www.boomacademy.co.uk

MTV and Adobe’s “Boom! Music Video Academy” is back. It provides teachers and students with tools to create their own music video and offers a range of lesson plans and resources to help with creating videos in many subjects. There is also a competition (next February deadline) with rewards for the best videos by secondary students using EMI soundtracks.

The Tango Fiddler. Edward Huws Jones. Boosey and Hawkes. pound;6.50 Pounds 11.99

The latest in the popular Fiddler series is this time set in Argentina. Giving a selection of Argentinean tangos from the 1920s to 1940s, and more recent examples by Piazzolla. The books are available in two formats, violin edition with optional easy violin part and guitar chords, or a complete edition with keyboard and violin accompaniment.

The History of the Steel Band. Verna Wilkins and Michael La Rose. Tamarind Books. pound;12.99

This book portrays the story of one of the few musical instruments invented in the 20th-century. Beginning in Trinidad where the Caribbeans started collecting, shaping, and tuning a variety of tins and barrels, the steel orchestra has conquered the world and is now heard at festivals, in squares and high streets. Also includes a CD with a selection of songs by Sterling’s Angels Steel Band.

His Life and Music. Stephen Johnson, Jeremy Nicholas. Naxos Books. Pounds 16.99

The two latest titles from Naxos’ “His Life and Music” series include Mahler (Johnson) and Chopin (Nicholas). The books include two CDs and a dedicated website with hours of music by the composers and their contemporaries. Earlier titles in the series include Mozart and Wagner, and this year sees new titles such as Meet the Instruments of the Orchestra, a colourful children’s book and The History of American Music examining the continent’s classical music from its birth to today.

34 Well-known Folk Songs. John Caudwell and John Kember. Schott Music. Pounds 5.99

Some of the best-known and loved folk songs have been put together for the enjoyment of beginners and advanced singers and players. All songs are presented in keys for easy singing and playing and with suggestions to experiment with tempo and style.

RGT Guitar Lessons. pound;9.99 each. www.BooksForGuitar.com

Five new titles from the Registry of Guitar Tutors covering most areas from classic rock soloing and finger-style blues to harmonics and plectrum picking. Each book contains 10 guitar lessons, all shown in both traditional notation and tablature. The books all include a CD with lesson examples and backing tracks to play along to.

* pound;2 million boost for musical instruments

Local Music Services will be given pound;2 million over the next two years to spend on repairing old and buying new instruments for primary pupils.

The Music Manifesto - developed by the DfES, Department for Culture, Media and Sport, music leaders, arts organisations and other groups - pledges to ensure that every child has the opportunity to learn an instrument.

www.teachernet.gov.ukdocbankindex.cfm?id=9406 www.musicmanifesto.co.uk

Geir Andreassen

Music and ICT

You can find a bonus selection of articles and reviews for music ICT in the TES Online Web Extras section at www.tes.co.ukonline