The Years 1–2 program is the direct foundation for the significantly more sophisticated content of Years 3 and 4. Students who arrive at Year 3 with well-developed listening skills, performance experience, compositional confidence, and a broad frame of reference for music across cultures are ready for the deeper engagement the Years 3–4 curriculum requires. Students who arrive without those foundations will struggle with the jump in expectations — particularly in the SKILLS strand, which introduces music notation in Year 3, and the COMPOSE strand, which asks students to manipulate elements of music with artistic intention.