Understanding the background and context to music they listen to, hear on TV or play is an incredibly useful skill for all musicians, especially those studying music for GCSE or A level, since wider...
Simon Rushby KS 4
The AQA specification lists musical elements to examine and identify in Shostakovich’s works. Here is a brief guide to some of the more general aspects to listen for in his music, before a closer look...
Richard Barnard KS 5
This month, we’ll continue our journey from the 1950s to the present day, picking out some worthwhile examples and identifying some performing, composing and listening activities that can help your...
Simon Rushby KS 4
This resource will consider two works: Liszt’s Prometheus, written in 1850, the fifth of his 13 symphonic poems; Dvořák’s The Noon Witch, written in 1896, the second of his later set of five symphonic...
Jane Werry KS 5
In this resource, I’ll be exploring a range of jazz standards to give students an understanding of common chord progressions, as well as harmonic direction, structure and devices that will aid their...
David Guinane KS 5
For more than 100 years, from the earliest experiments in silent movies to the modern, digitally enhanced, computer-aided action blockbusters, music has played an essential role in films, relied upon...
Simon Rushby KS 4
This is the second part of a resource looking at the development of the symphony, which is the compulsory Area of Study for Eduqas AS and A level. AS students study from 1750 to 1830 (which was mostly...
Maria Johnson KS 5
Mozart’s string quartets should not dismissed since comparisons between string writing, textures and dialogue will be interesting. As with all prescribed works, understanding Mozart’s (and his...
Hanh Doan KS 5
This resource looks at the development of the symphony from 1750 to about 1830, including Haydn’s symphonies. A later resource will continue from 1830 and will include Mendelssohn.
Maria Johnson Secondary education
These four songs from Barbra Streisand’s 1966 album Color Me Barbra are the prescribed music for OCR’s Area of Study 2: Popular song. They need to be studied in the context of other examples of music...
Simon Rushby KS 5
This resource introduces the basic functions of Ableton, enough so that you’ll be able to make music with your class. We’ll introduce the software and provide classroom projects that can be used in...
James Manwaring KS 3
English singer-songwriter Kate Bush released Hounds of Love, her fifth studio album, in September 1985. It received immediate acclaim from critics and record-buyers alike, and was soon being hailed as...
David Kettle KS 5