Musician of the Month - Diverse Musicians - featuring 22 musicians, is perfect for displaying and discussing diversity within the music industries. We’re passionate about reflecting all musicians, and this packet features a range of BIPOC, LGBTQ+ and female contemporary musicians, among others, across classical, popular, and jazz music.
Musicians featured in this resource packet:
Adam Lambert
Alex Newell
Alma Deutscher
Andrew Lloyd Webber
Beyoncé
Caroline Shaw
Dolly Parton
Elton John
Esperanza Spalding
Hans Zimmer
Koji Kondo
Lin-Manuel Miranda
Lizzo
Lucie Horsch
Ludovico Einaudi
Marin Alsop
Nandi Bushell
Nicola Benedetti
Twoset Violin
Wendy Carlos
Wynton Marsalis
Yo Yo Ma
Perfect to be used as posters, or as a discussion point in a lesson.
Included in the packet:
22 Musician Posters
Listening suggestions with links
PDF files
Please note, while the listening suggestions might be OK to use in our classrooms, we always recommend you listen to them first, to make sure they are suitable for your classroom and school.
13 Listening questions (and tracks) all using christmas songs.
All questions based on the elements and the type of questions you’d get on a listening exam.
Done with AQA in mind but great for all board and general aural skills.
Good for year 10 & 11 GCSE classes as a one-off christmas lesson.
This resource can either be used to introduce a new musician every week or as part of lesson about different genres of music. I have added some general facts about each musician/band as well as a link to their most famous song.
Finding engaging, relevant written work for a music class can be a challenge! Sometimes we all need no prep, print-and-go quiet activities for our music classroom. Ideal for cover/sub plans, homework or written work, each worksheet in this set of 10 includes a reading passage on a classical composer and ten associated questions. These written activities can be used with a range of classes and a non-specialist teacher.
Composers included:
Isaac Albéniz
Ludwig van Beethoven
Hildegard von Bingen
Claude Debussy
Scott Joplin
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Henry Purcell
Clara Schumann
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Antonio Vivaldi
Tell me more!
The worksheets can be printed or assigned digitally, with students answering on blank paper/document so the printed sheets can be reused. Easy printing in grayscale and on A4 or letter size paper.
The reading comprehension passages have been carefully crafted for a 10-12 year old reading level. Care has been taken to use dyslexia-friendly font, font size 14+ and 1.5 line spacing to allow easy reading for all students.
The questions range from simple fact-finding to more reflective and thought-provoking - see the preview for more details.
The worksheets require no prior knowledge and no teacher input so they can be used with a wide range of classes and abilities, students can work independently with no technology requirements, and they are ideal to leave for a non-specialist substitute teacher.
I keep some printed in my classroom for emergency teacher absences. I have also used it during displaced classes when we have no access to instruments, as make-up work for students opting out of the curriculum or a concert, as homework, and to supplement a unit on Classical composers.
I hate when classical music resources only include white male composers, so the range of classical composers have been chosen to include female composers and better reflect your diverse classroom.
Each worksheet usually lasts a lesson but if you have more able or older students, or longer periods, you might want to use two per lesson, or add in a classroom game to fill up the end of the lesson!
This set of posters showcases ten influential LGBTQ+ musicians who have made significant contributions to music and culture. Each poster highlights the artist’s background, notable achievements, and advocacy for LGBTQ+ rights:
Elton John: A legendary British singer-songwriter, known for his flamboyant style and timeless hits. He has sold over 300 million records and is a prominent advocate for AIDS awareness through his charity work.
Frank Ocean: An innovative R&B artist known for his introspective lyrics and genre-defying sound. Openly bisexual, he challenges norms in hip-hop and advocates for LGBTQ+ representation.
Sam Smith: A Grammy-winning artist celebrated for their powerful vocals and emotional ballads. Openly non-binary, Smith uses their platform to advocate for LGBTQ+ rights and mental health awareness.
Lady Gaga: A pop icon known for her theatricality and diverse music. Openly bisexual, she is a strong advocate for LGBTQ+ rights, using her influence to promote acceptance and equality.
Olly Alexander: The lead singer of Years & Years, Alexander is known for his candid discussions about mental health and sexuality. As an openly gay artist, he advocates for LGBTQ+ youth and representation.
Hayley Kiyoko: An openly lesbian artist and actress, known for her empowering songs that celebrate LGBTQ+ love and identity. She actively supports LGBTQ+ youth through her music and public speaking.
Arlo Parks: A rising star in the music scene, Parks combines her poetic lyrics with themes of mental health and identity. Openly bisexual, she promotes authenticity and vulnerability in her work.
Janelle Monáe: A genre-blending artist and actress who identifies as pansexual. Monáe uses her platform to advocate for LGBTQ+ rights and social justice, exploring themes of identity and empowerment in her music.
Freddie Mercury: The legendary frontman of Queen, known for his extraordinary voice and theatrical performances. Openly bisexual, Mercury became a gay icon and raised awareness for AIDS after his passing.
