Wider Listening has assumed an increased importance in the new Edexcel GCSE Music Specification, with students required to listening to repertoire that is related to each of the set works and mention this in their Section B essays in the exam to access the top marks. To support this, I've launched #WiderListeningWednesday on Twitter and Facebook, with a different wider listening piece that's related to one of the Edexcel Set Works posted each Wednesday at 9.30 am. This wider listening diary is the perfect accompaniment to these weekly posts, as it will ensure your students engage regularly in listening outside of lessons and provide a useful record for revision, without the task become arduous and time consuming. Two versions of this product are included: – The worksheet version contains two weeks worth of diary entries and provides space for students to log the name of the piece, the composer, the year, and the area of study the piece relates to. In addition, they are asked to list three similarities and 3 differences between the wider listening piece and a set work they have studied to encourage their comparison skills – the space for this comparison is deliberately small to ensure that the points made are kept concise. – The second version comes in the form of a full colour A5 booklet that can be printed for students which provides space for 53 diary entries in one place. For best results this should be printed commercially. Two versions of this booklet are included, one for in-house printing, and a second for commercial printing with all of the necessary crop marks included. Please consult the attached guidance for commercial printing to ensure your printed product appears correctly. – For ease, a handy printing guide has been included to guide you through in-house printing and some recommended print specifications, if you choose to let a professional print company handle your printing. You can follow #WiderListeningWednesday on Twitter @SeanYoung_Music and Facebook @SeanYoungMusicEd! Please share, retweet and leave a review of this resource if you like it!

This arrangement of the song The Lion Sleeps Tonight contains three vocal groups, one melody and two accompaniment, prepared for a classroom singing session at Key Stage 3 level. The parts have been simplified and are easily memorable, making this suitable to be learned aurally. This resource contains: – A score containing each of the three parts – A lyric sheet with the lyrics for the first vocal part Please leave a rating and feedback below if you like this resource!

This activity pack contains two worksheets: – A matching tempos worksheet where students are required to match each tempo marking, with its definition – A tempo crossword Both of these short activities are ideal for use as a starter, plenary, or even as a short activity within the lesson.

A fully interactive onscreen piano! Features: - Click notes on the two-octave piano to hear them sound - Display the notes of common chords in the key of C major - Hear what the common chords displayed sound like Please rate and comment if you like this resource.

This document contains links to download the audio recordings recommended by the exam board for each of the set works on iTunes. At the time of upload, the links included in this document were correct; however, you should check the latest version of the specification on the Pearson Edexcel website before downloading and using the audio tracks suggested in this document.

Regular wider listening is an important part of preparing for the new Eduqas GCSE Specification, as the exam requires students to listen and identify musical devices that are used in unfamiliar repertoire. The music they will be required to listen to in the exam will be related to by style and/or genre to one of the four areas of study. By engaging regularly in listening to unfamiliar music of these styles/genres, students will develop their appraising skills and their ability to recognise various musical devices in unfamiliar music. To support this, I've launched #WiderListeningWednesday on Twitter and Facebook, with a different wider listening piece posted each Wednesday at 9.30 am. This wider listening diary is the perfect accompaniment to these weekly posts, as it will ensure your students engage regularly in listening outside of lessons and will provide a useful record for revision, without the task become arduous and time consuming. What's included? – The diary comes in the form of a full colour A5 booklet that can be printed for students which provides space for 51 diary entries in one place. For best results this should be printed commercially. Two versions of this booklet are included, one for in-house printing, and a second for commercial printing with all of the necessary crop marks included. Please consult the attached guidance for commercial printing to ensure your printed product appears correctly. – The book contains useful guidance that will help students recognise the important features of each wider listening piece, and also contains a list of the musical devices listed in the specification, for reference. – For ease, a handy printing guide has been included to guide you through in-house printing and some recommended print specifications, if you choose to let a professional print company handle your printing. You can follow #WiderListeningWednesday on Twitter @SeanYoung_Music and Facebook @SeanYoungMusicEd! Please share, retweet and leave a review of this resource if you like it!

