Mike is a musician and ex-Head of Department with more than twenty years experience in the Secondary school classroom and middle-leadership, specialising in performance, composition and research. An accomplished performer himself (Woodwind) and celebrated Musical Director and Conductor, Mike is able to draw upon his continued professional practice in creating and sharing his resources.
Mike is a musician and ex-Head of Department with more than twenty years experience in the Secondary school classroom and middle-leadership, specialising in performance, composition and research. An accomplished performer himself (Woodwind) and celebrated Musical Director and Conductor, Mike is able to draw upon his continued professional practice in creating and sharing his resources.
For all teachers and students undertaking the Pearson Edexcel GCSE 9-1 course, this presentation is a great starting point to give you some ideas for your composition to a set brief.
Contains the exact wording from the September 2024 set brief released by Pearson*
Through more than fifty slides, over 30 suggested listening examples, links and tutorials relating to each off the four areas of study, you will not be short of inspiration or ideas of how to start researching your chosen brief.
Included as both Powerpoint (slides) and PDF versions with hyperlinked images/YouTube videos and websites.
*(I acknowledge that this publication is not my property to sell).
A very user-friendly 30-page workbook for your KS3 students (aimed at Year 7) to introduce “Pitch and Notes of the Stave.”
Includes ESP exercises, RAG-style resources for stretch and challenge, fun homework tasks, peer feedback forms for performing and an end-of-topic test for assessment.
Now features a GLOSSARY to encourage and support the use of subject specific vocabulary.
There are activities to span five lessons - these are not designed to last for a whole lesson but are intended to support additional listening / practical work.
A very accessible resource for your KS3 students, featuring a step-by-step scaffolded guide to learning this great song!
Features eight simple exercises to help you plan your performance assessments, individual structured sections of the song, guitar chords and chords ‘cheat sheet’
Create your own BRITPOP band arrangement!
A handy step-by-step guide to enable your students to begin working with Sibelius in just five simple stages. (Resource designed to work with Sibelius 7 & 7.5).
Print this colourful resource and keep in your student’s folders, laminate and use as a desk-mat reminder or enlarge and use as part of your display for composing and Music Technology! (Useful for KS4, aimed at KS3)
This can even be included as part of your department handbook.
Includes full-colour PDF for immediate printing.
A great resource to practice aural dictation of rhythm and melody (question 7 from the new Edexcel GCSE exam). Can easily be used as a starter, plenary or homework.
Includes question papers (#1, 2 , 3 & 4), teacher’s answer sheets and mp3s!
A very accessible keyboard resource for your KS3 students, or as an introduction to Music for Stage & Screen. Can also be used as INTERVALS practice!
Features two differentiated versions: **EASY (EASY LH), ** and STANDARD with and without note names.
Both versions are the first and second sections of this work only.
Ideal for solo and small ensemble performance!
Two great resources to practice unfamiliar listening with your students - UNFAMILIAR LISTENING paper #1 relates to musical theatre, or AoS3: Music for Stage & Screen and paper #2 relates to ‘world music’, or AoS4: Fusions, in the Edexcel GCSE Specification.
Includes: Student’s questions papers and skeleton scores and teacher’s comprehensive mark schemes as handy printable PDF’s as well as YouTube link* (inc. exact timing).
Can be used as a starter, a significant part of a lesson (20-30 mins inc. discussion time), as a homework or even set for cover work.
*** YouTube link included instead of MP3 recording for copyright purposes. **
Section B / Question 9 of the new Edexcel GCSE Music specification.
An excellent resource to hone the knowledge and understanding of each set work. “Music for a While” by Purcell can be used as a lesson starter, a homework or even a timed assessment.
Includes Entry Starting Point exercises with answers and extended writing question # 1 + teacher’s answers. All as PDF’s and fully editable Word.doc templates. A must for your GCSE students!
A MUST have for your GCSE Music students to practice question 7 on the Edexcel 9-1 exam paper.
Features 10 x question papers of 101* fun and engaging well-known tunes in a variety of musical genres as well as 8 x question papers of specifically tailored exercises relating to AoS1, AoS2, AoS3 & AoS4 of the Edexcel GCSE Music specification.
All as question & answer papers included as printable PDFs AND mp3s!
INCLUDES MORE THAN 130 LISTENING EXTRACTS TO PRACTICE !
Dictation questions on each specific set work, extended writing practice questions, unfamiliar / wider listening questions and more!
Covers multiple areas of the Edexcel GCSE Music 9-1 specification.
Resources can be used in class, for homework, revision and even end-of-unit assessments.
(Dictation questions include mp3 recordings).
A brilliant resource to encourage your students to broaden their experience and wider listening opportunities for the ‘Unfamiliar Listening’ question in the Edexcel 9-1 exam.
Features eight extracts and listening questions (two from each AoS) with various approaches / styles of question they can expect in the exam.