Lil Nas X: A trailblazer in hip-hop, known for his viral hit “Old Town Road.” Openly gay, he advocates for LGBTQ+ visibility and acceptance, challenging stereotypes within the genre.
This pack is for teachers running a ‘Composer of the week’ series in their school. It is suitable for both primary and secondary teachers and has been designed to save you time and energy finding suitable pieces to play. There are 40 weeks’ worth of music included in this pack.
You will need a Spotify account (free) to use the links provided in this pack.
This pack contains:
40 x Composer information sheets – each sheet contains useful information, 5 interesting facts and 6 selected pieces representing different moods. Links to the Model Music Curriculum are highlighted.
The Spotify links for each piece are included.
1 x Running a Composer of the week series information sheet – this sheet gives helpful tips on how to run a Composer of the week series including advice on how to get pupils and staff involved and opportunities to bring music into the school day.
A diverse range of composers are included in this pack, covering a variety of genres, nationalities and styles.
A set of posters featuring famous musicians who are also activists etc, AND famous people who are also musicians (e.g. Einstein played the violin).
Enjoy!
An interactive PowerPoint resource on Composing for Key Stage 2, 3, 4 and 5.
This resource is a comprehensive tool for students to stary composing wiht. You will find the following features in this condensed version of the resource:
Interactive Chord Wheel (circle of 5ths) with clickable chords for every key.
Interactive Chord Sequencer (with diagrams on how to play all chords on the piano).
Detailed improvisation techniques on Piano and Guitar.
Comprehensive demonstrations of the 7 Modes and 3 Blues Scales.
Interactive tasks on Scales and intervals for both Major and Minor.
A database of complex chords and how to play them (and examples of their uses in songs).
An interactive piano.
An interactive guide on how to play Major and Minor chords on Guitar.
An interactive guide on how to play Major and Minor chords on Ukulele
An interactive guide on how to find the notes on a bass fretboard.
An inbuilt tuner for Bass, Ukulele and Guitar.
To work the resource, download the file and put it into Slide Show Mode and go from there. For best use, save the file as a Slide Show Only PowerPoint file and give the students access to this ensure it works perfectly.
The resource works with Microsoft PowerPoint only. It will open in Google Slides but the interactivity will be lost
What is inspiration? Listen to 5 different composers who were inspired by Shakespeare.
The PowerPoint explores different genres of music all with the same inspiration - Romeo and Juliet.
The links are all to the full length versions of the clips
above.
The bundle will include three PowerPoints to be used for A level Musical Theatre for the Eduqas exam board. Inside are some example questions, song studies with sheet music and stylistic features for each of the composers.
Do you want to learn about the lives of Bach, Greig, Chopin, Beethoven and Handel? These packs come complete with clear life story presentations, summary of their lives, a quiz and a writing activity. A great topic for the famous people topic or while studying the lives of famous composers.
This is a step by step guide to composing rhythms and melodies. Pupils with no knowledge of notation can compose and notate 8 bar melodies in a short time. This is the platform from which to progress to be competent composers.
The 60 slide presentation includes 31 scored musical examples and 7 audio excerpts.
This is not a prescriptive guide. Use it, edit it, add to it.
(Preview.png and The Cabbage Song.png to demonstrate content).
Want to create a display about a jazz musician? Look no further than Miles Davis!
This is a Zip file containing printable PNG files. This is perfect for bulletin boards to make students aware of composers from a variety of eras and locations around the world.
Pages Include:
Composer of the Month Title Page
Labels for each category (who, where, when, etc)
Joplin Title page and picture
Biography
Cool Facts
Famous Compositions
Map of Joplin’s travels
Definition of the Month
Many teachers have found these packs helpful for interactive notebooks and handouts as well.
Dive into the dynamic world of session musicianship with our comprehensive teaching resource! Packed with engaging content, including a meticulously crafted PowerPoint presentation seamlessly integrated with insightful YouTube clips, this resource offers an immersive learning experience. Explore the intricacies of a session musician’s daily life through a captivating reading exercise, followed by a thought-provoking worksheet. Empower learners to craft their own professional identity with a hands-on CV creation task. Equip your students for success in the music industry!
Understanding the music industry and its diverse job roles empowers learners to explore career opportunities, develop specialized skills, and navigate the professional landscape effectively. It fosters creativity, industry knowledge, and adaptability, essential for success in this ever-evolving field.
These resources feature thought-provoking questions and exercises to help students develop their understanding of a broad range of different music professional careers and gain a better understanding of working in the modern Music Industry.
This is a fun game as part of the end of a lesson or start to look at composers with KS3. Pupils have to work out the composer/band/singer from pictures e.g. the example is a picture of a door handle; from there the pupils 'say what they see' and work out it's Handel. Others include Liszt, Chopin, Oasis, Jessie J, Britney Spears and Black Eyed Peas.
Any feedback you have or other musicians I could add in would be great, thanks!
20 Composers of Film Music for display.
A wide range of composers has been included here.
Clear image of composer, a range of compositions included.
Useful for display or discussion.