This 124 page resource provides you with a broad selection of exam style listening tests, with the aim of helping your students to prepare as best as possible for the listening paper at the end of the course. Books of listening questions for GCSE Music are not new, and you may have access to one or more of these that are written specifically for your course already. The aim of this book is slightly different in that the questions are grouped by element of music. Like in a GCSE paper each question in this book has multiple parts; however, each part of the question in this book links to one, rather than multiple, elements of music. This is useful when you’re still teaching content as you can get your students to practicing listening and recognising specific compositional elements, without having to use up, or edit, your bank of ‘real’ exam questions. The questions in this book are grouped into five units, one for each element of music: Unit 1: Instrumentation and Sonority Unit 2: Rhythm and Metre Unit 3: Melody Unit 4: Texture and Dynamics Unit 5: Harmony and Tonality Each unit concludes with a summary question covering a range of the topics covered in the unit. At the end of the book you’ll find a set of 6 exam style questions. These differ in that they cover all elements of music, and have one extract for each question, rather than several. This format is more similar to what you’ll find in the exam, and provides a useful bridging point into attempting questions specific to your course. This book includes 45 total questions, complete with a mark scheme and mark record sheet that students can used to track their progress. A sample double page spread is available to view in the files section. Audio files All of the audio tracks you’ll need to answer the questions in this book are included with the digital download of the resource. The files are contained in two compressed zip files, which you’ll just need to extract onto your computer. Please note that, as a result of only certain genres being released under the Creative Commons and Public Domain licenses, the majority of the audio tracks are drawn from classical and jazz repertoire. Some film music style tracks have also been used, although these are stock audio files, and in many cases will never have been used in film. For the purposes of practice listening, however, this should not affect the value of this book. This book provides excellent unfamiliar listening practice for your course and helps your students develop exam technique without you needing to edit actual past paper questions to remove parts because you haven’t yet taught the whole course. It is not, however, a substitute for actual practice questions tailored specifically for your exam board. Further, no questions are specifically written for set works or study pieces.

This resource is an entire, ready to teach, scheme of work for a sequence of 6 fully differentiated lessons designed to teach students at KS3 level about the key musical features of the Blues. Although 6 lessons are planned, the unit may be easily expanded to suit the needs of your individual school. The following resources are required to teach this unit: – Access to projector/Interactive whiteboard with audio playback facilities; – Piano in classroom; – A selection of band instruments including keyboard, guitar, ukulele, drums, and bass guitar; – Ukuleles – for whole class performance of the 12 bar blues (keyboards could be substituted); – Individual spaces/practice rooms for students to work. The unit is designed with an emphasis on practical work, with the majority of learning taking place through students working in small groups to compose a Blues song. The resource contains all of the materials required to teach this unit, including a 48 slide PowerPoint presentation guiding through every lesson, differentiated worksheets, and lesson plans. Unfortunately, for reasons of copyright, this resource does not have an accompanying audio CD or sound files. The PowerPoint presentation indicates places where audio files may be embedded for ease of teaching, and details of the track used is provided in the slide notes section on the relevant slide. If you do not wish to purchase these audio files, they are also easily available for free using a streaming service such as YouTube or Spotify. Update 29/1/2017: Fixed an issue that prevented some pages displaying incorrectly on Apple devices. If you purchase this resource, please leave a review!

All GCSE music specifications require students to have a comprehensive knowledge of a variety of different melodic devices, with many courses requiring students to be able to demonstrate this knowledge in both composition coursework and in the appraising exam. This pack of 8 worksheets introduces a wide range of these devices, and includes two short composition tasks that give students an opportunity to practice using these devices before beginning their composition coursework or while preparing for the exam. Each of the worksheets that introduce new keywords come in two variants: one that has the definitions already provided, giving a useful reference or revision sheet; and one that provides a blank space for the student to write a definition for themselves. Where appropriate, each keyword is accompanied by a short musical example. Here is a breakdown of each worksheet: – Worksheet 1.1: An introduction to a range of melodic devices with definitions provided; – Worksheet 1.2: An introduction to a range of melodic devices with space for students to research and write their own definition; – Worksheet 1.3: A follow-up composition task, using the melodic devices covered in Worksheets 1.1 and 1.2; – Worksheet 2.1: An introduction to a range of melodic devices with specific focus on devices that can be used in motivic development; – Worksheet 2.1: An introduction to a range of melodic devices with specific focus on devices that can be used in motivic development, with definitions provided; – Worksheet 2.2: An introduction to a range of melodic devices with specific focus on devices that can be used in motivic development, with space for students to research and write their own definition; – Worksheet 2.3: A follow-up composition task, using the melodic devices covered in Worksheets 2.1 and 2.2; – Worksheet 3.1: Introduction to a range of additional melodic keywords not previously covered, with definitions provided; – Worksheet 3.2: Introduction to a range of additional melodic keywords not previously covered, with space for students to research and write their own definition. Previews of the first page of each worksheet are available from the files list. Throughout the worksheets, the following keywords are covered: Conjunct, disjunct, scalic, triadic, passing note, broken chord, ornament, trill, acciaccatura, appoggiatura, sequence, augmentation, diminution, retrograde, glissando, melisma, blue notes, diatonic, chromatic, riff, ostinato, inversion, hook, articulation, improvisation, legato, staccato, and marcato. It is the responsibility of the teacher to check this coverage of keywords against the exam board specification, this worksheet pack does not intend to offer complete coverage for all specifications. Please leave a review if you like this resource!