Includes: Question paper, teacher’s mark scheme and YouTube links* to suggested recordings
*An mp3 of all recordings has not been included for copyright reasons *
A brilliant resource to give your students the experience to practice a specifically tailored exam-style question in preparation for the the Edexcel 9-1 exam.
Features three listening questions including an unfamiliar listening question, “Defying Gravity” from the musical ‘Wicked’ by Schwartz and a rhythm & melody dictation question, as well as a KEY WORDS / VOCABULARY question to link to the extended writing question!
Includes: Question paper, teacher’s mark scheme, YouTube links* to suggested recordings and an mp3 for question 3
*An mp3 of all recordings has not been included for copyright reasons *
A very accessible keyboard resource for your KS3 students, or as an introduction to Music for Stage & Screen. Can also be used as INTERVALS practice! (MORE DIFFICULT)
Features three differentiated versions: INTERMEDIATE (EASY LH), INTERMEDIATE (MORE DIFFICULT LH), and MORE DIFFICULT with and without note names.
Both versions are the first section of this work only.
Ideal for solo and small ensemble performance!
A very user-friendly 30-page workbook for your KS3 students (aimed at Year 7/8) to introduce “BRITPOP.”
Includes ESP exercises, RAG-style resources for stretch and challenge, fun homework tasks, peer feedback forms for performing and an end-of-topic test for assessment.
Now features a GLOSSARY to encourage and support the use of subject specific vocabulary.
There are activities to span five lessons - these are not designed to last for a whole lesson but are intended to support additional listening / practical work.
BONUS FEATURES: Now includes differentiated versions of “She’s The One” (Robbie Williams) and “Don’t Look Back in Anger” (Oasis) as both Sib. 7 & PDF files to support practical activities!
A brilliant resource to give your students the experience to practice a specifically tailored exam-style question in preparation for the the Edexcel 9-1 exam.
Features three listening questions including an unfamiliar listening question, Samba Em Preludio and a rhythm & melody dictation question, as well as a KEY WORDS / VOCABULARY question to link to the extended writing question!
Includes: Question paper, teacher’s mark scheme, YouTube links* to suggested recordings and an mp3 for question 3
*An mp3 of all recordings has not been included for copyright reasons *
’101 Dictation Exercises’ features ALL TEN question papers in one* FANTASTIC 92-page book to help your students practice aural dictation with FAMILIAR pieces of music.
(Now includes additional Student Book - Question papers & Assessment grids only for easy phtocopying - individual worksheets or the entire book!)
Includes ALL TEN papers to work through familiar extracts of Classical, Sacred, Folk, Film, Musical Theatre, Television, Jazz, Pop and Christmas music in one convenient book PLUS additional Marking Grid / Assessment Tracker and manuscript paper for practice questions.
Work through all 101 exercises to develop your aural perception skills
Learn collaboratively or for independent study (can be set as homework, cover work)
Master aural dictation in a fun and engaging way!
Project answers onto the board for tutorial / class discussion
Includes: 10 x question papers (each including 10 x questions), teacher’s answer sheets, Assessment Trackers & Manuscript paper - all as printable PDF’s and 101 x MP3 recordings!
A very accessible resource for your KS3 students, featuring a step-by-step scaffolded guide to learning this great song!
Features seven simple exercises to help you plan your performance assessments, individual structured sections of the song, guitar chords and chords ‘cheat sheet’
Create your own singer/songwriter band arrangement!
FREE resource to help your students get organized!
Basic printable (PDF) document including requirements for Paper #1 (Performing) components.
Use for class performances, end of term assessments and to help your students track their own progress.
Encourage your students to articulate their own progress (WWW) and targets (EBI) as well as how to critique their peers using the wording and terminology directly from the Edexcel 9-1 spec! ** (included on reverse).
Recordings for lessons 1 - 5 in a “MUSICAL HISTORY TIMELINE” (KS3 work book).
The MP3 recordings are timed and mixed on five individual recordings for ease of use - one for each lesson.
To be used with the exercises in a “MUSICAL HISTORY TIMELINE” KS3 work book.
Not for sale as I do not own the recordings or the YouTube channels from where they came.
Also includes teacher’s answer sheet (with YouTube links).
Using specific questions from the 2018, 2019 and 2020 exam papers combined, a bespoke resource to enable your students to have a real mock exam experience.
Featuring questions from:
- “Brandenburg Concerto No. 5 in D major” (Bach) (2 x separate questions)
- “Killer Queen” (Queen)
- “Defying Gravity” from Wicked (Schwartz) and
- “Main Title / Rebel Blockade Runner” from Star Wars (Williams) (2 x separate questions)
- Dictation (Rhythm & Melody)
- Unfamiliar Listening (AoS4: Fusions)
The original recordings and announcements from these papers have also been included to provide a 65-minute timed test (no extended writing question)
(This is a FREE resource as I do not own the recordings or the original exam papers - this has been put together for my students)