This series of nine posters about the Elements of Music is based around the popular acronym DR SMITH. The posters can be used around your department or classroom and are designed to help embed GCSE and A Level tier musical language throughout the wider school. The posters are suitable for display in either Secondary or Primary schools. These could also be used as knowledge organizers or reference sheets for Key Stage 3 and GCSE courses. DR SMITH stands for Dynamics, Rhythm, Structure, Melody (and Metre), Instrumentation, Texture (and Tonality, Timbre and Tempo) and Harmony. Other variations on the acronym have been used but I find these to cover the most important aspects of musical knowledge in the simplest way. Each poster is colour-coded to fit with the acronym DR SMITH. This same colour scheme can be used further up the school in GCSE and A Level analysis.

A brightly coloured and accessible knowledge organiser for Paul Simon’s Graceland - the set work for AOS3 (Traditional Music) AQA GCSE music. This contains essential information on all three study pieces, colour coded and organised into the musical elements (DR SMITH). All contextual information is based on that provided by AQA.

“Dynamics” poster from a series of nine posters about the Elements of Music is based around the popular acronym DR SMITH. The posters can be used around your department or classroom and are designed to help embed GCSE and A Level tier musical language throughout the wider school. The posters are suitable for display in either Secondary or Primary schools. These could also be used as knowledge organizers or reference sheets for Key Stage 3 and GCSE courses. DR SMITH stands for Dynamics, Rhythm, Structure, Melody (and Metre), Instrumentation, Texture (and Tonality, Timbre and Tempo) and Harmony. Other variations on the acronym have been used but I find these to cover the most important aspects of musical knowledge in the simplest way. Each poster is colour-coded to fit with the acronym DR SMITH. This same colour scheme can be used further up the school in GCSE and A Level analysis.

“Texture” poster from a series of nine posters about the Elements of Music, based around the popular acronym DR SMITH. This poster visually demonstrates two key types of texture - monophonic and polyphonic - as well as explaining the broader terms of ‘thick’ and ‘thin’. The posters can be used around your department or classroom and are designed to help embed GCSE and A Level tier musical language throughout the wider school. The posters are suitable for display in either Secondary or Primary schools. These could also be used as knowledge organizers or reference sheets for Key Stage 3 and GCSE courses. DR SMITH stands for Dynamics, Rhythm, Structure, Melody (and Metre), Instrumentation, Texture (and Tonality, Timbre and Tempo) and Harmony. Other variations on the acronym have been used but I find these to cover the most important aspects of musical knowledge in the simplest way. Each poster is colour-coded to fit with the acronym DR SMITH. This same colour scheme can be used further up the school in GCSE and A Level analysis. The full set of posters is available here: https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/dr-smith-elements-of-music-posters-12339977

A double sided self-help resource sheet with all the required information for pupils to learn to play the songI Shot the Sheriff by Bob Marley - great for reggae and world music performance units. The instructions detail how to play the chords of the song (in the simplified key of A minor) on keyboard/piano, guitar, ukulele and bass guitar. These sheets can be used for remote/online teaching in conjunction with online keyboards, or printed and laminated for classroom use.

A display/classroom resource with images of musical instruments and performers from around the world, including the origin and a recommended performer for each instrument. These can be used as a display on their own, or in conjunction with a world map as pictured. A great resource for promoting diversity and multiculturalism whilst encouraging wider listening amongst your students!

“Metre” poster from a series of nine posters about the Elements of Music, based around the popular acronym DR SMITH. The posters can be used around your department or classroom and are designed to help embed GCSE and A Level tier musical language throughout the wider school. The posters are suitable for display in either Secondary or Primary schools. These could also be used as knowledge organizers or reference sheets for Key Stage 3 and GCSE courses. DR SMITH stands for Dynamics, Rhythm, Structure, Melody (and Metre), Instrumentation, Texture (and Tonality, Timbre and Tempo) and Harmony. Other variations on the acronym have been used but I find these to cover the most important aspects of musical knowledge in the simplest way. Each poster is colour-coded to fit with the acronym DR SMITH. This same colour scheme can be used further up the school in GCSE and A Level analysis.

“Instrumentation” poster from a series of nine posters about the Elements of Music, based around the popular acronym DR SMITH. This poster shows the four main categories of musical instruments and details several instruments within those categories used both within the orchestra and around the world. The posters can be used around your department or classroom and are designed to help embed GCSE and A Level tier musical language throughout the wider school. The posters are suitable for display in either Secondary or Primary schools. These could also be used as knowledge organizers or reference sheets for Key Stage 3 and GCSE courses. DR SMITH stands for Dynamics, Rhythm, Structure, Melody (and Metre), Instrumentation, Texture (and Tonality, Timbre and Tempo) and Harmony. Other variations on the acronym have been used but I find these to cover the most important aspects of musical knowledge in the simplest way. Each poster is colour-coded to fit with the acronym DR SMITH. This same colour scheme can be used further up the school in GCSE and A Level analysis. The full set of posters is available here: https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/dr-smith-elements-of-music-posters-12339977

