This is the third part of our latest series of wider listening resources, exploring pop music in the second half of the 20th century. We’ve tracked the journey of pop music from its roots in American...
Simon Rushby Teaching Materials
The first movement of Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 4 is the prescribed work for OCR’s AoS1 for examination in 2024, and should be studied and contextualised within a number of other works in this...
Hanh Doan Teaching Materials
Last month, we began the latest part of our wider listening series, exploring the diversity of pop music in the second half of the 20th century, decade by decade. We looked at four specific genres of...
Simon Rushby Teaching Materials
Now that wider listening is such a key part of the exam boards’ music specifications, students taking GCSE and A level music need to have a broad understanding of a range of musical styles in addition...
Simon Rushby Teaching Materials
In this resource, we’ll look at Rhapsody in Blue’s origins, its stylistic influences, its musical features, and its array of chameleon-like, shapeshifting versions.
Jane Werry Teaching Materials
After an initial exploration of the background to Bach’s St John Passion, this resource will cover specific numbers, in accordance with the requirements of the Cambridge Pre-U specification. This...
Jane Werry Teaching Materials
This resource provides an overview of James MacMillan as a figure in contemporary classical music, as well as looking in detail at three of his works across contrasting genres – the percussion...
David Kettle Teaching Materials
Part one of our whistle-stop tour of musical theatre focused on the way in which musicals are written. This month, we’ll take a journey from the time of these composers, at the end of the 1930s, to...
Simon Rushby Teaching Materials
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 Teaching Materials
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 Teaching Materials
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 Teaching Materials
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 Teaching Materials