How to organize a school's music area: profiles, degrees and assemblies
From diagnosis to plan by degrees: how to move from "we have music class" to an area with clear profiles, assemblies, well care tools and monitoring.
To organize the music area of a school, start with a diagnosis (hours, spaces, instruments and current equipment), define what teacher profiles you need at every stage, conduct a sequence by degrees that goes from play and singing to assembly, and decide what's been done within the curriculum and what's been done with extracurricular activities. That's all supported with an instrument plan and a monitoring of the equipment.
That guide is for rectors, academic coordinators and area heads who want to move from "we have music class" to an area with purpose, consistent from kindergarten to 11.
To sum up
- It starts with an honest diagnosis: hours by grade, living rooms, instrument inventory and computer profiles.
- A solid area combines different profiles: initiation for preschooler, general music for primary and direction of high school assembly.
- The sequence by degrees goes from the pulse, singing and movement to reading, instrument and assembly.
- The assemblies, such as choir, band or student, give visibility and meaning to the area.
- According to Act 2555 of 2025, known as "Artes al Aula," artistic education is strengthening at schools and following its regulations with your management team.
Step 1: conduct an area diagnosis
Before you hire or buy, look what you have.
- How many hours have each degree every week and how do we distribute the area of arts with plastics, dance or theater?
- What spaces are there: music parlor, noise conditions, instrument storage?
- What instruments exist and what status are they in and who uses them?
- Who forms the team, with what profile, what day and what fortresses?
- What about outside the curriculum: chorus, band, supplementary day, extra-curricular classes?
- What do the institutional educational project (IEP) and families say about the place of the arts at school?
- What moments of the year did the area come up with: acts, shows and concerts?
The result can be found on a page: where's the area today, what you want to achieve in the next few years and what's missing to get there.
Step 2: defines the profiles you need
| Perfil | Where she works | What should master |
|---|---|---|
| A teacher of musical initiation | Pre-school and first grades | Singing, play and motion, an harmonic instrument to accompany, a great deal of energy and patience |
| Teacher of general music | Primaria | Initial reading, sweet flute or percussion, singing to several voices and managing large groups |
| Director (a) of assembly | Chorus, band or student | Management, level arrangements and efficient testing |
| Teacher of high school | Secondary and medium | harmonic instrument, creation, Colombian music and projects |
| Teachers of instrument | Extracurricular or supplementary day | Specific technique, small classes and soloist training |
Few schools have a person for each profile and one person can cover two if they hire them for that. What doesn't work is to expect a single teacher to do well initiation, primary, high school, band and chorus. Decide which profiles are of plant and what for hours and hire with a clear process, as [how to hire music teachers]](/blog/como-contratar-profesores-de-musica-para-tu-academia)To help with the problem, check what profile works at [supplementary day]](/blog/profesores-de-musica-para-jornada-complementaria).
Step 3: weapon a sequence by degrees
The key is continuity: what you learn at primary level should be high and this is a reference sequence to adapt to your curriculum:
| Etapa | Enfoque | Examples of contents | Visible product |
|---|---|---|---|
| Preescolar | Game, pulse, singing and movement | Songs with gestures, sound exploration, pulse with body | Songs at events and meetings with families |
| 1. ° to 3. | Rhythm, intonation and initial reading | Body perception, simple rhythmic figures, united singing and canons | Sample of singing and percussion |
| 4 and 5. | First group instrument | Sweet flute, minor percussion or plaques, paper and paper reading and simple assembly | A classroom attesting |
| 6. ° to 9. | Test and creation | Guitar or keyboard, Colombian rhythms, arrangements and song composition | Panel presentations |
| 10 and 11. | Profundication and project | Electivos, production, his own musical project | Final event or project |
In the final grades, some students discover that they want to study music. To have identified a path for them as a [preuniversity music]](/preuniversitario-musica), makes the area a real support for his project of life.
Step 4: decide what assembly you have
The assemblies give an identity to the area and motivate the students to stay. Choose from your equipment, spaces and budget:
- Chorus: The least investment in instruments require a good director and someone with piano or guitar.
- Symphony or martial band: a great deal of visibility but requires an investment in tools and constant maintenance.
- Student or set of Andean music: tiples, banners and guitars and links with the Colombian identity.
- Caribbean and Pacific percussion or music set: and accessible to beginners.
- Rock or pop band: It binds to adolescents and needs amplification and an isolated space.
- Rope Orchestra: a long process that requires teachers of instrument from the first grades.
It also defines what you are assembling at class and what's at work, if your entrance's open or with an audition, and how you coordinate your trial schedule with that of school events and evaluations.
Step 5: Organizes the tools of the school
- Inventory: each instrument with code, status, location and liability.
- Loan with minutes: signed by the family with the status of the instrument and what if damaged or lost.
- Regular maintenance: Retiring and wind with a technical or luthier, changing patches at the percussion and tuning of the piano.
- Storage: Stages, mats and ventilation. The moisture, direct sun and sudden temperature changes damage wood, slippers and patches.
- Hygiene: sweet nozzles and flutes for personal use or an interuse cleaning routine.
- Purchasing by plan priorities, and not by opportunity: first what the sequence needs by degrees.
Step 6: articulate with the regulations and follow up
The General Act on Education (Act 115 of 1994) includes artistic education as a matter of obligation and as a matter of fundamental importance. Also, under Act 2555 of 2025, known as "The Arts of the House," artistic education is strengthened in schools throughout the country. How it is applied at every institution depends on its regulations and the guidelines of the Ministry of Education and the educational secretariats, and your management team should review it with its counsellor and conduct its development.
In any event, an area with diagnosis, defined profiles, sequence by degree and process evidence puts your school better place to respond to what's regally established.
Monitoring area
- Annual targets for the area, revised at year's end.
- Classes observation with a common heading and here's a model of teacher's assessment).
- Samples and concerts as evidence of the process, not just as an event.
- The voice of students and families about what works and what's missing.
In A medio tono We help schools [select music teachers]](/academias/seleccion-de-profesores) for each profile and to evaluate his current equipment with class observation and the college contracts directly. Know all [services for academies and schools]](/academias).
Frequently asked questions
How many hours of music should a school have?
There is no single figure: it depends on the curriculum, the IEP and how the school distributes the area of arts. The important thing is that the hours are sufficient to hold a sequence by grades and that the intensity is consistent with the goals you put up. Check also the current guidelines with your management team.
Is it better to have a single teacher of music or several?
A single teacher can work at a small school if his profile covers what the area needs. as the offer grows, profiles should be separated: musical initiation, general music and assembly direction demand different skills.
Why do so many schools use sweet flute at prima?
Because it's economic, portable and allows a complete group to play melodies while learning how to read. It's not the only choice: plates, minor percussion or ukelele also work. If sweet flutes are used, each student should have his or her own for hygiene.
How do we evaluate music at school without just giving up talent?
Assessing the process with clear criteria: participation, progress with the starting point, work with assembly and meeting targets by period. The recordings at the start and end of a period are useful evidence for students and families.