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).
20 pieces for Whole Class Woodwind Tuition in a variety of different styles.
These pieces progress steadily and give children the chance to play a relatively large repertoire without using too many notes. The music covers the notes G, A, B, C and D and is enough for a years worth of tuition!
This resource includes the sheet music (PDF) and play along/backing tracks for the first 10 pieces of music. The first 10 pieces cover the notes G, A and B.
You can purchase pieces 11-20 here -https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/-12673518
A PowerPoint containing all of the information for Area of Study 3 (Texture and Melody). The Powerpoint includes links to musical examples. Some of the pictures are linked to music on my own laptop so will not work on yours! You'll need to upload your own example (mp3)
I have created Power points covering all of the subject content for the Areas of Study 1 & 2 (AQA Music) including links to music examples.\n\nHope it's of some help!
Ukulele chord poster.I use coloured dots with my Ukuleles (Red = C, Blue = F, Green = G).
I’ve found it makes progress quicker and locating chords easier. They still develop their muscle memory and when they’re confident they can just remove them! I’ve created this Ukulele chord sheet if anyone is interested
Free Ukulele song book!
This book includes the following songs:
Best day of my life - American Authors
I gotta feeling - Black eyed peas
Everybody loves Saturday night - Nigerian
E Huli Makou - Hawaiian
We will rock you - Queen
Three little birds - Bob Marley
Thunder - Imagine Dragons
Counting Stars - One republic
Shake it off - Taylor Swift
Wavin’ flag - K’naan
Count on me - Bruno Mars
Happier - Marshmello/Bastille
Shotgun - George Ezra
Dance monkey - Tones and I
Pompeii - Bastille
Under the sea - The little Mermaid
Eye of the tiger - Survivor
Beggin’ - The Four Seasons
What was I made for? - Billie Eilish
Overpass Graffiti - Ed Sheeran
Watermelon Sugar - Harry Styles
Sign of the times - Harry Styles
Radioactive - Imagine Dragons
Riptide - Vance Joy
Someone to Lava
The Bare necessities - The Jungle book
I wanna be like you - The Jungle book
Someone you loved - Lewis Capaldi
Somewhere over the rainbow - The Wizard of Oz
Last Christmas - George Michael
Merry Christmas everyone - Shakin’ Stevens
Santa Claus is coming to town
Rudolph the red nosed reindeer
Rockin’ around the Christmas tree
Jingle Bells
An Orff style arrangement of the West African song and dance, Funga Alafia.
Resource includes sheet music (with and without note names) and a play along track.
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.
This is a collection of 10 songs to be sung with a parachute (they could also be used with scarves/lycra).
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.
They can be used with KS1 and KS2 and have all been tried and tested by the children I teach and have all been received well and enjoyed!
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).
Miscellaneous songs - https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/-12564112
Scarf songs - https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/-12564116
Shaker songs - https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/-12564118
All 40 songs for £5 - https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/-12564122
Eight planets is a 6 week topic aimed at teaching children all about the planets through singing, playing and composing.
It’s aimed at Years 1-4.
Included is:
● An original song (backing track/vocal track)
● Planet cut outs
● Rhythm cut outs
● Score
● Melody score for tuned percussion (including coloured score for boom whackers, belles etc)
● Lesson plan
● Powerpoint
Learning Outcomes:
● I can name all eight planets learn other words relating to space such as galaxy, solar system, sun and orbit.
● I can sing a song about space.
● I can read and understand crotchets (ta), quavers (ti-ti) and crotchet rests (shh).
● I can notate rhythms.
● I am developing an understanding of pitch (higher and lower).
● I can play tuned percussion using two notes: G (so) and E (mi).
● I can use technology to create sounds.
● I can listen to a piece of music and describe it (instrumentation, how it makes me feel, happy/sad/exciting etc.).
It covers all KS1 links to the national curriculum:
• Use their voices 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
This is a classroom arrangement of the South African song, Shosholoza.
It features three vocal parts and a music arrangement for classroom instruments including Djembes, tuned percussion and guitars/ukuleles. Boom Whackers could easily play the same parts as well. All notes are coloured to match Boom Whackers and various percussion instruments. Enjoy!
This is a collection of 10 songs to be sung with a scarf.
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.
They can be used with KS1 and KS2 and have all been tried and tested by the children I teach and have all been received well and enjoyed!
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).
Shaker songs - https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/-12564118
Miscellaneous songs - https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/resource-12564112
Rhythm stick songs - https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/-12590879
Parachute songs - https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/resource-12563992
All 60 songs for £7 - https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/-12564122
This is a collection of 10 miscellaneous songs that can be song with a variety of aids including: bean bags, cups, balls, body percussion and even a wizards hat! There are passing songs, songs that change you into an animal and songs that you can perform whilst doing body percussion.
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.
They can be used with KS1 and KS2 and have all been tried and tested by the children I teach and have all been received well and enjoyed!
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).
Shaker songs - https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/-12564118
Parachute songs - https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/resource-12563992
Scarf songs - https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/-12564116
All 40 songs for £5 - https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/-12564122