In Section B of the Component 3: Appraising Exam, students will be expected to complete an extended answer in the form of a short essay that will demonstrate their musical knowledge. This workbook will help students to develop the skills needed to formulate a structured answer to this question using the PEEL (Point, Evidence, Explanation, Link) paragraph structure. In addition to a 'teacher tips' section, there are 3 related tasks: – Task 1 will ask students to analyse a sample of musical writing that is written using the PEEL structure, demonstrating ways in which you can incorporate evidence and explanation from the music. – Task 2 will introduce a second exam style question for students to plan an answer to using a table breaking down the Point, Evidence, Explanation and Link. – Task 3 will require students to write up their answer to the question, based on the plan they have made in Task 2. As requested in a review of this resource, a set of Teacher Notes with answers and indicative content has now been included with this resource to aid with teaching and marking. ------ Update 12/10/2017: Featuring the same content but updated with an all new design that reflects the style and tone of the newer Edexcel GCSE Music worksheet packs. A Teacher Notes document with answers and indicative content has now been added.

This pack, containing 11 worksheets and 1 teacher answer sheet, is designed to support the teaching of Set Work 7, 'Release' from the album Volume 2: Release, by Afro Celt Sound System, from the new Pearson Edexcel GCSE Music (9-1) 2016 specification. The activities and tasks on each of the worksheets are differentiated, in order to support the development of skills for a range of abilities. The following worksheets are included: – Worksheet 7.1: First Impressions; – Worksheet 7.2: The Set Work in Context; – Worksheet 7.3: Performing Forces; – Worksheet 7.4: Structure; – Worksheet 7.5: Harmony and Tonality; – Worksheet 7.6: Melody; – Worksheet 7.7: Rhythm, Metre and Tempo; – Worksheet 7.8: Music Technology; – Worksheet 7.9: Exam Style Questions; – Worksheet 7.10: Wider Listening; – Worksheet 7.11: Revision Checklist. In addition, a comprehensive answer sheet is included providing definitive answers (where they exist) and indicative content for student responses for every question presented in this worksheet pack. Added following feedback from a user of another worksheet pack in this series, these answers make marking and discussion of class tasks more efficient, and support peer and self-marking of tasks too! Previews of the first page of each worksheet are available from the files list. It is the responsibility of the teacher to check this coverage of this content against the exam board specification, this worksheet pack does not intend to offer complete coverage of the set work, but should be used instead as a tool to support the teaching of the subject content. Please leave a review if you like this resource!

This 50 question resource will help students prepare for the dictation part of the examination for the new Pearson Edexcel AS and A Level Music specification. Students will be required to listen to an extract of music and complete the pitches and/or note durations that are missing from the version notated in the exam paper. This book provides a total of 50 music dictation tests that will help students to prepare for the dictation part of their AS or A Level music exam. The book begins with a series of easier tests that enable students to gradually develop their dictation skills, by first focussing on just the rhythm, then just the melody, before putting these skills together. The book is structured in 8 questions, each containing 6-8 tests: – Question 1: Rhythmic Dictation (8 tests, monophonic recording, rhythm only) – Question 2: Melodic Dictation (7 tests, monophonic recording, melody only with rhythm given) – Question 3: Melodic Dictation (7 tests, monophonic recording, melody only with rhythm given) – Question 4: AS Level Dictation (6 tests, based on tests in Sample Assessment Materials) – Question 5: AS Level Dictation (7 tests, based on tests in Sample Assessment Materials) – Question 6: A Level Dictation (6 tests, based on tests in Sample Assessment Materials) – Question 7: A Level Dictation (7 tests, based on tests in Sample Assessment Materials) – Question 8: Dictation in Context (2 tests, dictating melody and rhythm from a recording with full texture) A full sample question is available to view in the files section. A full mark scheme and audio files for each question are included. A mark record sheet for students to keep a log of their progress can also be found at the back of the book. The book is provided as a PDF file, and the audio files for each question are provided in MP3 format within a compressed ZIP file. This book is designed so that it can be used as one off printed sheets which can be given to students, or as a full printed booklet. A handy guide has been included to help you, if you want to print the full book, to help you make sure the right pages end up in the right place! If you like this resource, please leave a review below. ––––––– Update 21/10/2017: Correction of errors in questions Q1(b), Q2(a), Q4(d), and Q7(d).

