The Cat and the Mouse This ebook introduces students to crotchets and quavers. This is a free resource. There is a new accompanying activity book that is a paid for resource. Although introducing staff notation to students is a key stage 2 requirement, I have successfully introduced crotchets, quavers and minims to pupils in years 1 and 2. It may be used in a variety of ways, spread over several weeks as a unit of work or simply used as a storybook. A creative approach to introducing crotchet and quavers ‘grid’ is included. This storybook meets the aims and develops the early skills required to introduce staff notation as set out in the National Curriculum for Music for Key Stage 2. (2013). The set includes  Teacher Notes;  The Cat and the Mouse ebook (created from powerpoint and saved as a ‘powerpoint show’);  A set of crotchet and quaver flashcards and ‘domino pieces’;  A creative approach to introducing crotchets and quavers ‘grid’;  Three ‘Talking Music’ discussion mats. Instrumentation  The notation is for ‘clapping’, body percussion or any untuned percussion instruments.

This piece is for mixed ensemble with a simple accompanying piano part. It is intended to be used as flexibly as possible. The inspiration for this piece comes from different aspects of the sea and oceans. However, it is intended that teachers and their students interpret the music as they wish. It may be used as a stand-alone piece for performance or as a unit of work. It is inspired by the music of Arvo Pärt. Your students may like to listen to* Für Alina*, Für Anna Maria and Spiegel im Spiegel. There is a simple accompanying piano part. The tempo marking is a guide only and it may be played at any speed but it is important that it is played rhythmically. The fingerings are suggestions only. The pedal is to be kept depressed throughout the piece. There are two parts for any instrument that uses the treble clef including tuned percussion. There are three percussion parts. Parts may be used in any combination from duets to mixed ensembles for any number of players. Teacups and wine glasses are suggested as percussion instruments. Your students might like to explore other everyday objects that may be used as percussion instruments. The set includes: Teacher Notes; Full score and parts; Creative planning grid for Key Stage 2 with ideas for lessons and activities. Aims This piece is intended to support the aims and develop the skills set out in the National Curriculum for Music for Key Stages 2 and 3. (2013) and ABRSM music medals. This unit of work also supports ‘A national Plan for Music Education’ (2022, pp.15 -34).

Music Bingo is now a free resource with an updated creative teaching and planning grid. This resource is intended to be used as flexibly as possible by teachers and their students. The games may support students preparing to take ABRSM ‘Music Medals’ tests. The game explores minims, crotchets, quavers and crotchet rests. It meets the requirements of the National Curriculum for Music (2013) ‘to use and understand staff notation.’ The set includes: Creative teaching and planning grid; 24 differentiated music bingo game boards; 6 Note Value ‘playing cards’; 6 Note Value Names ‘playing cards’. The bingo games may be adult or student led. Students may be able to suggest variations and extensions to the bingo games. The games are suitable as starters to lessons or as extension activities. Play traditional games of bingo with an adult or student acting as the ‘caller’. The ‘caller’ shows a ‘playing card’ and players either place counters or the ‘playing card’ over the corresponding note. A set of ‘playing cards’ are placed face down and each player takes a card in turn to try to place it over a matching note on their game board. May be played by one player or a group and can be self-directed. Play ‘Bingo Equivalents’ where notes may be covered by the equivalent note, note value name or rest. Enlarge to A3 and the game may be played as a group activity enabling ‘talking music’ discussions about the placement of note values. Although staff notation is introduced in Key Stage 2, I have very successfully introduced pupils in years 1 and 2 to minims, crotchets and quavers.

This resource is intended to be used as flexibly as possible by teachers and their students. It may be used as a stand-alone piece for performance, as a warm-up to a music or singing lesson or as a unit of work. Instrumentation The notation is for voices and any instruments. Any instruments which use the treble clef including tuned percussion may be used. Choose percussion instruments that evoke the atmosphere of the season of autumn. Crotchet and minim rests are included as I believe that students should learn the value of rests from the beginning and if so wished untuned percussion could be played during the rests to create different effects. ‘Autumn’ is intended to be the first of a series of short compositions for each season. Each increases in difficulty. ‘Spring’ and ‘Summer’ are already available. ‘Summer’ is the most difficult (which explores indeterminacy). ‘Autumn’ uses a repeating descending scale from ‘A to D’ against a repeating triad ‘C, E, G’. Using glockenspiels and xylophones will make it easily accessible. **Aims ** This quartet meet the aims and develop the skills set out in the National Curriculum for Music for Key Stages 2 and 3. (2013) and ABRSM music medals. This unit of work also supports ‘A national Plan for Music Education’ (2022, pp.15 -34). The set includes Teacher Notes; Full score in 4 parts for voices and instruments; Creative planning grid for Key Stage 2 with ideas for lessons and activities.

