Creating music is a common activity in elementary schools. Using the current curriculum, music is made that does not necessarily require expertise or abilities unique to music departments. In this study, we organized music-specific knowledge and skills (MSKS) required to create music in elementary school and clarified the characteristics of relevant textbooks that emphasize basic academic ability published in 1961 and 2020 from the viewpoint of MSKS. The textbooks published in 1961 are grounded in the style of Western music and incorporate many MSKS. The textbooks published in 2020 facilitate the acquisition of necessary knowledge and skills, increase the variety of activities, and utilize critical thinking, judgment, and self-expression.