Music is an art form, and when writing music on manuscript the dots, lines and curves are a graphical representation of that art. Therefore students need to develop a manuscript style of their own, and learn to write impeccably when writing manuscript.

The most important tool is a pencil. Certainly when starting out with music theory the pencil is the one and only tool that should be used for writing manuscript.

Once they have completed the work in pencil many composers and music copyists traditionally completed their final drafts using a fine felt tipped pen – this makes for an excellent manuscript style. This makes it easy to photocopy and makes it easy to use. These days however this practice is quite out-dated, as computer layout programs will do this job in a much better way.

When completing simple music theory worksheets however the best rule of thumb is to stay with a pencil, as this will make corrections easy.

It is also important to choose a pencil which is appropriate for your writing style. If you are particularly heavy handed, then perhaps a hard pencil like a “H” might be appropriate, or if you are light then perhaps a “HB” or “2B”. Experiment and choose the best for you. It is always worth buying top quality pencils for music theory, as cheaper ones will break and not produce the best results.

The other important tool is a pencil sharpener. The pencil must always be 100% sharp, as this will really effect your manuscript style.

So when structuring a music lesson plan for music theory teachers should firstly make sure that their students have appropriate tools to write their music theory.

Like it or not, music students are going to have to face the fact that there is no other choice but to sit down with a pencil in the hand and make the music theory study happen.

A search for “music theory” on twitter every day will show you how students feel about preparing for music theory assessments and doing music theory homework. This is a very enlightening thing for a teacher to do, as you really do get a concept of how the students are feeling about the subject.

There is no real reason for the students to dislike learning music theory. Personally I find that music theory is a very satisfying activity in itself, and I find that I enjoy sitting down with a pencil and paper and working out a harmony exercise. I find that one of the best ways that I can get the students inspired about music theory is to share my enthusiasm for the subject. If I am enthusiastic about music theory, then the students will be as well.

But what do you say when the student comes to their lesson, and their music theory worksheet is not done, and its been happening over and over?

Well there is no value in taking privileges away from them – or trying to somehow “punish” them for not doing it, as this will just make the activity more negative in the student’s mind.

There is also not a great value in Extrinsic rewards, like sticker charts or stars, as this might work in the short term, but not really in the long term. The only thing that really will work is getting the student to enjoy the activity for the activity’s sake.

If students can enjoy music theory for what it is, then they will find doing music theory worksheets a breeze!


There is one thing that over everything else makes certain worksheets and educational materials more effective in this area. This one thing is an educational concept that good educators in every subject understand, and that whether you’re teaching preschool or very young children right up to adults need to understand.

That one thing is concept isolation. The worst theory books are those that introduce everything in a hap-hazard way, and have a mixture of concepts taught on one page.

The best books take one concept and expand on this through different activities based on that one concept. For example if you are working on understanding scales, don’t introduce a rhythmical element to it until the students are very familiar with what you are trying to teach them.

For example a badly written question asks the student to write a scale in a particular rhythm, or fit it into a set time signature. Then the student is not really learning anything – they are trying to assimilate two concepts at the same time. Leave the learning about time signatures and meter for another worksheet focusing on that content, and teach the scales properly.

A much better way to ask them is to ask them to write a scale and don’t mention any specific rhythmic type of note at all. This way the child will be able to concentrate on writing the scale and won’t be split between concepts.

As music is such a multidimensional language with pitch and rhythm coming together it is obviously impossible to isolate everything, but doing it as much as possible will definitely help the students with their learning of music theory.

One of the interesting lesson plans in preschool education is their music lessons. Preschool music lesson plans need to be designed in a way that it instills a passion and liking for this art form among the children.

Many fun activities can be organized in the class to use up one’s creativity, and this can be included in the preschool music lesson plan. The teacher should also incorporate some fun and very easy junior music worksheets into their classes.

The music teacher needs to have immense patience while designing lesson plans for the little ones. Everyone knows that the most important thing with preschool kids is that they just have fun, and if they learn something then that is a bonus. Parents at home must also contribute to sustain this passion for music in their children. One of the most effective ways to give musical exposure to children is at their bedtime. The lights are dim, and nothing is distracting the child. Soft and pretty classical music can be chosen to play at night as the children drop off to sleep.

In this way you can make listening to quality classical music part of the child’s day, and instill a love for music that can’t be taken away. This is something a child will definitely look forward to and enjoy if practiced often. Keep it varied by mixing some new and different music with the music that the child is familiar with every night. The child will be more involved and more engaged if the music is not always the same, and they’ll be able to go to sleep faster and have a more complete sleep.

Young children learn to talk through listening and experimenting, children learn to take to their choice of music too by listening and experimenting. It is important to place the children in an environment that invites them to learn. Let music find its way into the children’s lives as much as possible, and then they will grow up to be healthy, happy, well adjusted adults.