Most GCSE Specifications require students to have a basic knowledge of cadences that they can use to identify them through the study of set works, and through listening to unfamiliar music, or both. This 6-page worksheet introduces the concept of the cadence at it's most basic level, and progresses through 3 different tasks ensuring that students are able to practice recognising cadences from a score, by listening, and able to write cadences in their own composition. The worksheet begins with a comprehensive guide that introduces the concept of the cadence, ensuring that students can recognise chords and assign the appropriate roman numeral, before introducing each of the four types of cadence, each accompanied by a written example. There are three subsequent tasks aimed at securing student's understanding – they are: – Task 1: To name various cadences by analysing a score; – Task 2: To complete the last two chords of a simple chorale phrase, using the cadence specified; – Task 3: A listening question requiring students to identify 6 cadences at the end of a short chorale harmonisation (audio file included). A limited preview of the worksheet is available from the files list. It is the responsibility of the teacher to check the coverage of this worksheet against the exam board specification, this worksheet does not intend to offer complete coverage for all specifications. Please leave a review if you like this resource!

In Section B of the Component 3: Appraising Exam, students will be expected to complete an extended answer in the form of a short essay that will demonstrate their musical knowledge. This workbook will help students to develop the skills needed to formulate a structured answer to this question using the PEEL (Point, Evidence, Explanation, Link) paragraph structure. In addition to a 'teacher tips' section, there are 3 related tasks: – Task 1 will ask students to analyse a sample of musical writing that is written using the PEEL structure, demonstrating ways in which you can incorporate evidence and explanation from the music. – Task 2 will introduce a second exam style question for students to plan an answer to using a table breaking down the Point, Evidence, Explanation and Link. – Task 3 will require students to write up their answer to the question, based on the plan they have made in Task 2. As requested in a review of this resource, a set of Teacher Notes with answers and indicative content has now been included with this resource to aid with teaching and marking. ------ Update 12/10/2017: Featuring the same content but updated with an all new design that reflects the style and tone of the newer Edexcel GCSE Music worksheet packs. A Teacher Notes document with answers and indicative content has now been added.

Most GCSE Specifications require students to have a basic knowledge of intervals within the octave, and to be able to identify them through the study of set works, through listening to unfamiliar music, or both. This 4-page worksheet introduces the concept of the interval at it's most basic level, and progresses through 4 different tasks to the recognition of intervals within the octave from notation and listening. Each of the four tasks are preceded by a tutorial section that explains the theory behind how to complete the task. Each of the tasks increase in difficulty and are designed to be completed in the order in which they appear; however, depending on the ability of the class you may wish to omit tasks as appropriate, or use individual tasks in isolation. The worksheet is ideal for use both in the classroom and as homework. The four tasks are: – Task 1: To understand and label various degrees of the G major scale; – Task 2: To identify 10 intervals in the key of C major from notation (note names are provided); – Task 3: To identify 5 intervals in the key of G major from notation (note names are provided); – Task 4: To identify the interval at the beginning of a list of pieces of music, through listening and playing. A limited preview of the worksheet is available from the files list. It is the responsibility of the teacher to check the coverage of this worksheet against the exam board specification, this worksheet does not intend to offer complete coverage for all specifications. Update 28/1/2017: Correction of a minor error in Task 1. Please leave a review if you like this resource!

As part of the requirements of most GCSE and A Level music specifications, students are required to identify and types of chords, progressions, and cadences. In order to do this, a working knowledge of triads and inversions is required. This worksheet introduces the concept of the triad, how they are constructed from the notes of the scale, and how to label the chord and its inversion with roman numerals. The worksheet introduces each of these elements stage by stage with informative teaching sections, followed by related tasks to ensure understanding. It is ideal for use either in the classroom, or as a homework task. The three tasks are: – Task 1: To construct triads for each of degree of two major scales. – Task 2: To label chords using roman numerals in two simple chord progressions in a major key. – Task 3: To label a series of triads with the appropriate roman numeral and inversion in a major key. Each of the tasks increases in difficulty, and depending on the ability and level of the class you may wish to omit some tasks from the exercise. For A Level classes, this worksheet serves as an introduction, but may need to be accompanied by more challenging tasks to meet the requirements of the specification. Update 17/08/2016: Minor corrections.

