A Simple Lesson Notes Template for Instrumental Music Teachers

I have written a lot of lesson notes over the years.

An awful lot.

Some have been detailed. Some have been brief. Some have been written in a hurry between lessons, occasionally while trying to remember which pupil I’d just taught.

And some, particularly in my early teaching days, were probably not much use to anybody.

Page 12. Exercise 4. Practise.

Marvellous.

Technically, that’s a lesson note.

Whether it helps the pupil achieve anything is another matter.

What’s the Point of Lesson Notes?

There are really two reasons I write them.

The first is to remind myself what happened.

When you’re teaching dozens of pupils across several schools, it’s surprisingly easy to forget precisely what you covered with somebody last Tuesday.

Especially when last Tuesday involved nine pupils, three different classrooms and somebody informing you that the music department had been moved.

Again.

The second reason is more important.

Lesson notes should help pupils know what to do when they’re practising.

That’s the bit that makes them useful.

A record of what happened is fine. But a clear explanation of what needs to happen next is better.

Keep Them Short

I’ve seen lesson notes that are practically essays.

Detailed descriptions of everything covered, every mistake corrected and every possible improvement that could be made.

There’s nothing inherently wrong with being thorough.

But I do wonder how many pupils actually read all of it.

And, perhaps more importantly, how many know what they’re supposed to do with it.

I prefer something much simpler.

A brief summary of the lesson, followed by a few specific practice tasks.

That’s usually enough.

If a pupil needs more detailed instructions, I can add them.

But there’s no prize for the longest lesson note.

At least, nobody’s ever given me one.

Three Practice Points

I’ve become increasingly fond of giving pupils three clear things to work on.

Not because three is a magical number.

It’s simply a useful limit.

It encourages me to decide what’s actually important.

For example, instead of writing:

Practise page 24.

I might write:

1. Play bars 9–12 slowly, making sure the quavers are even.
2. Practise the transition between bars 12 and 13 until you can play it three times without stopping.
3. Play the whole section along with the recording.

That’s much more useful.

The pupil knows what to do, how to approach it and what they’re trying to achieve.

And if there’s only one important thing to practise, that’s fine too.

Three is a guide, not a legal requirement.

It’s also worth remembering that practice doesn’t have to be measured in minutes. As I’ve written before, I’d rather pupils practised until they’d achieved something than simply watched the clock.

A Record for Next Week

Lesson notes aren’t just for pupils.

They’re also useful for the teacher.

At the beginning of a lesson, I can look back at what we worked on previously.

What was difficult?

What did we agree to practise?

What needs checking before we move on?

It takes a few seconds and gives the lesson some continuity.

Which is particularly helpful when you’ve got a week between lessons.

Or two weeks.

Or three, because the pupil was on a school trip, followed by half term, followed by something else nobody mentioned.

I’ve written about that particular joy in I’m Sorry, They’re On A School Trip.

A Free Lesson Notes Template

I’ve put together a simple Google Docs template for instrumental music teachers.

Nothing complicated.

It includes space for the pupil’s name, lesson date, a short summary, practice points, useful resources and anything to revisit next time.

You can make a copy, adapt it and use it however you like.

My suggestion is to keep one document per pupil and add each new lesson at the top.

That way, you’ve always got a record of previous lessons, and the most recent information is easy to find.

Just remember to keep any documents containing real pupil information private and follow your school’s data protection requirements.

If you’re looking for something a little more comprehensive, I’ve also put together a free management system for instrumental teachers using Google Drive.

It includes lesson notes, attendance records, timetables and other useful bits and pieces.

The Lesson Doesn’t End When They Leave

The most important thing about lesson notes isn’t how they look.

It’s whether they’re useful.

A pupil should be able to look at their notes later and understand what they need to practise.

And I should be able to look at them next week and remember what on earth we were doing.

That’s really all I’m asking.

After all, what happens outside the lesson matters just as much as what happens during it.

Good lesson notes help connect the two.

And if they save me from having to ask, “Now, what were we doing last week?”

Even better.