Why Music Curriculum Teams Should Embed Universal Design for Learning 3.0 in the Writing Process—And How to Include these Ideals in Your Upcoming Curriculum!
It’s that time of year again—a time to take stock of how the school year went, what needs some improvements, and which direction to head so that the next school year can start strong. It’s time to think about curriculum (or, as I see it, the most WONDERFUL time of the year!).
One thing that I love about the arts and the teachers who are committed to them is that most of us are committed to celebrating creativity, individuality, and expression. Yet, when we sit down to write a curriculum, it’s easy to default to “what’s always worked”— linear lesson plans, one-size-fits-all assessments, and performance-driven goals. It’s human nature to get stuck in this rut, only to come out with a recycled and revised version of what we’ve been doing for years. But learners are as diverse as the music they create. That’s why now, more than ever, integrating Universal Design for Learning (UDL) 3.0 into the curriculum writing process isn’t just a helpful idea, it’s a way to write curriculum that can continue to move and adapt to the needs of our students long after our curricular writing window has come and gone.
Why UDL 3.0 Matters in Music Education
UDL 3.0 is the latest update to the UDL Guidelines, grounded in neuroscience and responsive to evolving understandings of identity, variability, and access. It offers a powerful framework for designing learning experiences that recognize every student’s potential, particularly in a subject like music, where differences in background, ability, and experience are both common and enriching. As I’ve said to my grad students—if I had updated the UDL guidelines myself, they would look very similar to these! UDL 3.0 is the ultimate assets-based approach to teaching and learning. I love it!
By using UDL, we:
Anticipate learner variability from the start instead of retrofitting accommodations.
Create inclusive, engaging music environments where all students feel they belong.
Honor multiple means of expression, not just traditional performance or notation.
Build student agency by offering choice, relevance, and autonomy in music learning.
So how do we actually do this when writing curriculum as music and arts educators? Below I present some launching points for you and your teams. As always, let me know your thoughts about these. I’d love to hear your perspective as well!
Strategies for Curriculum Teams to Embed UDL 3.0 in Music Curriculum Writing
1. Start With the Why—Together
Before diving into standards or pacing guides, establish a shared understanding of why UDL matters. Review the UDL 3.0 guidelines as a team (there are some important changes, so consider taking some time so you’re not overgeneralizing and strictly falling back on the things that have stayed the same!). Reflect on your students: Who is thriving? Who is disengaged? What barriers are present in our current materials and teaching practices? Framing your work with these questions helps ensure every decision centers learner variability.
2. Design for the Margins First
Instead of designing curriculum for the “average” student (in UDL there is no such thing!) and adding various supports later, begin by centering learners who face the most barriers—whether cognitive, physical, cultural, or emotional. When the curriculum is accessible to those on the margins, it becomes better for everyone.
Example: If you're writing a kindergarten rhythm unit, plan multiple access points—including movement-based activities, visual rhythms with icons, and call-and-response—right from the start. Doesn’t forget to center joy, one of the new guidelines in the latest version of UDL!
3. Use UDL-Aligned Templates and Checklists
Create or adopt some planning templates that can help prompt you and your curriculum writing team to reflect on each UDL principle, the specific context of your students, your school, your district, and how UDL can help serve these specific contexts. Context matters—it’s the most important thing that should be driving your instructional practices! It’s also incredibly complex, so try not to skip this important step. If the curriculum you write cannot be used or applied well in your context, it won’t stick.
One thing that has remained the same in this latest version of UDL are those three ideals of engagement, representation and action and expression. Those are helpful springboards, especially since they are likely familiar to you and your curricular team.
Engagement: How are we motivating students and what does that actually look like in music? Where is there choice?
Representation: Are we using multiple formats (audio, visual, tactile, kinesthetic)?
Action & Expression: Can students show what they know in more than one way?
4. Embed Student Voice and Agency
UDL 3.0 places more emphasis on learner agency than ever before. Make sure the curriculum includes space for students to choose instruments, create original work, collaborate, work at home, choose how they want to demonstrate their learning of a certain musical skill, or reflect on their musical identity. Scaffold these choices with supports to help all students succeed. But, be careful. A lot of times, it’s easy to go overboard with choices in our classes when students aren’t really ready for that yet. Teaching them how to have choices, how to work with a few options, rather than throwing every possible choice their way, can help set them up for success with this.
5. Review and Revise Through a UDL Lens
After drafting units, pause to audit them using UDL guidelines. Questions you can ask yourself include:
Where might students struggle to access this content?
Are we offering enough flexibility for our students? For ourselves as educators?
By teaching this in this way, are we unintentionally creating barriers for other students?