This 44 page resource contains one complete practice paper and accompanying mark scheme for the Component 3: Appraising exam that students will sit as part of the assessment for the 2016 Pearson Edexcel GCSE Music (9-1) qualification. The questions in this paper are based upon the style and wording of those found in the sample assessment materials provided by the exam board so as to help prepare students as much as possible for their exam. This resource includes one complete practice paper and a comprehensive mark scheme to accompany each of the questions. The following breakdown provides a summary of the set works covered in each question: • Question 1: John Williams, Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope. • Question 2: Afro Celt Sound System, ‘Release’ from the album Release. • Question 3: Beethoven, Piano Sonata No. 8 in C minor, ‘Pathétique’, first movement. • Question 4: J. S. Bach, Brandenburg Concerto No. 5 in D major, 3rd movement. • Question 5: ‘Defying Gravity’ from Wicked. • Question 6: Queen, ‘Killer Queen’ from the album Sheer Heart Attack. • Question 9: J. S. Bach, Brandenburg Concerto No. 5 in D major, 3rd movement. The complete question paper is included within the teacher guide for reference, and a separate copy of the complete paper is available as a separate file which can be printed or for students. Audio files Unfortunately, for reasons of copyright, this resource does not have an accompanying audio CD or sound files. However, full details of the recording used, and the timings required for each extract are given in this book to make it easy for teachers to compile their own audio CD. For the set work questions, the recording used is from the Pearson Anthology CD, meaning no additional purchase of material be necessary for the majority of questions. For question 8 and 9 (the unfamiliar listening questions), the recording has been selected as one that can be easily found and purchased as an MP3 download online at very low cost. For best results, you may wish to edit each extract and mix them onto a single recording with announcements at the beginning of each playing. If you purchase this resource, please leave a rating and feedback! –––––––––––––– Update 19/06/2018: updated to reflect confirmation that the extracts in Section B will each be played three times, contrary to what appears in the Sample Assessment Materials. A minor error in the total number of marks for question 9 has also been corrected.

As part of the requirements of most GCSE and A Level music specifications, students are required to identify and types of chords, progressions, and cadences. In order to do this, a working knowledge of triads and inversions is required. This worksheet introduces the concept of the triad, how they are constructed from the notes of the scale, and how to label the chord and its inversion with roman numerals. The worksheet introduces each of these elements stage by stage with informative teaching sections, followed by related tasks to ensure understanding. It is ideal for use either in the classroom, or as a homework task. The three tasks are: – Task 1: To construct triads for each of degree of two major scales. – Task 2: To label chords using roman numerals in two simple chord progressions in a major key. – Task 3: To label a series of triads with the appropriate roman numeral and inversion in a major key. Each of the tasks increases in difficulty, and depending on the ability and level of the class you may wish to omit some tasks from the exercise. For A Level classes, this worksheet serves as an introduction, but may need to be accompanied by more challenging tasks to meet the requirements of the specification. Update 17/08/2016: Minor corrections.

Important: please read the information below regarding skeleton scores and audio. This 53 page resource contains a compilation of practice questions for the Component 3: Appraising exam for the new 2016 Pearson Edexcel GCSE (9-1) Specification. In the exam, students will be required to complete listening questions based on set works from each of the areas of study. The questions in this collection are tailored specifically towards the set works in Area of Study 4: Fusions. The collection contains: – Five listening questions based on Afro Celt Sound System: Release – Five listening questions based on Esperanza Spalding: Samba Em Prelúdio – Three musical dictation questions based on Afro Celt Sound System: Release – Three musical dictation questions based on Esperanza Spalding: Samba Em Prelúdio – Two unfamiliar listening questions. – Full mark scheme for teachers. – Student mark record sheet for tracking progress. Student Book – In response to a suggestion made on Twitter by a user of this resource, a student book has now been added which contains just the questions and the mark record sheet, with the answers omitted, to enable teachers to print a whole booklet for their students to use, without them being able to consult the answers. Audio Recordings – For reasons of copyright, this resource does not contain the audio recordings that are required to complete the questions. Full details of specific recordings and timings are provided, and for those questions that relate directly to a set work, the recording used is the same as that recommended in the specification, so should be available already. Skeleton Scores for Unfamiliar Listening – Unlike the books for Areas of Study 1 and 2, the extracts used for the unfamiliar questions are not taken from music in the public domain. For copyright reasons scores have not, therefore, been included. In place of this, instructions have been included detailing how a score can be made and a suggested score available from Musicnotes.com. The absence of these scores is reflected in the cheaper price of the books for AoS3 and AoS4. These questions are all based on those that will be found in Section A of the examination. No questions based on those from Section B are included. If you purchase this resource, please leave a rating and feedback! Update 11/09/17: Student Book added.