Music Planning Key Stage 2 UPDATED RESOURCE This resource is a creative planning grid for music at Key Stage 2 suggesting ideas for lessons and activities. It meets the following requirements of the National Curriculum for Music (2013): **Play and perform in solo and ensemble contexts, using their voices and playing musical instruments with increasing accuracy, fluency, control and expression; Listen with attention to detail and recall sounds with increasing aural memory; Improvise and compose music for a range of purposes using the inter-related dimensions of music; Use and understand staff notations. The planning grid is a starting point and a springboard from which teachers and pupils are able to suggest endless possibilities for delivering a creative approach to music teaching and learning. It is an updated version of the ‘creative opportunities’ section included in: the teacher notes of the free resources; ‘Busy Bs’ and ‘Two Square’ and ‘See How They Run’. And the teacher notes of the paid resources; ‘A BAGful of Rhythms’, ‘Plan A’, ‘Plan B’, ‘Plan G’, ‘Clockwork’ and ‘Note Value Snap’.

This piece may be as simple or as challenging as teachers and their students wish. It is intended to be used as flexibly as possible. It is based upon ‘indeterminacy’ and through performer choice, each performance will be different. The inspiration for this piece comes from ‘summer by the sea’ but it is intended that teachers and their students interpret the fragments as they wish. It may be used as a stand-alone piece for performance, as a warm-up to a music or singing lesson or as a unit of work. The fragments may be performed using voices, any percussion and/or tuned instruments. The fragments may be performed in unsion, groups or in nine parts. It is intended to be a companion piece to my free resource ‘Spring’. The set includes; Teacher Notes; Score of nine fragments; Creative planning grid for Key Stage 2 with ideas for lessons and activities. Instrumentation The notation is for voices, any percussion instruments and /or tuned instruments. Aims The piece is intended to support the aims and develop the skills set out in the National Curriculum for Music for Key Stages 2 and 3. (2013) and ABRSM music medals. This unit of work also supports ‘A national Plan for Music Education’ (2022, pp.15 -34).

Talking Music ‘Talking Music Discussion Mats’ are a resource to engage students in discussion of music. This resource is intended to be used as flexibly as possible by teachers and their students. The ‘Talking Music Discussion Mats’ may be used as starters or plenaries. They may be used for whole class discussion, group discussion or for pairs or individual students. They may be adult led or student led. They can be placed in learning areas for independent choice activities, or used as extension and challenge activities and they develop higher order thinking skills. The ‘Talking Music Discussion Mats’ explore minims, crotchets and quavers. The set includes Teacher Notes; Six ‘Talking Music Discussion Mats’ as pdfs; A PowerPoint ‘show’ presentation of the ‘Discussion Mats’. Print and photocopy ‘Talking Music Discussion Mats’ or display the ppt on a large screen. Laminate for durability. You may wish students to record the results of the discussions in order to have evidence of the development of their ‘musical skills’. ‘Post it’ notes are very useful to record student discussions. This resource meets the requirements for the development of musical skills at Key Stage 2: Aims understand and explore how music is created, produced and communicated, including through the inter-related dimensions: pitch, duration*, dynamics, tempo, timbre, texture, structure and appropriate musical notations. Pupils should be taught to sing and play musically with increasing confidence and control. They should develop an understanding of musical composition, organising and manipulating ideas within musical structures and reproducing sounds from aural memory. Pupils should be taught to: Use and understand staff and other musical notations.

See How They Run: Music Melodies and Rhythms for the notes B, A, & G for unison, solo and ensemble playing. The set includes: teacher notes; 10 melodic and rhythmic variations on the notes, B, A & G with and without note names; A creative planning grid for Key Stage 2 suggesting ideas for lessons and activities. Instrumentation: The notation is for any non-transposing instruments that use the treble clef and any tuned and untuned percussion instruments. This resource is intended to be used as flexibly as possible by teachers and their students. The phrases may support students preparing to take ABRSM ‘Music Medals’ tests. The parts may be combined in different ways for unison, solo, duet, trio, quartet and so on for any number of students in order to develop ensemble playing, exploring the implications of time signatures, tonality and harmony. These melodic and rhythmic variations meet the aims and develop the skills set out in the National Curriculum for Music for Key Stages 2 and 3. (2013). Thank you for downloading this resource. I would be grateful if you would leave a review. This free resource is part of a larger resource ‘24 Little Melodies’ which is available to purchase for £1.

