For New Zealand 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
Aligned to the NZ Curriculum
Year 1 through Year 6
Used by 600+ teachers worldwide

Music is in the NZ Curriculum.
But nobody trained you to teach it.

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

The New Zealand Curriculum includes music as part of The Arts from Year 1 through Year 8. Generalist classroom teachers are expected to deliver it — developing students' skills in exploring sound, performing, and creating — without specialist support.

But most initial teacher education gives very little time to music. You graduate ready to teach literacy and numeracy. Music? You work it out as you go — or it quietly disappears from your programme.

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.

Year 1–6 Music is required across all primary years in the NZ Curriculum — taught by generalist classroom teachers with no specialist music training

"Music is on the curriculum and I want to teach it well, but I genuinely don't know where to start. I never learned how to do this."

— Common response, New Zealand primary teacher survey on arts education

"For the first time I feel like I'm actually teaching music with purpose — the kids are engaged and I'm not just winging it."

— Primary teacher, Auckland, after using a structured singing programme

"Music, like any other subject, needs to be sequentially and regularly taught if students are to develop musical intelligence."

— The Education Hub, New Zealand music education research

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 year level (Year 1 through Year 6), 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.

Songs your class will love.
Lessons you can actually teach.

150+ songs and singing games — all demonstrated on video, all ready to teach from day one.

All songs are pedagogically sequenced and Kodály-aligned. Underlined songs link to full lesson pages.

Covers The Arts in the New Zealand Curriculum —
Music strand, Year 1 through Year 6.

Exploring Sound & Music

Songs and singing games develop pitch, rhythm, and musical sensitivity — moving from sensory exploration through to manipulative control of sound.

Developing Ideas

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

Communicating & Interpreting

Active listening, movement, and performance develop children's ability to respond to and communicate through music.

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 NZ Curriculum describes a progression from sensory exploration to systematic understanding. The Singing Classroom's sequenced repertoire maps perfectly onto this progression — building musical intelligence step by step, year by year.

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.

"This is the BEST website I've ever used for songs, singing games, and general music curriculum. I have been using it for 7 months and my students LOVE the music available on the site."

🇳🇿 Kathleen, primary school teacher, New Zealand  ·  Singing Classroom subscriber

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 year level, concept, or theme. Print it or access it on any device.

Search by concept or year level

Find the right song for your lesson in seconds. Search by year level (Year 1–6), musical concept, or song title.

One subscription. Every song.

Full access to the entire library — all songs, all videos, all printables, the lesson planner.

7-day free trial

Full library access

$219.95

per year  ·  cancel any time

  • 150+ songs with full teaching videos
  • Year 1 through Year 6 covered
  • NZ Curriculum Arts strand aligned
  • 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 align to the New Zealand Curriculum?+
Yes. The library maps to The Arts learning area in the NZ Curriculum — specifically the music strand — covering exploring sound and music, developing ideas, and communicating and interpreting, from Year 1 through Year 6. The Kodály approach aligns with the NZ Curriculum's progression from sensory exploration through to systematic musical understanding.
What year levels are covered?+
The library covers Year 1 through Year 6 (and beyond), with songs sequenced developmentally. Browse by year level to find songs appropriate for your class, or search by musical concept to find songs that teach a specific skill.
What happens after the free trial?+
After 7 days, your subscription starts at $219.95 USD per year (approximately $375 NZD 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?+
Yes — The Singing Classroom works on any device with a browser. Teachers regularly stream the teaching videos directly on their classroom projector or interactive whiteboard during the lesson.