This 50 page resource contains a compilation of practice questions for the Component 3: Appraising exam for the new 2016 Pearson Edexcel GCSE (9-1) Specification. In the exam, students will be required to complete listening questions based on set works from each of the areas of study. The questions in this collection are tailored specifically towards the set works in Area of Study 2: Vocal Music. The collection contains: – Five listening questions based on Henry Purcell, Oedipus, Z. 583: Music for a While – Five listening questions based on Queen, Killer Queen – Three musical dictation questions based on Henry Purcell, Oedipus, Z. 583: Music for a While – Three musical dictation questions based on Queen, Killer Queen – Two unfamiliar listening questions. – Full mark scheme for teachers. – Student mark record sheet for tracking progress. Student Book – In response to a suggestion made on Twitter by a user of this resource, a student book has now been added which contains just the questions and the mark record sheet, with the answers omitted, to enable teachers to print a whole booklet for their students to use, without them being able to consult the answers. Audio Recordings – For reasons of copyright, this resource does not contain the audio recordings that are required to complete the questions. Full details of specific recordings and timings are provided, and for those questions that relate directly to a set work, the recording used is the same as that recommended in the specification, so should be available already. These questions are all based on those that will be found in Section A of the examination. No questions based on those from Section B are included. A sample question is available to preview by selecting the 'Sample Question' file in the files list. If you purchase this resource, please leave a rating and feedback! ––– Update 15/03/2017: Minor corrections. Update 20/01/2018: Correction of key signatures in questions 11-13.

All GCSE music specifications require students to have a comprehensive knowledge of a variety of different compositional devices relating to rhythm and metre, with many courses requiring students to be able to demonstrate this knowledge in both composition coursework and in the appraising exam. This pack of 11 worksheets introduces a wide range of these devices, and a variety of different activities and a composition task that provides students an opportunity to practice using these devices before beginning their composition coursework or while preparing for the exam. Each of the worksheets that introduce new keywords come in two variants: one that has the definitions already provided, giving a useful reference or revision sheet; and one that provides a blank space for the student to write a definition for themselves. Where appropriate, each keyword is accompanied by a short musical example. Here is a breakdown of each worksheet: – Worksheet 1.1: An introduction to rhythm and metre with definitions provided; – Worksheet 1.2: An introduction to rhythm and metre with space for students to research and write their own definition; – Worksheet 1.3: A follow-up task, testing the knowledge of note values and time signatures covered in Worksheets 1.1 and 1.2; – Worksheet 2.1: An introduction to a range of melodic devices with specific focus on devices that can be used in motivic development; – Worksheet 2.1: An introduction to different types of rhythm, such as polyrhythm and syncopation, with definitions provided; – Worksheet 2.2: An introduction to different types of rhythm, such as polyrhythm and syncopation, with space for students to research and write their own definition; – Worksheet 2.3: A follow-up composition task, using the rhythmic devices covered in Worksheets 2.1 and 2.2; – Worksheet 3.1: An introduction to rhythmic development (augmentation and diminution), with definitions provided; – Worksheet 3.2: An introduction to rhythmic development (augmentation and diminution), with space for students to research and write their own definition; – Worksheet 3.3: A follow-up task testing students’ ability to augment and diminish rhythms; – Worksheet 4.1: An introduction to tempo, with definitions provided; – Worksheet 4.2: An introduction to tempo, with space for students to research and write their own definition. Previews of the first page of each worksheet are available from the files list. It is the responsibility of the teacher to check this coverage of keywords against the exam board specification, this worksheet pack does not intend to offer complete coverage for all specifications.

