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We're so excited to release our first middle school curriculum!
In this newsletter:
Release Date:
Intermediate 1: Jazz and the Rise of Recorded Music
Friends, I am so excited to announce that we have a release date for Intermediate 1: Jazz and the Rise of Recorded Music, our first middle school curriculum! Intermediate 1 releases on June 22, 2026. This curriculum is both rigorous and fun, covering American popular music (especially jazz), the science and history of recording, and introductory topics in music theory. Read on to learn more about this one-of-a-kind curriculum!
We will be announcing a limited-time new product sale with the release of this curriculum. Make sure you are subscribed to our newsletter so you don't miss any of our announcements and updates!
Learn More About Intermediate 1 Curriculum
Topics covered in Intermediate 1
History Lessons: Learn about American popular music during the 20th and early 21st centuries, focusing primarily on jazz and touching on other popular styles such as pop, rock, country, bluegrass, CCM (Christian Contemporary Music), and hip hop.
Listening Assignments: The playlist for this course is carefully cultivated for a middle school audience. Each week's assignment illuminates the history lesson. Additional Bonus Tracks are also recommended for further exploration.
Music Theory Lessons: Explore how music works, beginning with fundamental elements of music and proceeding to reading music (including rhythm, pitch, major & minor scales, key signatures, and more). No prior knowledge is required, but if your student already knows something about music, "Expert Challenges" are included on many Music Theory Worksheets to allow them to dive deeper.
Literature Study: Explore the impact of music in a middle-grade novel to wrap up the year.
Books used in Intermediate 1
The Science of Song: How and Why We Make Music by Allen Cross, Emme Cross & Nicole Mortillaro - Learn about the history of recording technologies and their impact on popular styles of music.
A Child's Introduction to Jazz: The Musicians, Culture, and Roots of the World's Coolest Music by Jabari Asim - An engaging look at the history of jazz, packed with information about musicians from early jazz through the current day.
DK's Help Your Kids with Music: A Unique Step-By-Step Visual Guide by Carol Vorderman - A visual guide to Music Theory, with colorful graphics and informative text. This course uses approximately one third of the book. Future courses (Intermediate 2 & 3) will use this book as well.
Clayton Byrd Goes Underground by Rita Williams-Garcia - A poignant coming-of-age story about a harmonica-playing boy, Clayton, who has one foot in the blues and another in hip hop. This book is used for a literature study at the end of the course.
How does it work?
Open-and-go & literature-based
Internet-linked, with playlists on Spotify and YouTube and bonus internet content for most lessons
Intended for the student to complete independently, but includes opportunities for parent/teacher engagement as desired
Curriculum Guide contains scope & sequence, week-at-a-glance pages with scheduled assignments, and answer keys
Student Workbook contains lessons, reading and listening questions, and music theory worksheets
Scheduled for a full academic year (36 weeks)
Takes approximately 40-60 minutes a week (at most)
Weeks 1-33 take a three-topic format: History, Listening, and Music Theory
Weeks 34-36 comprise a literature study of Clayton Byrd Goes Underground. These weeks use the following format: Story, Listening
Want an inside look into Intermediate 1? Swipe below to see sample pages of the Curriculum Guide and Student Workbook from Week 3: "The Emergence of Recording Technology (1910s)."
We are so excited to share this curriculum with you. As always, please feel free to reach out with additional questions at info@musiccomesalive.com or through our Contacts Form.
Other News and Updates
Stay tuned for a new product sale when Intermediate 1 releases on June 22!
Primary B: Jumpin' Jazz to Hip Hop (Grades K-2) and Elementary B: Ragtime to Rap (Grades 3-5) are in the works! Make sure you are subscribed so you don't miss any new releases!
Our existing curriculum prices are increasing at the end of June. Snag your curriculum before June 30 to make sure you get the best price!
Looking to use a Music Comes Alive curriculum in a group setting? We offer group licensing options for co-ops, private schools, and other group settings. See our Groups page.
We are delighted to offer Alfred Music products, especially the Alfred Premier Piano books. If you are looking for great piano resources, including lesson, theory, performance, and technique books, check out our Piano page.
Soli Deo Gloria,
Emma R. James, Ph.D
Founder, Music Comes Alive
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