What’s Changing for K–6 Music in NSW, and Where Time for Music Fits In

2027 is almost here, and with it comes a big year for music in NSW primary schools!

From the start of next year, schools begin teaching the new Creative Arts K–6 Syllabus (2024), which replaces the syllabus that has been in place since 2006.

And in 2026, the NSW Department of Education launched Time for Music, a 10-year plan to strengthen music education in NSW public primary schools.

So what does all of this actually mean for your classroom? What has changed in the syllabus? What is Time for Music asking of schools? And how do you make sure you’re ready?

Here at the Fun Music Company, we specialise in K–6 music, so this article focuses only on what affects anyone teaching K–6 music in NSW. (The changes to the 7–10 and 11–12 music syllabuses are a different story, and not one we cover here.) Whether you’re a music specialist or a classroom teacher who teaches music to your own class, we’ll walk you through it step by step.

The NSW  Government has recently announced Time For Music – a new 10 year plan for music education in NSW public schools.

What is Time for Music?

Time for Music is the NSW Department of Education’s 10-year plan (2026–2036) for music education in NSW public primary schools. Its aim is that every child in every NSW public primary school has access to high-quality, sequential music learning.

Key commitments include:

• A minimum of 20 hours per year of classroom music in every year of primary school, supported by teaching resources and professional learning for the Creative Arts K–6 Syllabus.
• Expanding the Music in Me teacher mentoring program, so more teachers can build their skills and confidence in teaching music.
• A quality music education framework, aligned to the School Excellence Framework and the syllabus (due 2027).
• A SoundTeach tool to help schools identify teachers’ musical skills, confidence and professional learning needs (from 2027).
• A catalogue of music education providers on the NSW Department of Education Marketplace (planned for 2029).
• The goal that every public primary student has the opportunity to learn a musical instrument for one year (by 2036).

Who does it apply to?
NSW public (government) primary schools and preschools. Catholic and independent schools teach the same NESA syllabus but are not covered by the plan itself.

Twenty hours a year sounds like a lot, doesn’t it? But spread across a NSW school year of around 40 weeks, it works out to roughly 30 minutes of music a week.
That’s one focused, well-planned music lesson each week. Very achievable, especially when you have a sequential program to follow!

The key word in the plan is high-quality. Twenty hours of random sing-alongs won’t get students where the syllabus wants them to be. Twenty hours of planned, sequential lessons covering performing, listening and composing absolutely will.

This is exactly what the Fun Music Company Curriculum Program is designed for: one engaging, ready-to-teach music lesson each week, for every year level from Kindergarten to Year 6.

2027 is the first year that the Creative Arts Syllabus (2024) should be fully taught in NSW schools. Here is a look at some of the changes from the previous version (2006)

If you’ve ever moved between the Australian Curriculum and the NSW syllabus, you may have noticed that the two documents use different words for similar things.

Both have a broad description of the subject, then three or four broad areas of focus, then more detailed points underneath. The tricky one is the word “content”, which NSW (NESA) and the Australian Curriculum (ACARA) use in slightly different ways. To help, we made this diagram:

In the Australian Curriculum, the answer is clearly no. ACARA’s FAQ (“Do you have to teach all the elaborations?”) explains that elaborations are examples of how content could be addressed, and do not have to be taught. Teachers can choose which ones to use.

NESA describes its content statements as essential content: the core knowledge and skills that every student should have the opportunity to learn. Our reading is that NSW teachers should plan to cover them all.

The good news? The Fun Music Company Curriculum Program covers 100% of the music content statements in the NSW Creative Arts K–6 Syllabus (2024), so you don’t have to map them yourself.

Here are the six changes we think matter most for K–6 music. We’ll then look at each one in turn.

Now that we have an understanding of the broad changes, lets dig into each one of them in detail.

Here’s the reassuring part: the heart of music in the syllabus hasn’t changed. Music is still built around three core areas:

• Performing
• Listening
• Composing

In the 2006 syllabus, the third area was called organising sound. It’s now simply called composing, which is what it always was! “Composing” is a word everyone understands, and it’s a welcome change.

The 2006 syllabus had separate outcomes for performing, organising sound and listening in Early Stage 1. The 2024 syllabus combines them into a single music outcome for Kindergarten:

“experiments with and identifies ways sound is organised in music through singing, moving, playing instruments and using listening skills” (CAE-MUS-01)

This matches the way most of us already teach Kindergarten music: through play, movement and exploration, with all three areas woven together.

Kindergarten students still learn songs and chants, keep a steady beat, clap, move and play instruments in time, and create their own musical ideas. Nothing changes about what you teach. It just reflects how naturally these skills overlap for our youngest learners.