The new Pearson Edexcel GCSE Music specification (2016) uses a number of command words that will be used in examination questions. Students will need to become familiar with these command words, and understand the types of questions associated with them, and what is required to gain full marks. This pack of two posters provides definitions for these command words, alongside an example exam question that features this command word (these are taken from my GCSE Practice Examination Questions books) in a visually attractive and easy to ready format. The command words are divided into two posters, for short answer questions, and for longer answer questions. Both posters are supplied in PDF format, with a preview for each available in the files list. For the best results, the posters should be printed borderless on A3 paper, in colour, and laminated.

Technical exercises in composition, such as the harmonisation of a chorale in the style of J. S. Bach feature as an option in the majority of A Level Music specifications. This worksheet introduces some of the key stylistic issues in chorale harmonisation, including good spacing of chords, the avoidance of parallel fifths and octaves, and the use of melodic decoration such as passing notes. The worksheet is broken down into five tasks, the first four of which are preceded by useful tutorial sections, that explain the theory behind what is required in the following task. Each of the tasks increase in difficulty, leading to the harmonisation of a complete chorale melody. The worksheet is ideal for use both within the classroom, and as homework, and each of the tasks are self contained so may be used in isolation. The five tasks are: – Task 1: The completion of the alto and tenor part of a series of chords, using good spacing and doubling the correct notes; – Task 2: The complete voicing of a series of specified chords, using the rules of doubling and spacing previously learned in Task 1; – Task 3: To gain practice in spotting parallel and hidden fifths and octaves in students' own work, by highlighting mistakes in a series of given chorale harmonisations; – Task 4: To rewrite a the alto, tenor and bass parts of a given harmonisation, to include passing notes and other decoration; – Task 5: To complete a full harmonisation of a given chorale melody, using all of the techniques learned previously.

Sibelius is one of the leading music notation applications and is now used in many classrooms worldwide. This pack includes two variants of the same poster, one for Mac and one for Microsoft Windows, and details some of the important keyboard shortcuts that your students will benefit from learning at the outset! This resource will add a visually attractive and informative addition to your classroom or studio wall! Both posters are supplied in PDF format. Watermarked previews are available in the files list. The full unmarked poster is available as the second page in each PDF file, which will become available after purchase. For the best results, the posters should be printed borderless on A3 paper, in colour, and laminated.

This pack of posters currently contains 16 full colour A3 classroom posters, ideal to brighten up your music classroom. They range from basic note identification on the keyboard, to posters more ideal for GCSE and Post 16 Level such as characteristics of Baroque and Classical music. The pack currently contains the following posters: – Baroque Music – Baroque Composers – Cadences – Classical Music – Classical Composers – Dynamics – Film Music – Reading Music – Romantic Music – Romantic Composers – Sonata Form – Tempo – The Guitar – The Keyboard – The Instruments of the Orchestra – Musical Voices For the best results, the posters should be printed borderless on A3 paper, in colour, and laminated. A pdf file combining all of the posters and including crop marks and colour bars has been added, should you require it if you choose to have your posters commercially printed. All posters are supplied in PDF format. Previews of all posters are available in the files list. Please leave a review if you purchase this item, and share photos of your display on twitter @SeanYoung_Music