Firstly, always relate the music theory to something practical on the students instrument. This point cannot be emphasized enough if thinking about music theory in a practical way.

Music is a practical subject, and always will be. For a musician to develop and grow they must always be developing their practical musicianship skills on their instrument as well as developing their ability in their mind.

The worksheets that they are working on should always relate to their practical work. It is silly for example to teach a guitarist or drummer how to analyze a Mozart Flute concerto. They will be bored, they will be disruptive and not engaged in the activity. An activity where the guitarist and drummer have to analyze the chords of a Van Halen song is far more likely to keep them engaged and interested during the lesson.

I’m not saying that you shouldn’t engage students in a lesson learning about different musical styles – It is very important to improve students sphere of influences, as this will shape them as musicians. However, music theory is one of those areas where the students will get very bored and disruptive if they can’t see an application for what they are learning.

The next idea in keeping music theory worksheets fun and engaging for the students is to try and add in some games at the end of the lesson, or tied up into the activity. There are a lot of educational music games available now which help in this area. The games can either be played on an interactive whiteboard, or used on a network of computers.

hopefully if we can use a couple of these ideas then students will be more engaged and less difficult to manage in the music theory classes.

If they are playing drums there is very little point in them learning to read the bass clef or treble clef notes – you’ll want to focus on Drum clef notation and rhythm. Concentrate on the clef that is used by their instrument, and the aspects that are most important to it. Rhythm is the area that most guitarists struggle with. Reading the bass clef notes can be a struggle for bass players

Practice score reading while listening to recordings

Have the students name the notes as they follow along with printed scores, while they listen to the recording.

Read carefully real sheet music from a music store

There used to be loads of ascii tabs around on the internet for guitar, bass and drums, but there is nothing like real sheet music for learning to read music. Go to the music store and buy some. Do your music reading a favor and support the musicians who created it at the same time!

Hopefully this has given a couple of ideas for rock musicians who want to improve in this area. With a little bit of the right training and a good attitude it really isn’t that difficult to learn to read music.

An knowledge of music theory assists musicians, not because it makes them play better, but because it helps them communicate better with other members of their group.

What do you do to communicate it? how do you get across the critical parts of it, without frustrating or boring the student?

I’ve come up with three critical concepts which can help in this area.

Critical Concept Number One – Start with the music, then move to theory.

Nearly all music teachers agree that music tuition should start first with sound, and then move onto written understanding. Therefore it is important to always start with what something sounds like, then explain why it is the way it is. For example if showing students chords it is very important for a student to know at first what a major or minor chord sounds like, the emotion that it is conveying and the reasons why a major or minor chord might have been chosen for a particular piece of music. Once they can hear the sound, and its reason for being the mechanical knowledge will come.

Important Idea #2 – Learn one thing at a time

Music is a multi-dimensional language. How do I mean? Well it means that in order to understand written music many different pieces of information have to be taken in at one moment. That is the thing that makes it most challenging. A given musical event has both a pitch (what note it is), and a duration (how long it is played for). Add to that it also has a dynamic (how soft it is) and also expression marks that have to be read by the musician. That is why music can be so challenging to learn to read music. Well written Music Theory Worksheets will help in this area, because they only focus on one thing at a time.

Important Concept Number Three – Ensure it is always relevant

The final critical concept with music theory is to keep it relevant. The music that the student is currently learning is the music that should be used to connect with their music theory. For example if a student plays jazz music then they should study jazz music theory. The music that students are playing is what should be used as the basis for their music theory tuition.

If when teaching music teachers keep in mind these basic philosophies then music lessons will be more rewarding and fun for music students of all ages.

An understanding of theory really helps people who play music, rather than making them play better, it helps them speak the same language as other musicians.

So how do you teach it? how do you get across the critical concepts in it, without overwhelming or boring the student?

There area three important ideas which can help in this area.

Critical Idea #1 – Start with the music, then move to theory.

Nearly all music teachers agree that music tuition should begin with sound, and then move onto written understanding. Therefore it is important to always start with what something sounds like, then show the students why it is the way it is. For example if teaching chords it is critical for a student to understand at first how a major or minor chord sounds, the emotion that it is conveying and the reasons why a major or minor chord might be chosen for a particular situation. Once they can hear the aural sound, and its reason for being the theoretical knowledge will come.

Important Concept #2 – Learn one thing at a time

Music is a multidimensional language. What does that mean? Well it means that in order to understand written music many different pieces of information have to be absorbed at one time. That is the concept that makes it most challenging. A given musical event has both a pitch (what note it is), and a duration (how long it is played for). Add to that it also has a dynamic (how soft it is) and also expression marks that have to be interpreted. That is why music can be so difficult to learn to understand music theory.

