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Chris Gill

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Chris Gill has over 25 years' experience in teaching music and has worked as a Director of Music and Deputy Head in several schools.

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Chris Gill has over 25 years' experience in teaching music and has worked as a Director of Music and Deputy Head in several schools.
Romantic Piano Music - analysis of all six AQA A Level set works (22 pages)
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Romantic Piano Music - analysis of all six AQA A Level set works (22 pages)

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22 pages of notes on the Romantic Piano Music strand of AoS1 in the AQA Music A Level Each of the six pieces is introduced with contextual information Each piece has a detailed structural analysis Each piece has a colour-coded analysis by elements of music Also included is a checklist of 25 ‘Romantic Piano Music - typical features’
Minimalism
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Minimalism

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An engaging, practical scheme of work of 6 hour-long music lessons for KS3 or KS4, with plenty of activities involving performing, composing and listening. Included in the downloads are everything you need to deliver this project (all of them editable): teacher's lesson plans and notes (including assessment sheet), pupils' worksheets, example composition and presentation, including audio/video links to YouTube. Tried-and-tested over several years as a Year 9 project, this would also work for Year 7 or 8, or even for Year 10, particularly as a way of getting pupils into composition. The project does not require knowledge of music notation, but there is an additional notation-based composition task for more advanced pupils. Objectives • To experience, through listening and performing, how a whole piece music can be created from one simple idea • To practise minimalist techniques through performing and composing • To listen to and analyse music by the minimalist composers John Adams, Steve Reich, Philip Glass, Michael Nyman and Terry Riley Lesson Overview • Lesson 1 – Motif and Ostinato • Lesson 2 – Note Addition and Note Subtraction • Lesson 3 – Canon and Layering • Lesson 4 – Augmentation and Diminution • Lesson 5 – Phasing and Phase-Shifting • Lesson 6 – Class Composition/Performance ‘in C’ Subject-specific vocabulary • MINIMALISM – a style of music which started in the USA in the 1960s. It is characterised by simple, repetitive patterns which are transformed throughout the piece, using various techniques, including: o Motif – a basic rhythmic or melodic pattern o Ostinato – a repeating pattern o Note Addition – gradually adding notes to a motif o Note Subtraction – gradually taking away notes from a motif o Canon – two or more parts performing the same motif but starting at different times o Layering – the process of adding or taking away parts (or layers) o Augmentation – the motif played in longer note values o Diminution – the motif played in shorter note values o Phasing – two or more parts gradually getting ‘out of sync’ with each other o Phase-shifting – two or more parts getting ‘out of sync’ by one beat at a time Assessments • Performing – Steve Reich’s Clapping Music • Composing – minimalist piece for two instruments, based on a simple one-bar motif • Listening – listening exercise on Steve Reich’s Electric Counterpoint
Kurt Weill: Five Songs - analysis (for AQA A Level Music etc. - 14 pages)
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Kurt Weill: Five Songs - analysis (for AQA A Level Music etc. - 14 pages)

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Musical analysis of five songs from Kurt Weill’s musical theatre shows: The Threepenny Opera: Mack the Knife The Threepenny Opera: Pirate Jenny The Threepenny Opera: Jealousy Duet The Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny: Alabama Song The Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny: Havana Song The songs are given their context within each show, together with an in-depth musical analysis under each element of music. 14 pages long - enough material for five lessons (1 song per lesson) Suitable for any study of musical theatre, particularly AQA A Level Music AoS4
Complete Year 7 Music Course
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Complete Year 7 Music Course

5 Resources
Over 30 lessons with over 60 pupils' worksheets and 60 pages of lesson plans and other teacher's notes - everything you need for class music lessons throughout Year 7.
Complete Year 9 Music Course
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Complete Year 9 Music Course

5 Resources
Over 30 lessons grouped in five topics: Dance Music, Minimalism, Latin Music, Romantic Music and Gospel, Blues, and Soul. Plenty of performing, composing and listening activities for the whole class, and full lesson plans and assessment sheets for the teacher.
Latin Music
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Latin Music

