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Elementary music curriculum pilots proposed as Pearson contract nears expiration
Summary
District music teachers recommend comparative pilots of Hal Leonard Essential Elements and Music Play Online after Pearson Interactive Music subscription ends in June; pilots run March–May with final purchase recommendation planned for June.
Perkiomen Valley School District music staff proposed piloting two elementary music resources to replace the district’s current Pearson Interactive Music subscription, which expires in June.
Natalie (presenting as a member of the music department committee) said a committee that included the four general-education music teachers and the music department chair reviewed three products using the criteria in policy 108: standards alignment, differentiation and accessibility, readability, cultural relevance and teacher usability. The committee identified Hal Leonard’s Essential Elements Music Class and MusicPlay Online as the strongest candidates and recommended comparative pilots. Quaver Music was reviewed but committee members said some content appeared outdated and less diverse.
Essential Elements scored highly on the committee rubric and includes a subscription to Noteflight composition software, choral materials and easy pairing with Google Classroom; the committee noted fewer primary-grade resources than for grades 3–5. MusicPlay Online scored well for primary grades and for cultural diversity of selections. Committee members suggested the district might implement a hybrid approach — one product for K–2 and the other for higher elementary grades — but noted license pricing would not decrease if split by grade band.
Staff asked the board to approve pilots that would run between March and May; there is no cost to trial vendors. If the district purchases, quoted annual license prices provided at the meeting were: Essential Elements about $7,200 and MusicPlay Online about $6,000. The committee said it would pilot one product at a time, gather teacher feedback, then present a recommendation for purchase in June. Staff also said they would confirm whether either product supports remote access on Chromebooks and further clarify whether Essential Elements’ scope includes grade 6 through 8.
Next steps: run sequential pilots, gather rubric and teacher-preference data, and return a purchase recommendation to the board at the scheduled presentation in June.