Important Concept #3 – Ensure it is always relevant

The final critical concept with music theory is to keep it relevant. The music that the student is learning currently is the music that should be used to relate to their music theory. For example if a student is playing classical music then they shouldn’t be learning jazz harmony. The music that students are playing is what should be used as the basis for their music theory lessons.

Hopefully if music teachers students can learn to approach the study of music theory with these primary concepts in mind then music lessons will be more enjoyable and rewarding for everyone. Using music theory worksheets that are especially written with these concepts in mind will help even more.

There is an old saying that says something like “failing to prepare is preparing to fail” Once you have a bit of experience under your belt however, then preparing lesson plans does not have to be as complicated as it was when you first start teaching.

For those who are just starting out, here are a few guidelines for creating compelling music lesson plans.

1. Think about the age group of the students you are teaching

A very good starting point when you are preparing a lesson is to think about the maturity of the children you are teaching. What are their likes and dislikes? What sort of music do they listen to on a regular basis? What are the other cultural factors that affect them at this age? Are they at an age where they are extremely hesitant to do anything in-front of their peers?

These are the questions that you need to think about when preparing a music lesson plan. Ready made lesson plans that you might buy or find online that are created in a rigid format usually don’t work. Lesson plans need to be tailored to the needs of the students in each individual class. Once a teacher has been teaching for a number of years they are able to do this adaptation in an instant, referencing the lesson plans that are in their head, and adapting as they go. However when you are beginning your teaching career an excellent starting point is to spend a little while researching the age group.

2. Always plan more than you’ll need

You might prepare a lesson with approximately ten points to cover. Sometimes you’ll only get up to the fourth one and the bell will ring for the end of the lesson. Another day, perhaps even with the same lesson and a different class you’ll get through all ten activities and there will still be another 15 minutes to go! You just don’t know for sure, and that is why its always a good idea to have a backup plan. If you have a few minutes its a good idea to have a game or a fun work sheet copied and ready, just in case you need it.

3. Mix up your activities as much as possible

In many schools the curriculum is planned for set lessons for the week: one lesson will practical, one theory etc. Often this is unavoidable due to practical concerns and the length of the school lessons, however why not try and mix them around a bit. You could spend half a lesson on theory, then pull out the instruments for the second half of the lesson. Keep the students enthused by not letting them know what to expect!

4. The best ideas start with a simple concept.

Its always a good idea, particularly if working with younger students to have the simplest version as a backup of your complicated idea. For instance in a practical lesson it is always a good idea to plan for a piece being way too difficult for the students. Its not always the best idea to start at the very top! If you can start with a section that you’ll know they will do easily, then come back to the more challenging sections.

5. Listen to feedback

Students are often extremely subtle in the way they give feedback to teachers. Students (particularly teenagers) will never say “Mrs Jones I thought you did a brilliant job today, you gave us a lesson that was lots of fun and we learned heaps.” It might happen in your dreams, but not in real life! What you will see is students eager to come to your classes, do your music theory worksheets, and happy to have a joke with you at an appropriate time. Students when they enjoy music will also put a priority on band or orchestra ahead of other things. When this happens, you’ll know that what you are doing is on the right track.

An understanding of theory really helps musicians, rather than making them play better, it helps them speak the same language as other members of their group.

So how do you teach it? how do you get across the important parts of it, without overwhelming or boring the student?

There area three important concepts which can assist in this area.

Important Idea #1 – Start with the music, then move to theory.

Nearly all music teachers agree that music tuition should begin with sound, and then move onto written understanding. Therefore it is important to always start with what something sounds like, then explain why it is the way it is. For example if teaching chords it is critical for a student to know at first how a major or minor chord sounds, the emotion that it is showing and the reasons why a major or minor chord might be chosen for a particular situation. Once they can hear the sound, and its reason for being the theoretical knowledge will come.

Important Idea #2 – Try to understand one thing at a time

Music is a multidimensional language. What does that mean? Well it means that in order to read music many different pieces of information have to be taken in at one moment. That is the thing that makes it most difficult. A note has both a pitch (what note it is), and a duration (a length of time it is played for). Add to that it also has a dynamic (how soft it is) and also expression marks that have to be interpreted. That is why music can be so challenging to learn to understand music theory. Good music theory worksheets are written with this in mind and only focus on one piece of information at one time.

Important Concept #3 – Keep it relevant

The final critical concept with music theory is to have the music theory be relevant to the student. The music that the student is currently learning is the music that should be used to relate to their music theory. For example It is very silly for a student to be playing jazz music, yet studying classical music theory. The music that students are playing is what should be used as the basis for their theory lessons.

Hopefully if music teachers students can learn to approach the study of music theory with these primary concepts in mind then music lessons will be more fun and rewarding for music students of all ages.