Find out how instruments with keyboards are made and played. From accordion to grand piano and harpsichord to organ, learn about the history of a variety of instruments and what part they can play in chamber, orchestral and popular music.

Roald Dahl musicals series. Goldilocks and the Three Bears. Little Red Riding Hood and the Wolf. A C Black pound;24.99 each. www.acblack.commusicals

Based on text from Revolting Rhymes, these are school musicals with the added brilliance of the late Roald Dahl. Each pack contains a pianovocal score, script (including cast list and production overview), staging suggestions and costume ideas. Plus a CD-Rom with rehearsal performances and backing tracks for each song, orchestral tracks for accompanying dance and action scenes, printable files of lyrics and optional orchestral parts and related classroom activities for acting, music and literacy. Details for obtaining a photocopying and performance licence for the shows are printed in the back of each book. Also available are Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and Jack and the Beanstalk.

Recorder Magic series. Classical Stars. A C Black pound;24.99. www.recordermagic.co.uk

Ten classical pieces, by Romantic composers Bizet, Strauss, Tchaikovsky and others, arranged to include descant recorder players from levels 1-4.

Backing tracks for practice and performance are supplied on an audio CD and a CD-Rom contains free printable parts so treble, tenor and bass recorders can join in too. Also available in this series Classical Stars and Christmas Stars.

Sound Foundation. Croydon Music Service pound;25. Di Philips, Croydon Early Education tel: 020 8726 7423

For those working with children at foundation stage, this handbook offers inspiration and ideas for teaching music. Featuring traditional and newly commissioned work, there are 58 musical activities arranged into four chapters covering singing, creating sounds from instruments, movement and turning stories into song.

Appendices list a recommended set of resources to accompany the scheme and templates for creating animal props. An accompanying CD provides examples of some songs to help teachers familiarise themselves with the works. Croydon Music Service runs a training programme for all early years and key stage 1 teachers offering advice on how to use Sound Foundation to its full potential.

History Songsheets series. The Truth about the Tudors. AC Black pound;8.99. www.acblack.comsongsheets

Reinforce history by singing about it. Ideal for classroom or assembly, the lyrics describe the succession of the house of Tudor following the battle of Bosworth. Photocopiable lyrics, full pianovocal score and a CD-Rom with practice and performance backing tracks are all included. Percussion parts and teachers’ notes can be downloaded from the website. Also available in this series are Amazing Egyptians, Just like a Roman and The Bebop Ballad of Boudicca. Another series for science covers force, gas, growth and materials.

Indian Melodies for Alto Saxophone. Schott pound;19.95. www.schott-music.com

Exercises and Indian music written in Western notation. The introduction describes the origins of the music, the instruments and learning systems of south and north India and the tradition of handing music down through the generations. There is also information about the role the saxophone plays in Indian music, explanations of the text used and an illustrated guide to hand gestures and a glossary of terms. An accompanying CD contains a performance of each piece.

Romantic Themes Classical Themes - Descant Recorder. AC Black pound;7.99 each. www.acblack.com

For young recorder players preparing their first solo performances, these two books each contain 10 arrangements of classical tunes. Popular pieces by Beethoven, Offenbach, Mozart and Verdi are all included. Each title comes with an additional book, containing piano accompaniment, and a CD with performances, practice tracks (slightly slower) and full orchestral backing tracks for each piece. Also available in this series is Christmas Carols.