This is my free composition launch presentation and planning document. It goes through the requirements for composition, the criteria, an example of the log and ideas for getting started. I have also included the planning document, students plan their composition and then keep their plan with them updating it regularly as lessons progress.

This is the set of resources I used for teaching the Minimalist music of Adams, Reich and Riley. It covers some of their most notable works and discusses key vocabulary. It usually takes me two lessons to get through, there are listening links embedded within the star symbols.

This is a version of Matilda the Musical featuring ‘Miracle’, ‘Naughty’, ‘Telly’, ‘When I Grow Up’, ‘Quiet’ and ‘Revolting Children’. I have attached both the pdf and the Sibelius file (Sibelius 7) so that you can rearrange as needed.

This is all the teaching materials I use to teach Section C: Contextual Understanding of the A-Level exam. I focus on AOS4 for this portion of the exam specifically, Claude-Michel Schönberg and Stephen Sondheim. This resource comes with the analysis of three pieces of music by each composer: Sondheim: Ballad of Sweeney Todd and Worst Pies in London from Sweeney Todd and Giants in the Sky from Into the Woods. (Giants in the Sky is not annotated as this is something that I get students to do independently with guidance, the score is there though). Schönberg: One Day More and Master of the House from Les Miserables and I’d Give My Life for You from Miss Saigon. In addition to this analysis you will also get some example essays (one only focussed on Sondheim as this is what I focus on in year 12). The synopsis for the shows are also included.

This is the set of resources I used for teaching the orchestral music of Aaron Copland. This includes an end of topic listening test n.b this is only for Section A of the exam, not section B.

This is a composition mini project centered around melody, it is not board specific. The composition is designed as a pre-cursor to free composition focused on melody as a starting point through using students names. It explores the Liszt BACH and Shostakovich name motifs. The whole project is individual so can be either done quickly in 3 lessons or extended over a longer period of time. There are audio links embedded within the star symbols.

This is a 6-week project on Hip-Hop where the main focus is Ground Bass. I would normally teach Hip-Hop music on FL Studio, this is a project designed for distance learning and is a composition task to be completed on BandLab, which these students have not done before so it also includes a ‘how to’ for what they need to do. There is a quiz included and one main task, a submission on BandLab.

This is an assessment for AOS5: Popular Music. It includes each topic within the AOS and has been uploaded as both a Word and PDF document alongside the answers and a listening track with announcements which works comfortably within a full lesson.

This is music in advertising project I’m doing with year 8 and 9 this half term. involves them designing a product and creating a radio advert for the product to include an underscore, jingle and voiceover. Currently it’s geared up for google suite, for example it says things like “upload your answers to google classroom” but this is easily adaptable for your softwares. I teach this live on google meet and share the PowerPoint with the students but it could be done entirely remotely. As students are doing it remotely I’m allowing them to do it with any software they may have access to, or on an instrument or using BandLab education online. I’ve included links for how to use GarageBand and BandLab to support students.

This is an entire unit of work aimed at year 9 students. It involves product design, marketing research and pitching as well as creating a radio advert (the key musical aim). This has key terminology, practical activity and homework.

This is a composition mini project centered around timbre and texture, it is not board specific. The composition is designed as a pre-cursor to free composition focused on using DAW software (in this instance FL studio) specifically video game music. The whole project is individual so can be either done quickly in 3 lessons or extended over a longer period of time. There are audio links embedded within the star symbols.

This is a one lesson lesson for AOS2: Popular Music for Joni Mitchell. There are links to songs embedded in the star symbols. Please note, I have only taught AOS2 for the section A portion of the exam so please be aware that there are no songs analysed in the detail required for section C.

This is a two lesson PowerPoint on Bhangra music suitable for the Eduqas music GCSE course. It covers the key features, instruments and artists. Links to examples are embedded within the stars.

This is the set of lessons I’ve used to teach my students about the orchestral music of Kodaly and Bartok. It includes general listening and a practical activity.

I wrote this powerpoint to fit with the new AQA’s new GCSE specification. Broadway Musicals 1950s-1990s fits within Area of Study 2. My teaching focus here is key musical features and how the music sounds, not key facts about the sub genres. Listening examples have been hyperlinked within the green stars. A listening task was used at the end of the lesson so that students could apply their new knowledge.The key aspect which I have highlighted to students is listening which is why I link students to the department spotify which has a wide range of playlists at their disposal.

This is the third lesson in a game music scheme of work taught to Year 8 (KS3). The scheme of work is taught in conjunction with computer games that the students are making in their ICT lessons. The programme used is garageband and taught via our school’s iPads.

I wrote this scheme of work for year 7 to explore texture, tempo, dynamics and rhythm through Gamelan. It was designed for a five week half term but can easily be extended.