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KS3 Scheme of Work (6 lessons) Objectives • To perform a samba rhythm on unpitched percussion • To perform the tango ‘Por Una Cabeza’ on unpitched percussion or keyboards (rhythm only, bass line or chords, depending on ability) • To listen to a variety of sambas and tango • To compose a tango using a descending bass line with a ‘habanera’ rhythm, chords and melody Lesson overview • Lesson 1 – Listening to Samba • Lesson 2 – Performing a Samba • Lesson 3 – Listening to Tangos • Lesson 4 – Performing a Tango • Lesson 5 – Composing a Tango: chords and bass line • Lesson 6 – Composing a Tango: melody Subject-specific vocabulary • Samba instruments: o Tamborim o Caixa de Guerra (‘War Box’) o Cuíca o Repinique o Chocalho o Surdo (bass drum) • Tango instruments: bandoneón, violin, piano and bass • Habañera (dotted) rhythm • First inversion chords • Descending bass line • Perfect cadence Assessments • Listening: Listening to Samba (Lesson 1) • Performing: Samba band (Lesson 2, self-assessment) and ‘Por Una Cabeza’ (Lesson 4) • Composing: Tango (Lesson 6)
Indian Music
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Indian Music

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A complete scheme of work for KS3 Music Objectives • Performing: to play Indian ragas (melodic patterns) on the keyboard and to play talas (rhythmic cycles) on unpitched percussion • Composing: to compose a raga for keyboard using black and white notes, with two-note drone • Listening: to identify the following features of Indian classical music: o Timbre – Indian instruments: sitar, tabla and tambura o Melody – ragas (melodic patterns) o Rhythm – talas (rhythmic patterns) o Texture – layers of melody, drone and drum rhythm o Structure – sections of Indian classical piece: alap, jor and gat Lesson overview • Lesson 1: Instruments • Lesson 2: Ragas • Lesson 3: Composing your raga • Lesson 4: Playing your raga • Lesson 5: Talas • Lesson 6: Further listening Vocabulary • Indian instruments: o SITAR o TABLA o TAMBURA • Raga (melodic scale/pattern) • Flats and sharps • Tala (rhythmic cycle) vs. free rhythm (in alap) • Improvisation • Drone • Structure: Alap, Jor, Gat Assessment • Performing: playing given raga on keyboard • Composing: composing own raga on keyboard • Listening: written exercise on Indian classical music
Baroque Music
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Baroque Music

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Baroque Music KS3 scheme of work – 6-8 lessons Objectives • To listen to music from the Baroque Era (1600-1750) in a variety of genres by several composers • To perform part of Pachelbel’s Canon on the keyboard • To compose a melody above the ground bass of Pachelbel’s Canon Lesson overview • Lesson 1: Pachelbel’s Canon • Lesson 2: Scarlatti’s Sonata • Lesson 3: Bach’s Toccata and Fugue • Lesson 4: Handel’s Messiah • Lesson 5: Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas • Lesson 6: Vivaldi’s Four Seasons • Lesson 7/8: Group composition and performance N.B. The last two lessons are optional and can be completed in one lesson if necessary. Vocabulary • Genres o Sonata – piece for solo instrument(s) in several movements o Oratorio - religious story in several movements with singers and orchestra (not staged) o Opera - non-religious story in several movements with singers and orchestra (staged) o Concerto – piece for soloist(s) and orchestra in several movements • Movements within vocal works o Chorus – where the choir sings o Aria – a solo song o Recitative – a style of story-telling, halfway between normal speech and singing o Overture – a scene-setting piece for the orchestra (without singing) • Ground bass (ostinato) • Bass clef and bass stave notation • Instruments: o Bowed string family (violin, viola, cello, double bass) o Keyboard instruments (harpsichord and organ) Assessment • Performing: part of Pachelbel’s Canon on the keyboard • Composing: a melody above the ground bass of Pachelbel’s Canon • Listening: short exercises on different genres of Baroque music
Rock 'n' Roll
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Rock 'n' Roll

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Rock ‘n’ Roll KS3 Scheme of Work – 6 lessons Objectives • To learn about the origins of rock ‘n’ roll in the 1950s • To sing and play several rock ‘n’ roll and rock songs • To recognise some typical instruments – keyboard, drums and double bass – and their functions • To play the chords of C, F, G and Am on the keyboard • To perform the 12-bar blues and I-vi-IV-V chord progressions on the keyboard • To arrange a rock ‘n’ roll song for a group performance Lesson Overview 1. The Origins of Rock ‘n’ Roll 2. The 12-Bar Blues 3. The Bass Line 4. The I-vi-IV-V Progression 5. Preparing Group Arrangement 6. Group Performances and Listening Exercise Subject-specific vocabulary • Performers: Bill Haley and the Comets, Elvis Presley • Instruments: double bass, drum kit, keyboard • Chords: C, F, G, Am • 12-bar blues and I-vi-IV-V chord progressions Assessments • Performing (keyboard) – 12-bar blues • Composing – group arrangement of a Rock ‘n’ Roll song • Listening – Hound Dog This topic can be followed up with the topic on The Beatles, which introduces more secondary triads and more complex song structures, reflecting the development of rock music in the 1960s.
Mozart "The Marriage of Figaro" Act I - musical analysis for AQA Music A Level etc. (40+ pages)
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Mozart "The Marriage of Figaro" Act I - musical analysis for AQA Music A Level etc. (40+ pages)

