavior, and deal with inappropriate and challenging behavior in a music education setting. The course is suitable for anyone teaching any type of music in any setting.   

Understanding Musical Learning

This course covers the theory of how children and young people learn musically, and what music educators can do to support and develop this learning. The course is suitable for music teachers working in any context.