“Melody” poster from a series of nine posters about the Elements of Music, based around the popular acronym DR SMITH. Covers key melodic terms such as conjunct/disjunct, treble/bass, pitch, sharp/flat and ascending/descending. The posters can be used around your department or classroom and are designed to help embed GCSE and A Level tier musical language throughout the wider school. The posters are suitable for display in either Secondary or Primary schools. These could also be used as knowledge organizers or reference sheets for Key Stage 3 and GCSE courses. DR SMITH stands for Dynamics, Rhythm, Structure, Melody (and Metre), Instrumentation, Texture (and Tonality, Timbre and Tempo) and Harmony. Other variations on the acronym have been used but I find these to cover the most important aspects of musical knowledge in the simplest way. Each poster is colour-coded to fit with the acronym DR SMITH. This same colour scheme can be used further up the school in GCSE and A Level analysis.

“Rhythm” poster from a series of nine posters about the Elements of Music, based around the popular acronym DR SMITH. The posters can be used around your department or classroom and are designed to help embed GCSE and A Level tier musical language throughout the wider school. The posters are suitable for display in either Secondary or Primary schools. These could also be used as knowledge organizers or reference sheets for Key Stage 3 and GCSE courses. DR SMITH stands for Dynamics, Rhythm, Structure, Melody (and Metre), Instrumentation, Texture (and Tonality, Timbre and Tempo) and Harmony. Other variations on the acronym have been used but I find these to cover the most important aspects of musical knowledge in the simplest way. Each poster is colour-coded to fit with the acronym DR SMITH. This same colour scheme can be used further up the school in GCSE and A Level analysis.

“Structure” poster from a series of nine posters about the Elements of Music, based around the popular acronym DR SMITH. This poster compares use of structure in pop music (verse chorus form) with that of classical (binary, rondo, through composed, ternary, sonata form). The posters can be used around your department or classroom and are designed to help embed GCSE and A Level tier musical language throughout the wider school. The posters are suitable for display in either Secondary or Primary schools. These could also be used as knowledge organizers or reference sheets for Key Stage 3 and GCSE courses. DR SMITH stands for Dynamics, Rhythm, Structure, Melody (and Metre), Instrumentation, Texture (and Tonality, Timbre and Tempo) and Harmony. Other variations on the acronym have been used but I find these to cover the most important aspects of musical knowledge in the simplest way. Each poster is colour-coded to fit with the acronym DR SMITH. This same colour scheme can be used further up the school in GCSE and A Level analysis.

“Timbre”, “Tonality” and “Tempo” poster from a series of nine posters about the Elements of Music, based around the popular acronym DR SMITH. The posters can be used around your department or classroom and are designed to help embed GCSE and A Level tier musical language throughout the wider school. The posters are suitable for display in either Secondary or Primary schools. These could also be used as knowledge organizers or reference sheets for Key Stage 3 and GCSE courses. DR SMITH stands for Dynamics, Rhythm, Structure, Melody (and Metre), Instrumentation, Texture (and Tonality, Timbre and Tempo) and Harmony. Other variations on the acronym have been used but I find these to cover the most important aspects of musical knowledge in the simplest way. Each poster is colour-coded to fit with the acronym DR SMITH. This same colour scheme can be used further up the school in GCSE and A Level analysis. The full set of posters is available here: https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/dr-smith-elements-of-music-posters-12339977

“Harmony” poster from a series of nine posters about the Elements of Music, based around the popular acronym DR SMITH. This poster shows a simplified method for constructing both major and minor chords on the keyboard. The posters can be used around your department or classroom and are designed to help embed GCSE and A Level tier musical language throughout the wider school. The posters are suitable for display in either Secondary or Primary schools. These could also be used as knowledge organizers or reference sheets for Key Stage 3 and GCSE courses. DR SMITH stands for Dynamics, Rhythm, Structure, Melody (and Metre), Instrumentation, Texture (and Tonality, Timbre and Tempo) and Harmony. Other variations on the acronym have been used but I find these to cover the most important aspects of musical knowledge in the simplest way. Each poster is colour-coded to fit with the acronym DR SMITH. This same colour scheme can be used further up the school in GCSE and A Level analysis. The full set of posters is available here: https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/dr-smith-elements-of-music-posters-12339977

A double sided self-help resource sheet with all the required information for pupils to learn to play the song I Feel Good by James Brown - a popular song which pupils will be likely to recognise. This is a 3 chord song with a 12-bar blues progression so it can be used for units on pop, funk, blues and band skills. The instructions detail how to play the chords of the song (in the original key of D major) on keyboard/piano, guitar, ukulele and bass guitar. These sheets can be used for remote/online teaching in conjunction with online keyboards, or printed and laminated for classroom use.

Help sheet for the song Stay With Me by Sam Smith. This resource contains all the information needed to play the song (in the simplified key of C major/A minor) on guitar, bass, ukulele and piano or keyboard. Stay With Me is a popular song that pupils are likely to recognise, and it uses a repeated three chord progression throughout making it ideal for whole class performances. You can encourage pupils to vary their dynamics and rhythm between the verse and chorus. These sheets can be printed and laminated for classroom use or distributed online for virtual learning/homework.