Bridging inquiry and active music learning 

Transform how students think, create, and perform through simple, powerful inquiry strategies.

 

This mini-course features

* Done-for-you active arts inquiry sequences for K-12 music teachers
* 1 hour+ workshop video with step-by-step inquiry instructions
* Quarterly LIVE Collab Lab Calls with Nyssa for support (Q1 + Q2 2026)
* Lesson-by-lesson implementation suggestions.  

 

So teachers can

* Start with as few as 5-10 minutes of inquiry activities per lesson.
* Save hours of work and bring student-centered inquiry to life in your classroom

 

Conceptual inquiry sequences for

understanding and transfer.

I'm In!

You want to bring more inquiry to your classroom, but you're worried . . .

  • It means "talking" music instead of making music
  • It will take hours and hours to create (which you don't really have)
  • You don't know which questions to ask (and you don't want to waste the precious time you have with students on questions that aren't truly meaningful)

 

If this is also you, then I bet you . . .
  • Want to spend most of music class making music
  • Want to integrate inquiry that SUPPORTS preparation for performances (doesn't inquiry take away from that?)
  • Want to implement inquiry authentically for music (and your school likely hasn't been able to help you with that)
  • Want to be sure your inquiry questions ask students to focus on what matters most to musicians
  • Want an accessible, efficient starting point for inquiry (one that doesn't take over your whole class period)
  • Want to start implementing confidently within minutes

  

What if you could have multiple

model active-music-making inquiry sequences

at your fingertips, ready to implement

right now? 

The Active Arts Inquiry Series

Bridging inquiry and active music learning

This mini-course offers teachers a video workshop, done-for-you inquiry models + LIVE calls support to help your students build curiosity, creativity, and skills . . . all while continuing to create and/or perform. Students experience hands-on, active music making, while teachers facilitate music making, questions, and reflections - so students can remember and apply their learning going forward. 

  • Guide inquiry through performing, creating, and responding/connecting

  • Scaffold reflection through active, artistic experiences

  • Maintain structure while giving students meaningful choice and agency

  • Connect inquiry to curriculum goals and performance outcomes

  • Help students reach conceptual understanding through inquiry - while actively performing and/or creating
Sign me up!

Created by Specialists

Priced for Teachers,

Designed for Meaningful Student Learning.

Districts hire Nyssa for full-day professional learning, but these templates are intentionally priced so any teacher can use them, with or without school funding.

You get the same expertise, packaged for everyday teaching and immediate implementation.

Elementary (K-5) Resources

Guiding Active Inquiry Learning in the

Primary (K-2) Music Classroom

47 Euros

3 x primary inquiry sequences with lesson-by-lesson implementation suggestions.

1 x create inquiry, 1 x perform inquiry, 1 x respond/connect inquiry

Yes, please!

Guiding Active Inquiry Learning in the

Upper Elementary (3-5) Music Classroom

47 Euros

3 x upper elementary inquiry sequences + lesson-by-lesson implementation suggestions.

1 x create inquiry, 1 x perform inquiry, 1 x respond/connect inquiry

I'm in!

Elementary Bundle:

Guiding Active Inquiry Learning in the Primary (K-2) Music Classroom +

Guiding Active Inquiry Learning in the Upper Elementary (3-5) Music Classroom

3 x primary + 3 x upper elementary inquiry sequences with lesson-by-lesson implementation suggestions.

2 x create inquiry, 2 x perform inquiry, 2 x respond/connect inquiry

89 Euros

Let's do it!

COMING SOON

Middle School and High School Resources

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Aileen Miracle

Supervisor of Curriculum and Innovation, Unified Arts, Olentangy Schools, Ohio, USA

"Once again, Nyssa Brown delivers an exceptional, high-quality PD experience filled with clear, actionable steps for weaving inquiry into music lessons. Her approach is inspiring and immediately usable, and I know I’ll be returning to this workshop again and again as I plan lessons that spark curiosity, while still building strong musical skills."

What's included in each ready-to-implement sequence?