Ten Rhythmic Variations on the note B for solo, unison & ensemble playing This resource is intended to be used as flexibly as possible by teachers and their students. The rhythms may support students preparing to take ABRSM ‘Music Medals’ tests. The set includes: Teacher Notes; Ten variations for unison or solo playing; Instrumentation: The notation is for any non-transposing instruments that use the treble clef and any tuned and untuned percussion instruments. The rhythms may be combined in different ways for unison, solo, duet, trio, quartet and so on for any number of students in order to develop ensemble playing. I have made some suggestions of how to use these rhythms creatively, however, the creative opportunities are endless and I am sure that teachers and students will interpret these resources in many ways. These rhythmic variations meet the aims and develop the skills set out in the National Curriculum for Music for Key Stages 1, 2 and 3. (2013).

A flexible teaching resource for primary aged children. A quartet for voices and percussion. This resource is intended to be used as flexibly as possible by teachers and their students. It may be used as a stand-alone piece for performance, as a warm-up to a music or singing lesson or as a unit of work. The set includes; Teacher Notes; Full score in 4 parts for voices and percussion instruments; Creative planning grid for Key Stage 2 with ideas for lessons and activities. Instrumentation The notation is for voices and any percussion instruments. Additionally, any instruments which use the treble clef including tuned percussion may be used. The voice parts may be doubled by instruments in any octave. Aims These quartet meet the aims and develop the skills set out in the National Curriculum for Music for Key Stages 2 and 3. (2013) and ABRSM music medals. This unit of work also supports ‘A national Plan for Music Education’ (2022, pp.15 -34).

Melodic and Rhythmic Variations on the notes B & A Variation 1 This resource is intended to be used as flexibly as possible by teachers and their students. The rhythms may support students preparing to take ABRSM ‘Music Medals’ tests. Instrumentation: The notation is for any non-transposing instruments that use the treble clef and any tuned and untuned percussion instruments. The parts may be combined in different ways for unison, solo, duet, trio, quartet and so on for any number of students in order to develop ensemble playing, exploring the implications of tonality and harmony. Thank you for downloading this resource. I would be grateful if you would leave a review. This free resource is part of a larger resource ‘Clockwork’ bundle which is available for purchase for £1. In ‘Clockwork’, there are ten variations with each variation gradually increasing in difficulty and may be performed separately, or as a whole suite. The set includes: Teacher Notes; full score; parts with and without note names for treble clef 1, treble clef 2, treble clef 3, treble clef 4 and untuned percussion for ten movements.

Melodic and Rhythmic Variations on the notes B & A Variation 3 This resource is intended to be used as flexibly as possible by teachers and their students. The rhythms may support students preparing to take ABRSM ‘Music Medals’ tests. Instrumentation: The notation is for any non-transposing instruments that use the treble clef and any tuned and untuned percussion instruments. The parts may be combined in different ways for unison, solo, duet, trio, quartet and so on for any number of students in order to develop ensemble playing, exploring the implications of tonality and harmony. Thank you for downloading this resource. I would be grateful if you would leave a review. This free resource is part of a larger resource ‘Clockwork’ bundle which is available for purchase for £1. In ‘Clockwork’, there are ten variations with each variation gradually increasing in difficulty and may be performed separately, or as a whole suite. The set includes: Teacher Notes; full score; parts with and without note names for treble clef 1, treble clef 2, treble clef 3, treble clef 4 and untuned percussion for ten movements.

3 Little Trios 3 Little Trios are rhythmic and melodic phrases on the notes B, A and G. This resource is intended to be used as flexibly as possible by teachers and their students. The phrases may support students preparing to take ABRSM ‘Music Medals’ tests. The set includes: Teacher Notes; 9 rhythmic and melodic phrases written as trios with and without note names; Creative planning grid for Key Stage 2, using Bloom’s Taxonomy, with ideas for lessons and activities. Instrumentation The notation is for any non-transposing instruments that use the treble clef. Any tuned percussion instruments. Crotchet rests are included as I believe that students should learn the value of rests from the beginning and if so wished untuned percussion could be played during the rests to create different effects. The phrases are deliberately four bars long to allow for repeats if required. Parts The phrases may be combined in different ways for unison, solo, duet, trio, quartet and so on for any number of students in order to develop ensemble playing. Interesting discussions may be had regarding the compatibility of time signatures and harmony. Aims These melodic and rhythmic variations meet the aims and develop the skills set out in the National Curriculum for Music for Key Stages 2 and 3. (2013).

Two Square: Two Rhythmic and Melodic Duets on the notes B and A for beginning musicians This resource is intended to be used as flexibly as possible by teachers and their students. The rhythms may support students preparing to take ABRSM ‘Music Medals’ tests. The set includes: Teacher Notes; Two Duets; Parts with and without note names for: Treble Clef 1, Treble Clef 2 and untuned percussion. Instrumentation: The notation is for any non-transposing instruments that use the treble clef and any tuned and untuned percussion instruments. The four rhythms may be combined in different ways for unison, solo, duet, trio and quartet for any number of students in order to develop ensemble playing, exploring the implications of the harmony of the notes B and A when played together. I have made some suggestions of how to use these duets creatively, however, the creative opportunities are endless and I am sure that teachers and students will interpret these resources in many ways. These duets meet the aims and develop the skills set out in the National Curriculum for Music for Key Stages 1, 2 and 3. (2013). These duets are taken from a larger work entitled Clockwork. It has rhythmic and melodic variations on the notes B and A in ten movements for unison, solo and mixed ensemble and is available for purchase.

