For Irish primary school teachers

You don't need to be
a musician to teach music.

Every song in your hands. Every lesson on video. Step in front of your class on Monday with total confidence — no musical training required.

7-day free trial  ·  Cancel any time

Kodály-certified methodology
Covers all 3 Irish curriculum strands
Includes Irish folk songs
Used by 600+ teachers worldwide

Music is on the curriculum.
But nobody trained you to teach it.

You're a brilliant classroom teacher. Music just wasn't part of the deal.

Irish primary teachers are required to deliver the music curriculum — listening and responding, performance, composition — across every class level, every year.

But there's no specialist. It's you. And if you didn't grow up playing an instrument or singing in a choir, standing in front of 30 children and leading a music lesson can feel completely daunting.

That's not a personal failing. It's a structural gap in how teachers are prepared. And it's exactly what The Singing Classroom was built to fix.

87% of Irish primary teachers say music is their most challenging curriculum subject to deliver*

"I have a closed mind to it. Music is something I'm never going to teach well."

— Common response, Irish teacher survey on music education

"For the first time in my career I feel like I'm actually teaching music properly and the children are experiencing a real music curriculum."

— Primary school teacher, Co. Kerry, after using a structured singing programme

"The problem is that most of us think of music as a specialist area for professional musicians. Not true. Music is there for everyone."

— Shane Mc Kenna, music educator, Trinity College Dublin

Watch. Learn. Teach.

No preparation time. No musical expertise required. Just follow the lesson and let the songs do the work.

1

Pick your song

Browse by class level (Junior Infants through 6th), by musical concept, or by song name. Every song includes a full teaching video shot in a real classroom.

2

Watch Deborah teach it

See exactly how to introduce the song, run the game, and develop the musical concept. Every gesture, every cue — demonstrated with real children. You know what to do before you walk in.

3

Walk in confident

You're not improvising. You're not hoping it'll work. You've seen it work. Your class sings, plays, and learns — and you're the teacher who made it happen.

Watch Deborah teach — then do it yourself

Every song in the library comes with a full classroom video. Here are three examples.

Sarasponda4th–6th Class  ·  Stick game  ·  Rhythmic coordination
Oh Row the Rattlin' Bog 🇮🇪1st–5th Class  ·  Irish folk song  ·  Cumulative form
Apple TreeJunior Infants–2nd Class  ·  Singing game  ·  Solo singing

Songs your class already knows.
And ones they'll never forget.

The Singing Classroom includes Irish folk songs and singing games alongside the wider traditional repertoire — all demonstrated on video, all ready to teach.

🇮🇪 Irish origin  🏴️ British Isles origin  · Every song links to its own full lesson page with lyrics, game instructions, and teaching guide. All songs are pedagogically sequenced and Kodály-aligned.

Covers all three strands of the Irish Primary Music Curriculum.

Listening & Responding

Every lesson begins with active listening. Children respond to music through movement, discussion, and reflection before they perform.

Performance

Singing games, folk songs, and chants develop pitch, rhythm, and musical confidence through active participation — not passive instruction.

Composition

Song structures and musical games create natural entry points for children to create and vary their own musical ideas — no notation required.

Built on Kodály principles. Accessible to every teacher.

Kodály methodology puts the singing voice first — which means it's the most natural approach for a classroom teacher with no instrumental background. You don't need to play piano. You don't need to read music. You need to sing with your class, and we show you exactly how.

The songs are sequenced for musical development, not just enjoyment. Each one builds specific skills — steady beat, pitch matching, rhythmic awareness, form — in an order that makes sense for how children learn.

D
Deborah Skydell Pasternack, Co-founder

Master's degree in Choral Music (University of Illinois). Kodály certified. Orff and Dalcroze trained. 20+ years teaching music to children from Pre-K through 8th grade.

From teachers who felt exactly like you do.

★★★★★

"I just subscribed and I LOVE it. I am a regular classroom teacher who now teaches music to grades K–3. I have been so nervous about it — but I am getting really excited after less than an hour of looking at your site!"

Lisa
Primary classroom teacher, not a music specialist
★★★★★

"I've been searching for a subscription to refresh my music curriculum and this has surpassed my expectations. The helpful videos are brilliant and make it so much easier to learn new material before teaching it."

Christina
PK–7 Music Teacher, 4th year
★★★★★

"This is the BEST website I've ever used for songs, singing games, Orff extensions, and general music curriculum. My students LOVE the music and the demonstration videos are helpful for both teacher and students."

Kathleen
Elementary Music Teacher, 7 months subscribed

Start your free trial today

Everything in one place.

Full teaching videos

Every song demonstrated in a real classroom with real children. Watch Deborah teach it from start to finish — including how to handle the moments when children need redirecting.

Printable materials

Sheet music, lyric sheets, classroom posters, and manipulatives — all printable. Every resource you need to run the lesson is included.

Lesson planner

Build your term plan with drag-and-drop simplicity. Organise songs by class, concept, or theme. Print it or access it on any device in the classroom.

Search by concept or class

Find the right song for your lesson in seconds. Search by grade level (Junior Infants through 6th), musical concept, or song title.

One subscription. Every song.

Full access to the entire library — all songs, all videos, all printables, the lesson planner — for less than the cost of one set of photocopied worksheets a week.

7-day free trial

Full library access

$219.95

per year  ·  cancel any time

  • 150+ songs with full teaching videos
  • Irish folk songs included
  • All 3 curriculum strands covered
  • Printable materials for every song
  • Lesson planner included
  • Works on any device
Start your free trial

Cancel any time before 7 days and you won't be charged

A few things people ask.

Do I need to be musical to use this?+
Not at all. The teaching videos show you exactly what to do — every gesture, every cue, every word. If you can watch a video and follow along, you can teach these songs. Most of our members had no formal music training before joining.
Does it cover the Irish Primary Music Curriculum?+
Yes. The library covers all three strands — Listening and Responding, Performance, and Composition — across all class levels from Junior Infants through 6th Class. The songs are Kodály-aligned, which is the methodology most widely used in Irish primary music teacher education.
Are there Irish songs in the library?+
Yes — including The Rattlin' Bog, How Many Miles to London Town, and other traditional Irish material. Every song is demonstrated on video and comes with printable materials.
What happens after the free trial?+
After 7 days, your subscription starts at $219.95 per year (approximately €205 at current exchange rates — charged in USD). Cancel any time before the 7 days are up and you won't be charged.
Can I use this on my classroom projector or whiteboard?+
Yes — The Singing Classroom works on any device with a browser. Teachers regularly use it directly on their classroom projector or interactive whiteboard during the lesson.