Here are 6 posters that can be used as a fantastic revision source for your pupils. Each poster has been created in publisher so you have the ability to alter and personalise them (school name, GCSE target grade etc). One of the posters highlights suggested pieces of music to listen to linking to each strand. The other posters each highlight the individual AoS. The posters act like music advent calendars. How they work. Once printed in colour and A3 all your students have to do is to purchase standard size sticky notes. Each information square is the exact size of a sticky note. Your pupils simple cover all the squares and each day they choose one at random to learn or revise. At the end of the day when they get home they can either tick the check list if they understand the term or leave it blank. This is fantastic for tracking their own progress and also tick the boxes for us, the teacher, as these are their PLC's and 100% sheets. A PDF file has been created for one of the files so you can preview the posters :-)

Here is an easy to use log book for unit 2. If your students keep a week by week log of what they have done including the music they have composed, problems them have had and how they have overcome them (very important) and any research they have done it will drastically help them when it comes to answering the unit 2 questions. At the back of the booklet are the 6 questions the pupils will be answering so they can plan ahead. The uploaded booklet focuses on the current strand, world music but all that needs altering for the next year is the links to the strand. When printing the log book make extra copies of pages 2 and 3 as these are the lesson by lesson tracking pages and you will need a few! On the front there is space for target grade (obviously 4LoP), mark out of 20 in order to achieve their target, link to the strand and chosen AoS. You can set this work booklet as homework where students can reflect on their progress and set them selves tasks for the next lesson.

This is a good resource to use as a whole class ensemble at first and then to split the class into smaller groups so they can arrange the performance themselves. There are two ukulele parts that are differentiated, one has the melody and one has accompanying chords (only two note). There is another file for Ukulele part 1, this has the lyrics on to help the students initially with the rhythms. I have also included a bass guitar part which could also be doubled on a keyboard. If you download the resources please make a comment :-) Have fun! The pupils will! :-)

In this resource pack I have re arranged the layout of the assessment grids provided by AQA. Currently in the specification each area is laid out over several pages, with these resources you can assess each part of the course separately. There are sheets for the following -Solo performance -Ensemble Performance -Tech performance -Composition I have added the new 1-9 grading but obviously this is a professional judgement to the rough boundaries. Once the first cohort has gone through and you have the grade boundaries you will be able to move the 1-9's to make it more accurate. I have been using these for a year and both my staff and pupils find them easy to use and understand. They are best printed in colour but this I know can take a toll on your budget!

I have uploaded the baseline assessment I use for the very first lesson for year 7 and 8 and their exit lesson towards the end of the academic year. The assessment for year 7 covers some generic music theory knowledge from note identification, to instrument identification both written and aurally, descriptions of elements of music and other listening activities. The assessment for year 8 covers similar material but this time it is not testing what they know but testing what they should have learnt in year 7. It goes through the theoretical side like the year 7 assessment but also reflects on last years topics. Obviously this is specific to my SoW but there is nothing stopping you quickly altering that section, only a 5 minute job :-) This download also comes with a teacher guide with the answers, great if you have a new starter or long term supply. Some of the listening questions will require you to create the musical material. For instance, identifying if the music gets louder or quieter or stays the same. This can easily be done with some simple chords. Finally I use active inspire and so have included the instrument listening and extended questions in the flip chart. Enjoy :-)

In this resource students explore many different areas of performing based on popular songs that use the common 4 chord progression. At the start of the topic students work together at whole class singing task demonstrating they can sing multiple parts at the same time. Later in the topic students are introduced to 5 instrumental parts (bass guitar, guitar, ukulele, piano and drum kit) where they can choose which one to play. The topic can be taught as a whole class activity or if you have a high ability group, once all parts are taught they can be divided into groups of 8; 1 drummer, 1 bassist, 1 guitarist/ukulele , 1 keyboard and 4 singers. A highly enjoyable topic for staff and students. Great to build up confidence in all pupils and develop their skills on more than one instrument. The topic can be added to and personalised to suite your teaching needs/style. The download includes: -Active Inspire flipchart -Song sheet -Instrument part sheet -Homework

This resources is designed around weaker students who struggle to retain all the new GCSE terminology at the beginning of the 2 year GCSE Music journey. The first two pages include the key information that students will need to know in order to access any GCSE music course. Some key terms have not been defined as this is part of the resource's task. If a student is not sure of a musical term they are to research it and add it to the table in the back if the document. They then can refer to this if they struggle understanding a task in lesson or they can use it as a revision source for home learning. This can be easily adapted to suite KS3 and any KS4 music exam board.

A simple A4 document that can be easily printed and customised to suite your school/department. This should be used to help track any mock and final performances and pupils should have access to this so they can look at the teacher feedback and the areas for development.