4 Little Duets 4 Little Duets are rhythmic and melodic phrases on the notes B, A and G. This resource is intended to be used as flexibly as possible by teachers and their students. The phrases may support students preparing to take ABRSM ‘Music Medals’ tests. The set includes: Teacher Notes; 4 rhythmic and melodic phrases written as duets with and without note names; Creative planning grid for Key Stage 2 with ideas for lessons and activities. Instrumentation The notation is for any non-transposing instruments that use the treble clef. Any tuned percussion instruments. Crotchet rests are included as I believe that students should learn the value of rests from the beginning and if so wished untuned percussion could be played during the rests to create different effects. The phrases are deliberately four bars long to allow for repeats if required. Parts The phrases may be combined in different ways for unison, solo, duet, trio, quartet and so on for any number of students in order to develop ensemble playing. Interesting discussions may be had regarding the compatibility of time signatures and harmony. Aims These melodic and rhythmic variations meet the aims and develop the skills set out in the National Curriculum for Music for Key Stages 2 and 3. (2013).

Melodic and Rhythmic Variations on the notes B & A Variation 5 This resource is intended to be used as flexibly as possible by teachers and their students. The rhythms may support students preparing to take ABRSM ‘Music Medals’ tests. Instrumentation: The notation is for any non-transposing instruments that use the treble clef and any tuned and untuned percussion instruments. The parts may be combined in different ways for unison, solo, duet, trio, quartet and so on for any number of students in order to develop ensemble playing, exploring the implications of tonality and harmony. Thank you for downloading this resource. I would be grateful if you would leave a review. This free resource is part of a larger resource ‘Clockwork’ bundle which is available for purchase for £1. In ‘Clockwork’, there are ten variations with each variation gradually increasing in difficulty and may be performed separately, or as a whole suite. The set includes: Teacher Notes; full score; parts with and without note names for treble clef 1, treble clef 2, treble clef 3, treble clef 4 and untuned percussion for ten movements.

This activity book offers games and activities to introduce crotchets and quavers. It accompanies the free ebook The Cat and the Mouse introduction to crotchets and quavers. The book supports and develops the learning from the free ebook. It is intended to be used as flexibly and creatively as possible. The activity book may be used for each pupil as a series of activities. Pages may be photocopied and laminated for durability. Individual pages may be used as starters or in plenaries, as self-directed activities, placed in interactive independent learning areas or as starting points for further learning. The book includes: a creative planning grid; templates for making puppets and/or colouring sheets; crotchet and quaver flash cards; 42 pages of activities and games. The book is presented in two formats; as an ebook powerpoint slideshow and as a pdf document.

Note Value Snap: 15 Rhythm Games exploring note values This resource is intended to be used as flexibly as possible by teachers and their students. The games may support students preparing to take ABRSM ‘Music Medals’ tests. The games explore quavers, crotchets and minims. The set includes: Teacher Notes; Instructions for 15 games; 6 Note Value ‘playing cards’; 6 Note Value Names ‘playing cards’ which include an equal sign; 10 Note Value ‘dominoes’; Note Value Tree, useful for display. The resources may also be used to create a music display. The games meet the aims and develop the skills set out in the National Curriculum for Music for Key Stages 1 and 2. (2013).

Carols at Christmas: An original arrangement of traditional Christmas Carols for voices and/or mixed classroom ensemble using five notes G, A, B, C, D. Instrumentation Voices, any non-transposing instruments that uses the treble clef and untuned percussion. The voices are doubled by the instruments. The score is intended to be used flexibly; voices alone, instruments alone or both voices and instruments or any combination of instruments and voices. This resource is intended to be used by Primary Schools, Secondary Schools and student music groups. The set includes Teacher Notes; Full score with the words; Parts with and without note names for: Treble Clef 1, Treble Clef 2, Treble Clef 3, Untuned Percussion; Lyric Sheets. ‘Carols at Christmas’ arranges 6 traditional Christmas Carols in four parts; for three treble clef instruments and untuned percussion. The piece may be performed in its entirety or the individual carols separately. It meets the requirements for performance and playing tuned and untuned instruments musically at Key Stage 2 and 3. The Carols are presented in the following order: Jingle Bells I Saw Three Ships We Three Kings Away in a Manger Silent Night We Wish You a Merry Christmas