This topic aims to teach children how to use Garage Band on the iPads. It is ideal for KS2 and KS3. It begins with step-by-step instructions for children to create a simple rock piece of music. Whilst doing this they are learning how to create a new song, add instruments, use pre-set patterns, add drums loops/tracks and play the Garage Band guitar. The class are then given the opportunity to create their own compositions whilst exploring the other features on Garage Band. The topic also teaches them how to use the Smart drums, Smart strings, Drums, Sampler, Keyboard and Microphone (audio recorder).

I have written this Topic to help teach children learn to play the Ukulele. It’s a great resource if you’re doing Wider Opps/First Access. I have written a lesson plan that covers 6 weeks but this can easily be stretched out to a whole terms worth of material. The class will learn up to 6 chords, plenty of fun songs and will also begin to learn how to read and play from Tablature (this is a great skill for those who will continue to learn rock/pop guitar). The PowerPoint has plenty of recognisable songs, pictures to help with chord positions, a brief history and origin of the Ukulele. It has been UPDATED with plenty of songs and melodies to learn including Star Wars, Pink Panther, Harry Potter etc. You can create a book using the PDF’s. Enjoy!

This is a short project I did with KS2. It contains a Powerpoint with all the relevant information about how to write your own song. You will need to link music to the relevant pictures. It has music for a class to play 'I Gotta Feeling&' by the Black Eyed Peas. There is also a very basic lesson plan with it.

This topic explores music of the Far East including the following countries: China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Japan, Thailand, Vietnam, Polynesia, Bali and Java. Year 5 will also learn about the importance of the pentatonic scale in Chinese music. They will be given the opportunity to learn to play a traditional piece of Chinese music (Jasmine Flower) on tuned percussion and keyboards and will also be set the task of composing their own piece of music using the pentatonic scale. The class will also be given the opportunity to learn to sing a Filipino & Polynesian song as well as taking part in a classroom Gamelan activity for the last two weeks (they will use classroom tuned percussion to create Gamelan style music). As well as broadening their musical listening and experiences this topic is also great for linking with geography and history too.

In this topic the children will be given the opportunity to develop their compositional skills by writing music for their own version of the well known musical story Peter and the Wolf as well as helping to create their own musical story. The children will be able to creatively think about how different instruments/sounds/textures can help to portray a particular character, creature and/or emotion. The children will be given the task of creating their own story using pictures and writing and then adding a musical score to it. This topic will also allow the children to continue developing their singing skills by singing the fun song ‘Shake my sillies out’ as well as developing their musical thinking skills by determining which sounds/instruments suit certain scenarios/characters/scenes the best. This topic is very engaging from start to finish with plenty of activities and original lesson starters, Enjoy!

This resource has been created to help teachers with whole class (wider opportunities/first access) guitar teaching. It is based on learning guitar via Tablature (TAB) and chord boxes. It begins by teaching children how to read TAB with some simple melodies. Teacher can accompany the class on piano or guitar. The PowerPoint then continues on to teaching children 4 chords (G, C, D & Em), either the short versions (circled) or the full versions. There is then a large amount of popular rock and pop riffs and well known melodies from AC/DC to Harry Potter and Ed Sheeran to Metallica for the children to learn to play. I have also attached 10 pages that can be put together to create a booklet for the children to take home. ** Recently updated to include a lot more riffs!** Enjoy!

I have a created a 'Who wants to be a millionaire&' quiz based on Popular music of the 20th & 21st Century (AQA Music). Four of the questions are based on audio files so you will need to add your own. The answers are in the &';notes' tab underneath the edit page. Enjoy

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. Hope it's of some help!

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)

Get the class to play the riff from Ed Sheeran’s - Shape of you! Music for: Piano/Tuned percussion Guitar Bass guitar Ukulele Boomwhackers Have fun :) NOT in the original key

This is from my Music of the Far East topic. It's a piece of Gamelan style music that can be played using classroom percussion (Tuned and un-tuned). It's colour coded to help children play the piece with relative ease. I've attached a WAV file of the the piece. Enjoy!

Here are a selection of pieces for rock and pop bands. They includes parts for Guitar (riff and chords), Bass Guitar, Drums, Keyboard/Piano and Vocals (lyrics). Some of the keys have been changed to suit children’s voices/make them easier to play (child friendly keys) Enjoy :)

A Video Game Music topic perfect for KS2 (and KS3!) This topic gives students the opportunity to: Learn about the history of video game music Learn how sounds and music were created during the 80’s (Chiptune music) Listen to a variety of different styles of music used in video games throughout time Create their own video game music using Beepbox (free online software) Create their own pixel characters and scenes using Make 8-bit art (free online software) This resource does not come with a lesson plan but notes are included on each slide (in Powerpoint) with a suggested week to week learning sequence.

Winter’s night - a 3 part Christmas song, perfect for children. Resource includes: Score Parts Backing tracks Guide tracks

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

Tetris for keyboards/percussion

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.

Area of Study 4 & 5 with links to musical examples on YouTube

This is a selection of well known riffs for percussion. They all use the notes in on octave of the C Major Scale, so perfect for classroom percussion. Each riff comes with a coloured version to be used with coloured Boom Whackers and Chimes. Faded - Alan Walker Dance Monkey - Tones and I Shape of you - Ed Sheeran Seven nation army - The white stripes Eye of the tiger - Survivor

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