In this resource the materials are based around Rhythm. When teaching rhythm students need to explore metre, notation, rhythmic variations, rhythmic developments and rhythmic dictation. This resources is to be used once students have a grasp of basic rhythmic writing and identification (can dictate simple crotchet and quaver rhythms). In the download there are three rhythmic dictation exercises. I usually work through sheet one with the pupils and then pair them up so they can peer assess the other two sheets. This way they have to both be able to play the rhythms and dictate the rhythms. Also included is the necessary PLC (pupil check list) which can be used for personalised learning and intervention. Finally there is a homework sheet which alternatively could be used as a in class activity based on rhythmic development. This is good especially if you have percussionist in your class as they may want to compose a piece based on tuned and unturned percussion instruments.

A fantastic tried, tested and evolved resource for over 6 years, Indian Raga. I deliver this topic to my year 7 classes but as always, you the teacher can adapt this resource. Included in the download is a substantial and detailed Active Inspire Flipchart including lesson by lesson activities such as evaluating and analysing Indian music, playing djembes (substitute for Tabla) and keyboards. As well as having a detailed Flipchart students have a Indian Raga booklet where the teacher and students can track their learning (teacher feedback), reflect on each lesson (showing progress) and it includes all the musical material they need. Also an Indian Raga homework is included for both higher and lower ability students. The resources has been developed by myself but I have included musical excerpts and videos taken from free resources on the internet. Please leave a comment as I am always looking to improve the material I provide.

Here is a brilliant resource designed to help GCSE students learn and revise about musical harmony. In this package you will find; 1. A personalised learning checklist in which both the teacher and student can assess their learning allowing the teacher to use appropriate intervention. 2. Two starter activities which can be used as a fun and quick way to learn the basics of musical harmony, getting students engaged in learning as soon as they walk into class. 3. Finally, five activities with a suggested order of teaching where students will explore and develop their skills in identifying intervals, chords and keywords. Activity 2.5 can be used as a quick interactive game where all students will be engaged in identifying intervals. (Best to be printed on card).

Here I have uploaded 13 dictation exercises for both year 10 and year 11 GCSE Music students. These are great practice for the melodic and rhythmic questions in the unit 1 exam. They could also be used with higher ability KS3 students when you are looking at the theory of music (notation, pitch and rhythm). All files are in PDF form but I have also included 6 Sibelius template files, one of each task so that you can create your own exercises. :-) 3 in Sibelius 5 format and 3 in Sibelius 7 format How they work. Melodic Dictation – There are three melodic dictation files included in this download. For these tasks the teacher is to complete the melodies prior to the lesson. To do this you simply have to put a note in of your choice where there is an *. Once this is done you play each melody to your class asking them to fill in the missing pitch. Each file progresses in difficulty. Pitch Dictation – There are seven pitch dictation files in this download. For these tasks the teacher is to play the music but where an * is indicated the teacher will not play the note scored on the music. It is up to the student to fill in the correct note. Rhythmic Dictation - There are three melodic dictation files included in this download. For these tasks the teacher is to play each melody but with moments of incorrect rhythm. The student is then to circle where there are mistakes. If they can they are to note the rhythm that is played.

Here is a fully planned topic lasting up to 8 weeks suitable for year 7 or the initial stages of year 8. The topic is based around performance and composition. Students have to first play an early piece by Elvis called Love Me Tender. Here they will gain an understanding of the structure of the song. Once they have played the piece (two lessons) they then move onto compositing their own in the style of Love Me Tender following the same structure. Students will also analyse a piece by Elvis commenting on common aspects like the timbre and mood. The topic has been created in Active Inspire. This is a more interactive way of teaching a music lesson as apposed to using PowerPoint. Active Inspire (a promethean product) allows students, as it says in the name be active. They can come to the white board and move objects and annotate on the screen and feel more part of the lesson. It is the way forward for KS3! The download includes -Active inspire topic - All music, videos, key parts of the work booklet and homework are embedded to help your teaching! -PDF of active inspire topic -AABA tune work booklet with tracking and feedback opportunities built in -Sibelius file of Love Me Tender -2 pieces of homework which are differentiated Once downloaded if you have any comments, suggestions or questions about the work please write a review and I will respond ASAP. I am more than happy to help :-)

Here is a fantastic resource based on Baroque music (new AQA spec). Suggested 2-3 lessons. Included in the files are as follows; 1. A word document containing three listening questions laid out as an exam paper. Once you have discussed and explored Baroque music how you want to you can then use these as a tool for formative assessment. You could even use it as a 'seen' paper as pupils could annotate the questions. 2. Three audio examples already cut for the question paper (1). 3. Teacher answer sheet for (1). 4. An A3 interactive revision poster (very popular) which can be directly printed from the PDF or customised for your pupils. All they need is 15 post it notes to cover up the facts which can be removed like an advent calendar. 5. A final assessment in two parts; the first a knowledge based set of question and 2. a set of listening questions. Again a audio example has been pre cut to use for this. Please note that this resource has been created by myself but I have used free musical examples from the internet. Please leave feedback for this resource as I am always wanting to improve what I provide.