This pack of posters contains 12 full colour A3 classroom posters, covering several of the most significant Blues and Jazz composers. These posters are perfect to brighten up your classroom, and help to familiarise your students with the key composers of the genre. The pack currently contains posters for the following composers: – Benny Goodman – Bessie Smith – Charlie Parker – Count Basie – Dizzy Gillespie – Duke Ellington – Glenn Miller – Jelly Roll Morton – Louis Armstrong – Miles Davis – Scott Joplin – W. C. Handy For the best results, the posters should be printed borderless on A3 paper, in colour, and laminated. All posters are supplied in PDF format. Previews of all posters are available in the files list. Please leave a review if you purchase this item, and share photos of your display on twitter @SeanYoung_Music

This pack of posters currently contains 13 full colour A3 classroom posters, with one for each major and minor key signature, ideal to brighten up your music classroom. For the best results, the posters should be printed borderless on A3 paper, in colour, and laminated. All posters are supplied in PDF format. Previews of all posters are available in the files list. Please leave a review if you purchase this item, and share photos of your display on twitter @SeanYoung_Music

This pack of posters currently contains 11 full colour A3 classroom posters, covering several of the most significant film composers of the 20th and 21st century. These posters are perfect to brighten up your classroom, and help to familiarise your students with the key composers of the film music genre, and the scores they composed. The pack currently contains posters for the following composers: – Alexandre Desplat – Bernard Herrmann – Danny Elfman – Ennio Morricone – Hans Zimmer – Howard Shore – James Horner – Jerry Goldsmith – John Barry – John Williams – Randy Newman For the best results, the posters should be printed borderless on A3 paper, in colour, and laminated. All posters are supplied in PDF format. Previews of all posters are available in the files list. Please leave a review if you purchase this item, and share photos of your display on twitter @SeanYoung_Music

This pack of posters currently contains 13 full colour A3 classroom posters, with one for each of the main instruments of the orchestra, ideal to brighten up your music classroom. The pack currently contains the following posters: – Piccolo – Flute – Oboe – Clarinet – Bassoon – Horn – Trumpet – Trombone – Tuba – Violin – Viola – Cello – Double Bass For the best results, the posters should be printed borderless on A3 paper, in colour, and laminated. All posters are supplied in PDF format. Previews of all posters are available in the files list. Please leave a review if you purchase this item, and share photos of your display on twitter @SeanYoung_Music

This pack of posters currently contains 23 full colour A3 classroom posters, covering several of the most significant composers in the Western Classical tradition. These posters are perfect to brighten up your classroom, and help to familiarise your students with the key composers, the period they were from, and their nationality. The pack currently contains posters for the following composers: – Bach – Beethoven – Berlioz – Brahms – Debussy – Elgar – Fauré – Handel – Haydn – Holst – Mahler – Mendelssohn – Mozart – Purcell – Saint-Saëns – Schoenberg – Schubert – Schumann – Shostakovich – Strauss – Stravinsky – Vaughan Williams – Wagner More composers will be added soon! For the best results, the posters should be printed borderless on A3 paper, in colour, and laminated. All posters are supplied in PDF format. Previews of all posters are available in the files list. Please leave a review if you purchase this item, and share photos of your display on twitter @SeanYoung_Music

The Holocaust remains one of the worst atrocities committed in human history. Today, it is often studied as part of the secondary school curriculum as part of history or religious education programmes, but rarely within music. This is perhaps because the role of music is not so widely understood as other aspects within Holocaust research; however, music played, perhaps disturbingly, a significant role during the Holocaust, on both the side of the Nazi state and of the countless victims of the Holocaust. Furthermore, the body of songs composed within the concentration camp and ghetto system provide important primary sources about the treatment and experience of the victims of Nazism. The three posters in this display pack introduce three different themes of music within Holocaust study: – Music in Concentration Camps – Music as Resistance – A Timeline of the Nazification of Music These posters are suitable for display in music, history and religious studies classrooms, and will encourage students to think beyond what they already know about both the Holocaust and about the perceptions that we hold about music. All posters are supplied in PDF format. Watermarked previews of all posters are available in the files list. The full unmarked poster is available as the second page in each PDF file, which will become available after purchase. For the best results, the posters should be printed borderless on A3 paper, in colour, and laminated.