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A detailed analysis of all of the music numbers in “The Marriage of Figaro” Act I set for AQA A Level Music (i.e. all except No. 2 duet and No. 8 chorus), together with an introduction, synopsis, and three quizzes with answers provided. Each number is analysed over several pages by section and by elements of music (over 40 pages in total). Ideal for teaching AQA A Level Music AoS1 or as wider listening for other A Level Music courses.
Elements of Music
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Elements of Music

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A scheme of work lasting 8-9 weeks for KS3 (11-14) introducing pupils to the seven elements of music: pitch, rhythm, texture, structure, tempo, dynamics and instruments. This is particularly useful as a project at the beginning of Year 7. - Perform an arrangement of 'Ode to Joy' on the keyboard which demonstrates all the elements of music - Compose a piece for keyboard with contrasts in all of the elements of music - Listen to different examples of elements of music (all listening examples are provided as YouTube links) Includes a 16-page teacher's guide and 12-page pupil's workbook, which may be photocopied freely within the purchasing school. Also included are clear assessments for performing, composing and listening. Pdf and Word (.docx) formats included in the download. Pdf is ready to print at A4 size; Word format can be edited but the formatting and fonts may not match the pdf.
Harmonising Bach Chorales
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Harmonising Bach Chorales

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This book is a concise guide to the harmony of Bach’s chorales for advanced level music students, equipping them with the knowledge and understanding to complete their own chorale harmonisations with confidence and accuracy. Bach’s practice in harmonising chorales is explored throughout the book, from the basics of four-part writing to the complexities of chromatic harmony. With over 40 examples of complete Bach chorales and over 30 exercises, including 10 examination-style questions. Also included is the Breitkopf and Hartel edition of Bach's 371 Chorales.
Dance Music
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Dance Music

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A scheme of work of 6-8 lessons for KS3 (ages 11-14; Years 7-9) including complete lesson plans, assessments and a 12-page pupil workbook - Listen to dances from Renaissance pavane to contemporary dubstep (all listening examples are provided as YouTube links) - Perform a disco song (solo and ensemble) using voices, keyboards and percussion - Compose an electronic dance track using online sequencer - Learn about time signatures, instruments and the 'circle progression' of chords
GCSE Songwriting
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GCSE Songwriting

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A step-by-step self-guided process for GCSE students to compose a song in any style. Typically lasts for 5-10 hours. Four-page worksheet with lyric ideas (both in .doc and .pdf format) plus example song in .sib format.
Film Music
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Film Music

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KS3 Scheme of Work (6-8 lessons) including 10 pages of teacher's notes and 14 pupils' worksheets Objectives • To become familiar with music for different films and to recognise film genres • To learn how some musical features can be combined to create soundtracks for different film genres • To perform a film music theme on the keyboard, and to adapt it to compose for a film clip Overview • Lesson 1: Film and Genre • Lesson 2: Musical Ideas for Film Genres • Lesson 3*: Orchestral Film Music • Lesson 4: Listening to the James Bond Theme • Lesson 5: Practising the James Bond Theme • Lesson 6: Performing the James Bond Theme • Lesson 7*: Composing film music • Lesson 8*: Final evaluation of composition • Cover lesson/homework worksheets: o Sound effects for film o Creative sound effects o A Century of Film Music (2 pages) * Lessons 3, 7 and 8 are self-contained lessons which can be omitted for a shorter scheme of work Subject-specific vocabulary • Film genres: thriller, romance, cartoon, comedy, sci-fi, western • Musical features: cluster chords, ‘oom-pah’ accompaniment, atonal, major, minor, chromatic • Timbres: synthesiser, strings, brass Assessments • Performing (keyboard) – The James Bond Theme • Listening – Film Genres, James Bond Theme with score and in context of a film • Composing – Goldfinger pre-credits sequence
A great and mighty wonder
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A great and mighty wonder

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A complete carol from '50 Christmas Carols', edited by Chris Gill. Arranged for four parts (SATB) on two staves, with the lyrics for all of the verses printed in between the staves. The complete edition of '50 Christmas Carols' is available as a pdf and Sibelius file from TES resources, or as a paperback from Amazon.
Jazz - the Swing Era
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Jazz - the Swing Era

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Poster showing the influences of New Orleans (trad.) jazz (1917-1930) and New York Dance Bands (1917-1930) on the Swing Era (1928-1945). Word docx and pdf files included.