This is my free composition launch presentation and planning document. It goes through the requirements for composition, the criteria, an example of the log and ideas for getting started. I have also included the planning document, students plan their composition and then keep their plan with them updating it regularly as lessons progress.

This is a two lesson PowerPoint on Bhangra music suitable for the Eduqas music GCSE course. It covers the key features, instruments and artists. Links to examples are embedded within the stars.

This is all the teaching materials I use to teach Section C: Contextual Understanding of the A-Level exam. I focus on AOS4 for this portion of the exam specifically, Claude-Michel Schönberg and Stephen Sondheim. This resource comes with the analysis of three pieces of music by each composer: Sondheim: Ballad of Sweeney Todd and Worst Pies in London from Sweeney Todd and Giants in the Sky from Into the Woods. (Giants in the Sky is not annotated as this is something that I get students to do independently with guidance, the score is there though). Schönberg: One Day More and Master of the House from Les Miserables and I’d Give My Life for You from Miss Saigon. In addition to this analysis you will also get some example essays (one only focussed on Sondheim as this is what I focus on in year 12). The synopsis for the shows are also included.

This is an entire unit of work aimed at year 9 students. It involves product design, marketing research and pitching as well as creating a radio advert (the key musical aim). This has key terminology, practical activity and homework.

This is a four lesson PowerPoint on Rock music suitable for the Eduqas music GCSE course. It covers the key features, instruments and artists. Links to examples are embedded within the stars. There is also a practical lesson included.

This is a one lesson lesson for AOS2: Popular Music for Joni Mitchell. There are links to songs embedded in the star symbols. Please note, I have only taught AOS2 for the section A portion of the exam so please be aware that there are no songs analysed in the detail required for section C.

These are the resources I’ve used to teach my students about the orchestral music of Kodaly and Bartok. It includes general listening and a practical activity.

This is an assessment for AOS5: Popular Music. It includes each topic within the AOS and has been uploaded as both a Word and PDF document alongside the answers and a listening track with announcements which works comfortably within a full lesson.

This is 2/3 lessons on the Baroque Solo concerto, it is assumed that this is the first topic in the AOS taught. It covers the key features, listening/analysis practice and common exam questions.

This is 2/3 (depending how long you spend on the activities) lessons on AOS2: The Concerto Through Time Romantic Concertos. There are listening activities embedded within this as well as a short listening test. This has been planned as if this is the final topic studied within the AOS.

This is the powerpoint I’ve used to teach my students about the piano music of Chopin and Schumann. The lessons involve listening, aural analysis and a practical task.

I wrote this powerpoint to fit with the new AQA’s new GCSE specification. Broadway Musicals 1950s-1990s fits within Area of Study 2. My teaching focus here is key musical features and how the music sounds, not key facts about the sub genres. Listening examples have been hyperlinked within the green stars. A listening task was used at the end of the lesson so that students could apply their new knowledge.The key aspect which I have highlighted to students is listening which is why I link students to the department spotify which has a wide range of playlists at their disposal.

This is a version of Matilda the Musical featuring ‘Miracle’, ‘Naughty’, ‘Telly’, ‘When I Grow Up’, ‘Quiet’ and ‘Revolting Children’. I have attached both the pdf and the Sibelius file (Sibelius 7) so that you can rearrange as needed.

I wrote this scheme of work for year 7 to introduce them to reading music in a fun way. Initially the students learn to read the treble and bass clef and learn to play a simplified version of Imagine by John Lennon. Later on in the project, students specialised in an instrument or voice and learnt to play ‘The Sky from Jigsaw Jam’ by Music for Youth. The culmination of the project was a whole year performance of the sky.

This is a one/two lesson lesson with practical for AOS2: Popular Music for Stevie Wonder. There are links to songs embedded in the star symbols. Please note, I have only taught AOS2 for the section A portion of the exam so please be aware that there are no songs analysed in the detail required for section C.

This is the set of resources I used for teaching the Minimalist music of Adams, Reich and Riley. It covers some of their most notable works and discusses key vocabulary. It usually takes me two lessons to get through, there are listening links embedded within the star symbols.

This is a composition mini project centered around melody, it is not board specific. The composition is designed as a pre-cursor to free composition focused on melody as a starting point through using students names. It explores the Liszt BACH and Shostakovich name motifs. The whole project is individual so can be either done quickly in 3 lessons or extended over a longer period of time. There are audio links embedded within the star symbols.

This is a full introduction to composition for the AQA GCSE music course however it can be easily adapted for any exam board. It covers what is required for the composition component of the course as well as the fundamentals of composition, some homework and a mini-composition task to help students understand ‘how to’ compose. Any star symbols have a sound link to them and there are some videos embeded in the powerpoint.