The 2006 syllabus had a separate outcome for symbol systems and notation in Stages 1, 2 and 3 (for example, MUS1.3 Uses symbol systems to represent sounds).

In the 2024 syllabus, notation now sits within the content statements under the main outcome. For example, Stage 2 includes:

“Use symbols, graphic notation or staff notation to represent the elements of music”

So graphic notation, simple symbols and traditional staff notation are all still very much part of the syllabus. They’re now part of composing, which is where they naturally belong. Less focus on notation as a separate outcome doesn’t mean “dumbing anything down”!

 A new Stage 3 outcome about writing applies across all the creative arts.

Writing is now an expectation across every subject, and the creative arts are no exception. This change grew out of NESA’s research into the teaching of writing, which recommended strengthening writing content in all syllabus documents.

In Stage 2, this shows up in content statements that ask students to use Tier 2 and Tier 3 vocabulary to describe and explain music.

In Stage 3, there is a new outcome shared across Dance, Drama, Music and Visual Arts:

“creates written texts to communicate ideas and understanding in Dance, Drama, Music and Visual Arts” (CA3-CWT-01)

For music, this includes tasks such as writing a review of a piece of music, using the elements of music to support an opinion. Because this is an outcome rather than a content statement, we’ve added new writing activities to our Year 5 and Year 6 lessons so this outcome is fully covered.

There are more content statements, typically 8–10 per stage where there were once 3–5.

Comparing the content statements provided by NESA between the 2006 Creative arts syllabus, and the 2024 Creative arts syllabus, the conclusion we come to is … (drum roll please!)

Its not that different.

Ultimately content statements are the equivalent of elaborations in the Australian curriculum. Whether or not they are mandatory is still a question for NESA, however what we’ve noticed is that there are more of them in the 2024 edition than were in the 2006 edition.

However, just because there are more of them, doesn’t necessarily mean that there is more content. In most cases, they are just describing the activity above them in a more detailed way.

For example in Stage 1, we have:

A 2024 composing statement reads: “Select and organise sounds into simple structures, using melodic or non-melodic sound sources.”

The 2006 equivalent was: “explores ways of making different sounds on instruments or sound sources.”

Different wording, same musical learning.

In fact, the extra detail makes it easier to know what to teach under each outcome. Our curriculum was written against the Australian Curriculum v9, which the NSW syllabus draws on heavily, and our early 2026 update closed the remaining gaps so that every NSW content statement is covered.

Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander music is named directly in the content statements.

Including the music of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples has been a priority in the Australian Curriculum for Music since the beginning, and it has always been part of the CONNECT listening section of the Fun Music Company Curriculum Program. It’s great to see the NSW syllabus naming it directly.

Under listening, for example, Stage 1 includes:

“Describe ways Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander Peoples express connection to Country and Place through music”

We love this. Exploring how First Nations Peoples connect to Country and Place through music is rich, meaningful learning for every student.

Stage 1 also includes, under composing:

“Explore sound sources used in Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander music”

This is the one place where we’d encourage teachers to tread carefully. Some instruments carry cultural protocols. For example, in some communities the didgeridoo (yidaki in some regions) is not traditionally played by women or girls. Teachers may not have the background to know what is appropriate in their local area, and we’d hate to see anyone unintentionally cause offence.

Our view is that this content statement is best approached through listening and learning, rather than students composing with culturally significant instruments. That is our opinion, and other educators may see it differently.

Both NESA and the Department agree on the importance of doing this respectfully. The syllabus reminds teachers to respect appropriate ways of interacting with Aboriginal Communities and Cultural material.

Some practical ways to approach this confidently:

• Start with listening. Explore recordings by First Nations musicians and discuss the sounds, instruments and connection to Country you hear.
• Connect locally. Your school’s Aboriginal Education Officer, local Aboriginal consultancy group or community Elders can advise on what is appropriate for your area.
• Explore timbre and texture with everyday sound sources. Students can investigate qualities of sound (such as drones, rhythmic clapping or natural materials) without reproducing culturally significant instruments.
• Invite First Nations musicians in, wherever possible, so students learn directly from culture holders.

So, are the changes to the NSW Creative Arts K–6 Syllabus a big deal for music?

Not really, and that’s good news! The core of music education (performing, listening and composing) is exactly where it has always been. The changes mostly add clarity and detail.

What is new is the momentum. With Time for Music committing to at least 20 hours of quality classroom music a year, there has never been a better time to have a solid, sequential music program in place.

And whether you’re an experienced music specialist or a classroom teacher picking up music for your own class, you don’t need to work yourself into the ground to be ready for 2027.

We’re in your corner. The Fun Music Company Curriculum Program covers 100% of the music content statements in the NSW Creative Arts K–6 Syllabus (2024), with one ready-to-teach lesson each week for every year level from Kindergarten to Year 6.