Achievement in music, as a result of personal effort and commitment, builds students' pride and confidence. In late elementary and middle school, beginning instrument classes should be taught separately from intermediate and advanced groups. Establishing criteria for determining proficiency levels can be a helpful tool in both scheduling classes and determining the most appropriate materials and instructional strategies. Factors that influence scheduling beginners include staff availability, student enrollment, available facilities, and efficacy of instruction. Development of choral programs in middle schools requires making important decisions about whether to arrange classes by voice classification, grade levels, or demonstrated proficiency.
Factors influencing decisions include staffing, facilities, enrollment, and educational objectives.
The number of classes and the number of students taught per day should be comparable to the student load in other disciplines. The needs of all learners, including advanced studies students, students with identified special needs, and those who are not fluent English speakers, should be considered in all scheduling decisions. Scheduling configurations at the middle school level present a variety of scenarios in regard to length of time and patterns of class meetings. Facilities Middle school music program facilities vary according to the courses taught. Instrumental and vocal classes have unique factors to be considered when designing rehearsal and classroom space.