NISMCAA • LOOK LISTEN PLAY

Teachers' Companion Guide

Practical teaching plans for the 12 beginner music books

Use the books to turn looking into playing

This guide helps school teachers, music tutors and volunteer instructors plan lessons, lead small groups and record progress across the Look Listen Play series. Students should look at a relevant visual, hear a teacher model, try one manageable action and receive feedback before moving on.

Use the student book for its instrument pictures and detailed playing instructions. Use this companion for lesson structure, classroom activities, adaptation and assessment. The lesson plans here are original suggested activities, not page-by-page reproductions of the student books.

What success looks like

A beginner can prepare the instrument with suitable help, make an intentional sound, follow a simple rhythm, listen to another player and explain a useful next step. Confidence grows through achievable tasks and repeated practice. Becoming an advanced player takes continuing instruction and experience beyond a beginner book.

Before school publication

This is a working teacher edition. It does not set official NISMCAA competition rules or replace specialist instrument instruction.

Prepared for NISMCAA • October 2026

START HERE

Finding the right teaching plan

Choose the book the student is using. Start with the earliest skill that needs support rather than treating every lesson as a race through pages.

Planning and classroom routines: pages 3–6. Ensemble work: page 19. Assessment and printable records: pages 20–23. Sources and review checklist: page 24.

PLAN • FIT • LISTEN

Preparing an accessible classroom

Match the instrument to the student

Check instrument size, seat height, support and comfortable reach before teaching notes. Let a suitable instrument teacher assess violin size, wind instrument setup and trombone slide reach. Use a stable stand for a keyboard and a secure strap or support when appropriate. Never force a child into the posture shown in a picture.

Make every demonstration visible

Demonstrate from the front, then turn so students can compare the same hand or instrument side. Name the student’s left and right hands explicitly. Point to one feature in the book before playing it. Give students time to find that feature on their own instrument; ask them to show it back.

Offer more than one way to participate

A student may first clap a rhythm, point to a key map, use an adapted grip, sing an idea or control a simple digital instrument. Provide large print where needed, clear spoken instructions alongside visuals, a quiet practice option and extra preparation time. Agree adaptations with the student and relevant school staff. Assess the musical goal through the accessible method.

Prepare the room and equipment

1. Set up separate playing and waiting areas. Keep bags, cables and stands clear of movement routes; secure equipment before use.

2. Provide individual reeds, mouthpieces or other mouth-contact items. Follow school hygiene procedures and manufacturer care instructions; do not share these items casually.

3. Agree a stop signal and an appropriate sound level. Begin percussion on quiet pads. Let a responsible adult manage amplifiers and the sound system.

4. Keep practice short enough for comfortable effort. Stop for pain, dizziness, voice strain or distress and seek suitable adult help.

30 TO 45 MINUTES

A reusable lesson routine

Teach one clear playing goal per lesson. A longer lesson allows more supported turns, not necessarily more new material. Setup time varies, especially for beginners.

Example teacher language

“Find the string we are using. Watch my hand and listen to one sound. Now try one sound and stop. What did you notice? Try again with this small change.” Keep correction specific: “Release that shoulder” is more useful than “Play properly.”

Use the visual actively

Ask students to trace a labeled part with a finger on the page, locate it on the instrument, explain its job, then demonstrate. Cover extra information temporarily if a page feels busy. The picture supports observation; your demonstration and the student’s actual instrument confirm the technique.

Finish with evidence

Record a small observable result: “Found two groups of black keys without help” or “Played three steady beats then rested.” Ask the student to identify a success and a next step. Give a brief practice task they can explain back to you.

PACE BY READINESS

A flexible eight week starting plan

This is a suggested starting cycle, not a promise that all beginners will finish a book in eight weeks. Repeat or divide a stage when needed. Use each instrument book’s sequence for fingering and technique.

Adjust the plan without labeling the child

If sound production needs more time, keep rhythm and listening activities moving alongside it. A student who advances quickly can vary rhythm, dynamics or phrase shape using comfortable material. Do not add difficult high notes simply to create a harder task.

Connect four learning actions

Creating: choose or invent an idea. Performing: prepare and share it. Responding: describe what you hear. Connecting: relate music to a personal experience or another subject. These actions reflect the broad music education framework described by NAfME [1]; this guide is not a certified standards mapping.

LISTENING IS A CLASSROOM SKILL

Organizing a mixed instrument class

Work in supervised stations

Group students by the support they need: setup, first sound, rhythm or short phrases. Demonstrate before independent turns. Beginners using unfamiliar technique need direct supervision; use silent fingering, listening or written reflection for groups waiting for you.

Agree three practical signals

Ready: instruments prepared and eyes on the leader. Start: a visible count-in that matches the chosen pace. Stop: end the sound and look up. Practice the signals with body percussion before using the instruments.

Check pitch before combining instruments

Saxophone, trumpet and clarinet books use written pitches that may differ from the pitch heard. Flute, recorder and the tenor trombone plan use concert pitch. Guitar and bass notation may also involve octave conventions. Matching printed note letters across every book will not reliably produce matching sounds.

Use a concert-pitch reference and teacher-prepared instrument parts. Check transposition, octave and comfortable range. Until these are ready, combine a rhythm section with one melody group, or alternate groups rather than asking everyone to play the same printed notes.

BOOK 1 • SIX STRING GUITAR

Guitar

Learning goal

Pluck one selected open string clearly and repeat a four-beat pattern.

Prepare

A suitably sized, tuned guitar; the student book; a stable seat; a teacher demonstration.

Look and listen

Show a comfortable supported hold. Name the chosen string and demonstrate a small plucking movement. Let the sound finish before repeating. Use the book’s hand and string visuals rather than introducing every chord at once.

Try and make music

1. Student points to the selected string and plays one sound, then rests. Check that another string was not struck accidentally.

2. Echo four slow beats on that string. Repeat with a silent beat included; count through the silence.

3. In pairs, one student gives a pulse and the other plays a two-bar answer. Swap roles. Introduce a simple book chord only when the hand is ready.

Adapt the task

A learner who needs support may repeat a single sound while a partner counts. A ready learner can alternate two familiar strings or use a taught chord without rushing.

Check before moving on

Ask for two clear starts on the intended string. Notice shoulder tension, excessive finger pressure or an unsupported guitar. Reset the hold before adding speed.

Small practice assignment

Practice finding the string and playing four gentle, spaced plucks. Stop and reset between attempts.

BOOK 2 • KEY PATTERNS

Piano and keyboard

Learning goal

Locate groups of two and three black keys and play a short pattern on selected white keys.

Prepare

A stable keyboard or piano; an adjusted seat; the book’s precise key maps. Confirm the instrument is at a suitable volume.

Look and listen

Show groups of two and three black keys, then the white key C immediately to the left of a two-black-key group. Demonstrate a relaxed hand and a short C–D–E pattern in a chosen comfortable register.

Try and make music

1. Find several two-black-key groups without playing. Identify C beside each group.

2. Play the chosen C, D and E slowly using teacher-selected fingering. Listen for each sound and release.

3. Echo a three-note phrase, then create a different order using the same notes. Keep one hand at first.

Adapt the task

Support: work with two keys or identify keys before playing. Extend: repeat the phrase at another C location or add a teacher-taught accompaniment when coordination allows.

Check before moving on

Can the student find the correct key using the black-key pattern rather than guessing? Check seat distance, relaxed shoulders and raised or collapsing wrist tension.

Small practice assignment

Find three C keys and repeat one familiar three-note pattern slowly. Accuracy matters more than speed.