Sweden's compulsory school curriculum includes music as a core subject. Students receive a minimum of 230 hours of music instruction throughout the nine years of compulsory education (grades 1-9). The curriculum emphasizes practical music-making, both vocal and instrumental, as the central activity. Group work is a key principle of the music curriculum. From year 7 onwards, students can opt to participate in classes with a specialized focus on music. In addition to in-school music education, many municipalities offer extracurricular music and arts schools.