KS2–3 Music: Composer of the Day – January Reading & Listening

A January composer comprehension pack featuring daily biographies, reading questions, answers and listening QR codes for KS2 and KS3 music lessons.

This resource is a comprehensive January composer comprehension pack, designed to support daily music appreciation, reading comprehension, and cross-curricular learning throughout the month. Ideal for KS2 and KS3, each day focuses on a different composer, combining listening, biography reading, and structured comprehension questions.

Perfect for Music lessons, English reading activities, tutor time, cover lessons, or calm daily starters, this pack works well for both specialist and non-specialist teachers.

What’s Included

You will receive a single PDF containing daily composer pages for January, with each day including:

A short composer biography (approx. 150 words, age 8+ reading level)

Five comprehension questions focusing on:

• Retrieval
• Word meaning
• Inference
• Explaining and exploring
• Summarising

Fully written suggested answers

A QR code linking directly to a listening page on MusicOfTheDay.co.uk

A clear, consistent layout suitable for printing or digital use

Composers Featured

The January pack includes a wide and diverse range of composers from different eras and genres, including:

Johann Christian Bach, Barbara Pentland, Maurice Jaubert, Giovanni Battista Pergolesi, Elizabeth Cotten, Alexander Scriabin, Francis Poulenc, Andrej Očenáš, Vic Mizzy, David Bowie, John Lodge Ellerton, Väinö Aatos Hannikainen, Ami Maayani, Michael Arne, Ivor Novello, Tage Nielsen, Tomaso Albinoni, César Cui, Maria Teresa Agnesi Pinottini, Ennio Porrino, John Dowland, Irwin Levine, John Field, Friedrich von Flotow, Etta James, Phillip Houghton, Johannes Mozart, Acker Bilk, Daniel Auber, Thomas Tallis, and Franz Schubert.

This mix allows pupils to explore classical, folk, film, popular, and early music, supporting broad musical and cultural understanding.

Skills Developed

Reading comprehension

Vocabulary and inference

Cultural and historical awareness

Listening and musical appreciation

Independent and guided learning

Cross-curricular links between Music and English

Best For

KS2 and KS3 classrooms

Daily January starter activities

Music appreciation units

Cover and supply lessons

Tutor time or enrichment

Non-specialist music teaching

Format

One PDF download containing all January composer pages and answer sheets.

Terms of Use

This resource is licensed for single-teacher use only. Please purchase additional licences if sharing across a department or school.