  • 1 hour + 20 min video training on the what, why, and how
  • 3 done-for-you inquiry sequences
    • One example each from Create, Perform, and Respond/Connect
  • Lesson-by-lesson suggestions for implementation
    • 5-10 minute starting points for gradual introduction of inquiry
  • Case study (repertoire) guidance 
  • Learning engagements for 12+ lessons (plus your normal class routine)
  • Teacher playbook with printed inquiry sequences for easy reference
  • Replicable templates and processes
  • 2 x Quarterly LIVE Collab Labs Calls with Nyssa (Q1 and Q2 2026)
I need this!

Imagine a classroom filled with active music making AND creative, engaged thinkers

. . . who are more likely to remember their learning because it is designed for

  • understanding

  • transfer

  • curiosity

  • agency

Hi, I'm Nyssa . . .

In my 25+ years as a music educator and curriculum consultant, I’ve seen that well-designed inquiry sequences are one of the most powerful ways to support authentic, meaningful music learning. But most music educators don’t have music-specific models to help guide student inquiry effectively, efficiently, and with confidence.  And teachers who do feel confident often spend hours of time planning, when they need the time to rehearse, meet with students, prepare materials, or just breathe between classes.

After working with teachers across 6 continents, I have seen the power of well-crafted inquiry sequences, and I'm distilling that knowledge and experience into done-for-you inquiry sequences that you can download and start applying to your classrooms almost immediately. 

I created these templates so that music teachers can employ the power of inquiry, quickly, powerfully, and in ways that match our values as arts educators.

Top-tier international schools and US school districts hire me for full-day professional learning, but these templates are intentionally priced so any teacher can use them, with or without school funding. You get the same expertise, just in a format that fits everyday teaching and immediate implementation.

This way, you can bring thoughtful, student-centered inquiry into your classroom without the overwhelm, and without taking away from the million other things you are juggling.

Training and experience that inform these inquiry sequences:

  • Erickson and Lanning Concept-Based Curriculum and Instruction Certified Trainer
  • Writer of the National Core Arts Standards, Grades 3-5 Music Subcommittee
  • Association for Music in International Schools (AMIS) Consultant in Curriculum and Instruction
  • State-Level Music Coordinator in Minnesota, Perpich Center for Arts Education
  • Teaching experience in
    • US public schools
    • International “American” curriculum schools
    • International Baccalaureate - MYP/DP
  • Curriculum consultant with the IB DP Music

Fay Leong

Director of Teaching and Learning, International School of Kenya

"Nyssa Brown’s passion for Arts education and for student-centered learning is unparalleled. Nyssa has the masterful ability to make sense of chaotic thinking in helping schools envision desired outcomes in Arts programs, and to focus on what is best for students. She is expert in supporting schools in their vertical implementation of standards frameworks in Arts education, and of transfer goals aligned to mission and vision. Nyssa’s experience with conceptual learning approaches and with Understanding By Design means that she is able to approach teachers from where they are at and to design processes that allow every teacher to walk away with practical, tangible actions that serve robust unit development and instructional design."

Megan Jaye Highfill

Executive Director, Association for Music in International Schools

"Nyssa Brown offers a modern, inclusive approach to curriculum design that effectively serves today’s diverse educational communities. Her work is both accessible and practical, providing educators with real-world tools they can immediately implement in their planning and teaching. Her approach goes beyond curriculum management; it is about designing meaningful, sustainable frameworks that support both educators and learners."

Aundrea Wells

Elementary Music Specialist, International School of Manila

"Before attending [the training], I felt a void in my ability to integrate music and the arts into concept-based learning, but Nyssa's workshop provided the clarity I needed to progress. Her curriculum design approach, which emphasizes the seamless integration of understanding, knowledge, and skills, reshaped my teaching philosophy profoundly." 

FAQs

If you’re ready to bring deeper thinking and richer music-making into your classroom — without adding hours of planning — these templates are here for you.

These inquiry sequences were built for real music teachers with real classrooms and real constraints.

They’re ready for you.

Your students are ready for this kind of learning.

And you deserve the support and resources to bring efficient, effective inquiry learning to life in your classroom.

Let’s make inquiry doable, meaningful, and musical.

Sign me up!

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