Stop planning lesson-to-lesson.
Here’s a framework big enough to hold your year.
Plan your elementary music lessons without reinventing every week.
your streamlined musical guide to
What to teach
When to teach it
What materials to use
How to teach
How to map out lessons
More than a Music CURRICULUM
Beyond drag-and-drop activities, The Planning Binder gives you…
A connected elementary music sequence
Lessons and teaching resources are intentionally sequenced so musical knowledge and skills build throughout the year and across the elementary program.
Curriculum design training
Whether you follow the plans closely or use them as a foundation for your own curriculum, you’ll understand how the pieces fit together.
Ongoing professional development
Continue growing with on-demand courses, and one-on-one conversations.
WHY THE PLANNING BINDER?
The Planning Binder is a curriculum membership for elementary music teachers who want to design thoughtful, connected musical learning from the first day of school through the last.
Inside, you'll find long-range planning documents, concept plans, repertoire, and courses that help you understand both what to teach and how a curriculum comes together.
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Use the materials the way you want.
Follow the monthly plans, take ideas from the concept plans, find repertoire for your classroom. . . or mix and match
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Intentional sequences piece everything together cohesively.
Every activity is a logical and artistic step to what’s coming next.
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Active learning takes center stage.
Every concept is taught with an emphasis on play, aural skills, improvisation, and arranging
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Scripts, video tutorials, embedded audio, and visuals support busy teachers
what’s
inside?
✓ Curriculum outlines for Kindergarten through 5th grade
✓ Scope and sequence documents
✓ Concept and repertoire lists
✓ Concept plans
✓ Monthly lesson plans
✓ Teaching videos and examples
✓ Visual resources
✓ Bonus projects and activities
✓ Professional learning courses
Structured and creative curriculum, with long-range plans for active musical experiences
WHAT TEACHERS THINK
Here’s what our colleagues have to say…
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"It has helped me grow so much as an educator"
"I love being able to use the monthly plans, the concept plans and the repertoire tools.
Being able to search for songs for use with specific concepts and then finding a list of songs that meet that requirement has helped me tremendously.
The concept plans and the videos accompanying them have given me so many teaching tools, tips, and sequence ideas.“
Debbie
K-6 General Music Teacher -
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"The Planning Binder is so helpful!"
"I use everything in The Planning Binder!
Mostly I watch the videos to see the way you teach the songs. I really like watching your thought process...
Thank you so much for all that you do!”
Maddie
PK-4th Grade General / Choral Music -
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"I really appreciate, use, and enjoy this resource"
“I appreciate the song and lesson demonstrations and really appreciate the multiple ways you show how a song/game can be taught and used.
Thank you!”
Travis
K-8 General Music Teacher -
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"This is a life-saver and I don't know how I'd do my job without it!"
"I use the scope and sequence as I map out the year and write report cards to monitor progress and tell families of the overall goals of the trimester.
Mostly I use the monthly plans.
I also love the end of year (and winter) review projects.
My students love the stories, song planning, and music you create. It's brilliant!”
Larke
Music Teacher, Preschool - Grade 5 -
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"Your materials match so much with my vision!"
“The Planning Binder is one of my main go-to resources! Depending on the time of year, I use it supplementally or exclusively.
Your monthly and concept plans are very helpful for me.
Your organization and attention to detail makes it easy to use your materials and find the best fit for my students and program.
Thank you thank you thank you!”
Victoria
K-5 General Music
What to Expect
BACKWARD DESIGN
All materials inside The Planning Binder move from the big picture to intentional learning activities.
When we plan this way, every activity is grounded in a purpose.
IS THE PLANNING BINDER RIGHT FOR ME?
The Planning Binder is designed for teachers who want:
✓ A clear structure for planning the school year
✓ A concept-based approach to elementary music
✓ Active musical experiences for students
✓ A deeper understanding of curriculum design
✓ The confidence to adapt materials for their own classrooms
FAQ’S
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Everything!
No matter when you sign up or what plan you’re on, you have instant access to:
Yearly Plans: The curriculum outline and scope and sequences give a comprehensive pacing guide for what to teach, when. These documents are editable so you can adjust them to your schedule.