Most GCSE Specifications require students to have a basic knowledge of intervals within the octave, and to be able to identify them through the study of set works, through listening to unfamiliar music, or both. This 4-page worksheet introduces the concept of the interval at it's most basic level, and progresses through 4 different tasks to the recognition of intervals within the octave from notation and listening. Each of the four tasks are preceded by a tutorial section that explains the theory behind how to complete the task. Each of the tasks increase in difficulty and are designed to be completed in the order in which they appear; however, depending on the ability of the class you may wish to omit tasks as appropriate, or use individual tasks in isolation. The worksheet is ideal for use both in the classroom and as homework. The four tasks are: – Task 1: To understand and label various degrees of the G major scale; – Task 2: To identify 10 intervals in the key of C major from notation (note names are provided); – Task 3: To identify 5 intervals in the key of G major from notation (note names are provided); – Task 4: To identify the interval at the beginning of a list of pieces of music, through listening and playing. A limited preview of the worksheet is available from the files list. It is the responsibility of the teacher to check the coverage of this worksheet against the exam board specification, this worksheet does not intend to offer complete coverage for all specifications. Update 28/1/2017: Correction of a minor error in Task 1. Please leave a review if you like this resource!

This 48 page resource contains a compilation of practice questions for the Component 3: Appraising exam for the new 2016 Pearson Edexcel GCSE (9-1) Specification. In the exam, students will be required to complete listening questions based on set works from each of the areas of study. The questions in this collection are tailored specifically towards the set works in Area of Study 1: Instrumental Music (1700-1820). **The collection contains: ** Five listening questions based on J.S. Bach: Brandenburg Concerto no. 5 in D major (3rd movement) Five listening questions based on Beethoven: Sonata in C minor (Pathétique) (1st movement) Three musical dictation questions based on J.S. Bach: Brandenburg Concerto no. 5 in D major (3rd movement) Three musical dictation questions based on Beethoven: Sonata in C minor (Pathétique) (1st movement) Two unfamiliar listening questions. Full mark scheme for teachers. Student mark record sheet for tracking progress. **Student Book ** In response to a suggestion made on Twitter by a user of this resource, a student book has now been added which contains just the questions and the mark record sheet, with the answers omitted, to enable teachers to print a whole booklet for their students to use, without them being able to consult the answers. **Audio Recordings ** For reasons of copyright, this resource does not contain the audio recordings that are required to complete the questions. Full details of specific recordings and timings are provided, and for those questions that relate directly to a set work, the recording used is the same as that recommended in the specification, so should be available already. These questions are all based on those that will be found in Section A of the examination. No questions based on those from Section B are included. A sample question is available to preview by selecting the ‘Sample Question’ file in the files list. Update 20/04/16: Minor Corrections and addition of ‘Also in this series’ page. Update 11/09/17: Student Book added. Update 23/04/18: Improved wording of some questions, and correction of a number of minor errors in the mark scheme. If you purchase this resource, please leave a rating and feedback!

Wider Listening has assumed an increased importance in the new Edexcel GCSE Music Specification, with students required to listening to repertoire that is related to each of the set works and mention this in their Section B essays in the exam to access the top marks. To support this, I've launched #WiderListeningWednesday on Twitter and Facebook, with a different wider listening piece that's related to one of the Edexcel Set Works posted each Wednesday at 9.30 am. This wider listening diary is the perfect accompaniment to these weekly posts, as it will ensure your students engage regularly in listening outside of lessons and provide a useful record for revision, without the task become arduous and time consuming. Two versions of this product are included: – The worksheet version contains two weeks worth of diary entries and provides space for students to log the name of the piece, the composer, the year, and the area of study the piece relates to. In addition, they are asked to list three similarities and 3 differences between the wider listening piece and a set work they have studied to encourage their comparison skills – the space for this comparison is deliberately small to ensure that the points made are kept concise. – The second version comes in the form of a full colour A5 booklet that can be printed for students which provides space for 53 diary entries in one place. For best results this should be printed commercially. Two versions of this booklet are included, one for in-house printing, and a second for commercial printing with all of the necessary crop marks included. Please consult the attached guidance for commercial printing to ensure your printed product appears correctly. – For ease, a handy printing guide has been included to guide you through in-house printing and some recommended print specifications, if you choose to let a professional print company handle your printing. You can follow #WiderListeningWednesday on Twitter @SeanYoung_Music and Facebook @SeanYoungMusicEd! Please share, retweet and leave a review of this resource if you like it!

A fully interactive onscreen piano! Features: - Click notes on the two-octave piano to hear them sound - Display the notes of common chords in the key of C major - Hear what the common chords displayed sound like Please rate and comment if you like this resource.

This activity pack contains two worksheets: – A matching tempos worksheet where students are required to match each tempo marking, with its definition – A tempo crossword Both of these short activities are ideal for use as a starter, plenary, or even as a short activity within the lesson.