I wrote this scheme of work for year 7 to explore texture, tempo, dynamics and rhythm through Gamelan. It was designed for a five week half term but can easily be extended.

This is 2/3 lessons on the Baroque Solo concerto, it is assumed that this is the first topic in the AOS taught. It covers the key features, listening/analysis practice and common exam questions.

This is 2/3 (depending how long you spend on the activities) lessons on AOS2: The Concerto Through Time Romantic Concertos. There are listening activities embedded within this as well as a short listening test. This has been planned as if this is the final topic studied within the AOS.

This is a full introduction to composition for the AQA GCSE music course however it can be easily adapted for any exam board. It covers what is required for the composition component of the course as well as the fundamentals of composition, some homework and a mini-composition task to help students understand ‘how to’ compose. Any star symbols have a sound link to them and there are some videos embeded in the powerpoint.

This is a one/two lesson lesson with practical for AOS2: Popular Music for Stevie Wonder. There are links to songs embedded in the star symbols. Please note, I have only taught AOS2 for the section A portion of the exam so please be aware that there are no songs analysed in the detail required for section C.

This is a 6-week project on Blues Music. I would normally teach Blues music in a practical way however, this is a project designed as a composition task to be completed on BandLab, which these students have not done before so it also includes a ‘how to’ for what they need to do. There are several smaller tasks (research task, performance tasks, quiz) and one main task, I’ve asked students to either complete the practicals on a keyboard or a keyboard app but the main bulk is all BandLab.

This is a four lesson PowerPoint on Rock music suitable for the Eduqas music GCSE course. It covers the key features, instruments and artists. Links to examples are embedded within the stars. There is also a practical lesson included.

This is a one lesson lesson for AOS2: Popular Music for Daft Punk. There are links to songs embedded in the star symbols. Please note, I have only taught AOS2 for the section A portion of the exam so please be aware that there are no songs analysed in the detail required for section C.

This is a scheme of work I use with year 8 (although it could be any KS3 cohort) to introduce them to a DAW, in this case FL studio although it could be adapted for any DAW. It requires students to write a Hip-Hop song using Pachelbel’s canon bass line as a starting point in pairs with the key musical terminology being Ground Bass and Ostinato. Any stars within the PowerPoint have a link to a video attached.

Arrangement of Eye of the Tiger, it only has the intro, first half of the first verse and chorus. It’s a Sibelius 6 verison so that it’ll open on anything Sibelius 6 or later. It’s currently for two clarinets, cornet/trumpet, piano, bass and drums but can be easily rearranged for your needs.

Arrangement of Seven Nation Army by The White Stripes. It’s a Sibelius 6 verison so that it’ll open on anything Sibelius 6 or later. It’s only the first two verses/choruses. It’s currently for voice, flute, two clarinets, cornet/trumpet, piano, bass and drums but can be easily rearranged for your needs.

Arrangement of Bad Guy (Billie Eilish) although it doesn’t have the middle 8 section. It’s a Sibelius 6 verison so that it’ll open on anything Sibelius 6 or later. It’s currently for voice, flute, two clarinets, cornet/trumpet, piano and drums but can be easily rearranged for your needs.

This is the powerpoint and worksheets I have used to teach my students about the orchestra in the classical era and the orchestral music of Mozart and Beethoven. There are listening examples either embedded or linked in the PowerPoint and a listening test with answers for the end of the unit.

This is the powerpoint and all music resources I’ve used to teach Blues music of 1920-1950 to my GCSE students. The focus is on the vocabulary and the students listening skills, although there is some background information. I took 2 weeks to teach this with the majority of time dedicated to the students learning one of the four blues songs (also included). After performing, the rest of the class discussed the key blues features in each song. I have also added a class test to summarize the learning over the lessons.

This is a band/orchestra and choir arrangement for Joyful Joyful from Sister Act 2. I arranged this for the ensembles I have in school but have uploaded the Sibelius files to be edited to suit whatever ensemble you have. I have also included just a choir/piano version.

This is my arrangement of Shostakovich’s Waltz No.2 for string orchestra. Attached is a Sib 6, Sibelius Ultimate and PDF file for you to use or rearrange for your own needs.

I created this arrangement of the Game of Thrones theme for a typical school band. Within the pdf file is the score and parts. I have also included the sibelius file (sibelius 7) so that you can rearrange it for your school ensemble.

High resolution poster for reading the notes of the bass clef. Provided is an A1 sized PDF and an A0 sized png, suitable for printing on anything smaller. Perfect simple, clear poster for classroom or practice room display. Background on this version is yellow.

High resolution poster for reading the notes of the treble clef. Provided is an A1 sized PDF and an A0 sized png, suitable for printing on anything smaller. Perfect simple, clear poster for classroom or practice room display. Background on this version is white.

I wrote this scheme of work for year 7 to introduce them to reading music in a fun way. Initially the students learn to read the treble and bass clef and learn to play a simplified version of Imagine by John Lennon. Later on in the project, students specialised in an instrument or voice and learnt to play ‘The Sky from Jigsaw Jam’ by Music for Youth. The culmination of the project was a whole year performance of the sky.