Repertoire: Grade-level anthologies, recordings, game directions, pronunciation guides, cultural context, and a searchable database of hundreds of songs, all organized by musical concept
Concept Plans: Active and sequential teaching plans for musical concepts, complete with walk-through videos, Google Slides, and National Core Arts Standards
Monthly Plans: Intentional lessons that build on each other over time
Plus Bonus Materials like. . .
Active Embedded Assessment Course
Refresh Your Repertoire Course
December and End-of-the-Year Review Projects
Children’s Literature Lessons
Listening Activities
Sub Plans
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You can also find a detailed walkthrough of everything on the site here. Any questions you have are probably covered in the video!
Instead of a free trial, I give away many hours of free content on my blog, YouTube, and Instagram. These free materials will give you a sense of my pedagogy framework and how The Planning Binder is put together. You can find some recommended resources here.
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The yearly plan covers 12 months, starting in whatever month you sign up.
It is not tied to the school year.
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Yes! Scroll up to get information about pricing for districts with four or more campuses.
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Yes! Here’s a sample letter to use as a template for talking to your administrator.
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The Elementary Music Planning Kit is included as a part of The Planning Binder subscription. Current members can find it in the Bonus Section.
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Each purchase of The Planning Binder is solely for individual, personal classroom use.
Users may not share a subscription or distribute any materials from The Planning Binder outside their own personal classroom setting, including within a district or to other colleagues.
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You can cancel any time. When you're logged in, go to your account settings, or use the button at the bottom of the "start here" page
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The Planning Binder utilizes a backward design model.
Materials are organized around concepts, not isolated activities or lesson plans. The backward design model means any teacher can use the resource, regardless of their schedule.
My hope is that teachers use the training inside the site to craft their own plans tailored to their unique students and their own personal interests!
Some teachers also prefer to follow the monthly plans. Monthly plans are written for approximately 35 - 45 minute lessons once a week.
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Great question!
I have all three levels of both Orff Schulwerk and Kodály certifications. I draw on both of these sound-to-sight approaches in the curriculum creation.
I also utilize training from my Master’s of Music in Music Education, and my research as a doctoral candidate in Curriculum and Instruction.
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1. Acceptance of Terms
By accessing or using "The Planning Binder," a digital subscription curriculum provided by Victoria Boler LLC (“Company”), you agree to comply with and be bound by these Terms of Use. If you do not agree to these terms, please do not use this curriculum.
2. Intellectual Property Rights
All content, including but not limited to curriculum materials, lesson plans, audio files, videos, and downloadable resources (collectively, the “Content”), provided by the Company is protected by copyright and other intellectual property laws. You are granted a limited, non-exclusive, non-transferable, and revocable license to use the Content solely for your personal, non-commercial, educational purposes. You may not modify, reproduce, distribute, display, perform, or create derivative works from any Content outside your teaching situation without prior written permission.
3. User Responsibilities
As a user of our Content, you agree to:
- Use the Content solely for your personal, educational purposes in teaching elementary general music.
- Not share, sell, rent, or otherwise distribute the Content to any third parties.
4. Payment and Subscription
"The Planning Binder" is offered as a digital subscription service. By subscribing, you agree to pay the fee. All payments are non-refundable, and subscriptions will automatically renew at the end of each billing period unless canceled prior to the renewal date. Users may cancel any plan at any point.
5. Cancellation and Refund Policy
You may cancel your subscription at any time. However, no refunds will be issued for any unused portion of your subscription term. Access to the Content will cease immediately upon cancellation.
6. Contact Information
If you have any questions about these Terms of Use, please contact: victoria@victoriaboler.com
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Hi there, I’m Victoria!
My full-time work is writing curriculum for elementary general music programs.
I am a doctoral candidate in Curriculum and Instruction with a music concentration. My research area is the intersection between active music-making and classroom management in elementary music classrooms.
I also teach K-5 elementary general music here in coastal North Carolina.
I’m glad you’re here!
Still have questions?
I’d love to answer them! Just fill out this form and I’ll get back to you.
District Pricing
& purchase orders
I love working with schools and districts!
Discounted pricing is available to districts with four or more music teachers.