I am a specialist primary music teacher living and teaching in Devon.
I have 20 years experience of teaching and love creating resources. As well as creating my own resources I have also created resources for companies such as ABRSM. I am also a professional and published composer of Brass band and Concert Band music.
Check out my Youtube page - www.youtube.com/musicwithmrgray
I play trumpet professionally in a ska/reggae/dub band called The Kingstons (www.thekingstons.club).
I am a specialist primary music teacher living and teaching in Devon.
I have 20 years experience of teaching and love creating resources. As well as creating my own resources I have also created resources for companies such as ABRSM. I am also a professional and published composer of Brass band and Concert Band music.
Check out my Youtube page - www.youtube.com/musicwithmrgray
I play trumpet professionally in a ska/reggae/dub band called The Kingstons (www.thekingstons.club).
Gather your instruments and play along to The Classroom blues!
The classroom blues is perfect for Ukulele, Recorder and Tuned percussion.
Have a go at improvising in the improvisation breaks. Choose a scale that best suits you and give it a go. You can’t go wrong :)
Resource includes sheet music and play along/backing tracks.
Tiptoe is a play along for Boomwhackers and uses the notes C, D, E, F, G, A, B and C.
This resource includes sheet music (with Ukulele chords), backing and play along track.
Recorder play long for Spooksville! Can you keep up with the Wicked Witch?
This resource includes sheet music, backing and play along track. The music uses the notes E, F#, G, A and B.
Can you keep up with the Wicked Witch?
Spooksville is a piece for Boomwhacker, using the notes D, E, F, G and A.
This resource includes sheet music, backing and play along track.
Can you keep up with the Wicked Witch?
Spooksville is a piece for Percussion, using the notes D, E, F, G and A.
This resource includes sheet music, backing and play along track.
Mary Anne* for Jumbie Jam!
This resource includes sheet music (with and without notes), play along track and backing track.
*Sometimes known as Marianne
This is a collection of 10 songs to be sung with rhythm sticks/claves.
Every song is designed to reinforce pitch, pulse and rhythm (either consciously or unconsciously) and will help with a range of social skills (turn taking, working with a partner or group etc).
The songs are all in an appropriate range for children. Most use a maximum of a 6-note range with some stretching to an octave. All songs are in C Major but can easily be transposed to D. Each song comes with easy to follow instructions and recordings to help.
The songs are suitable for children in KS1 and KS2.
These songs have also been designed to fit perfectly within the Kodaly methodology if teachers are using it (using common ta and ti-ti rhythms and incorporating familiar melody lines - so-mi / mi-so-la).
Scarf songs - https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/resource-12564116
Miscellaneous songs - https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/resource-12564112
Cup songs - https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/active-singing-cup-songs-12585890
Parachute songs - https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/resource-12563992
Shaker songs - https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/resource-12564118
All 60 songs - https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/-12564122
This is a 6 week topic that aims to give the children an understanding of the song writing process.
This topic is designed to give the children the opportunity to write a song, from scratch, as a class over a six week process. It will help them to develop a good understanding of the process of writing a song, the “musical ingredients” (elements) that are needed and an appreciation of the time and skill that goes into writing a song.
The children will develop an understanding of how to structure a song, creating verses, a chorus and the opportunity to compose a bridge/middle 8 as well.
You do not necessarily have to be musical to do this but obviously some knowledge would help. It’s a great project for you to use for children who currently play an instrument as well, especially if you have been learning one via the wider opps/first access projects. Instruments can be easily incorporated into the topic. The topic also included opportunities for children to rap and beat box if they are not too keen on singing!
The first 1-3 lessons will be spent on writing some verses and a chorus. This will be followed by adding simple accompaniment using class percussion (tuned and untuned) and other instruments your class/children may have been learning how to play. The songs will be kept in C Major/A Minor (Using the common chords C, F, G & Am). This is perfect for their vocal range and for accompanying instruments.
Instrumental parts could also be added in between the verses and choruses.
By the end of the topic the class with have a complete song that they can record and perform to other years and their parents.
Links to curriculum/Possible assessment opportunities:
Use the voice expressively and creatively by singing songs and speaking chants and rhymes
Play tuned and untuned instruments musically
Listen with concentration and understanding to a range of high-quality live and recorded music
Experiment with, create, select and combine sounds using the inter-related dimensions of music
Please note: I have used the font AR CHRISTY so you may have to edit some of the slides/fonts.
The aim of this topic is to give children the opportunity to learn about the music of Mexico through listening and singing.
The children will:
Listen to a variety of music styles and genres from Mexico.
Learn about the instruments used in the popular Mariachi bands.
Listen to some music from the Maya Civilisation.
Learn to sing the song Al Citron and play the stone passing game associated with it.
This a a short topic that can be stretched to 6 weeks or done in 3, depending on the amount of time dedicated to your music lessons. It would work nicely as a cross-curricular topic if you are looking at Mexico in Geography or the Mayan Civilisation in History.