Teaching Materials | Classical

The story of the symphony, part 3: from Mahler to the moderns

In part two to this three-part resource (Music Teacher, March 2019, with part one February 2019), we saw how Romantic composers of all creative persuasions, whether nationalist or individualist, took...

Secondary education

The story of the symphony, part 2: Beethoven and his legacy

In the second of this three-part resource (for part one, see Music Teacher, February 2019), we will be joining the story of the symphony at its heyday in the 19th century, where the form expanded and...

Secondary education

The story of the symphony, part 1

This is the first in a three-part resource that uses the development of the symphony as a guide for charting the evolution of large-ensemble instrumental writing in Western classical music. As such,...

Secondary education

Edexcel AoS2: Clara Schumann Piano Trio in G minor, Op. 17 (first movement)

The G minor Piano Trio is undoubtedly one of Clara Schumann's best-known compositions, and a fine example of Romantic chamber music. This resource covers the essential musical features of the work, as...

Secondary education

Edexcel AoS2: Berlioz's Symphonie fantastique

Hector Berlioz was born in 1803, and his use of large instrumental forces in his music led him to become one of the most influential French composers of the 19th century. His compositions include...

Secondary education

Women composers

In this resource I want to go beyond just raising awareness. I want to help teachers and students get ‘under the bonnet’ by looking at some of the rich and diverse composing approaches and strategies...

Secondary education

AQA GCSE AoS1: Haydn’s Symphony No. 101 in D, Clock

This resource takes students into the 18th-century world of a jobbing Kapellmeister and his hectic life in an illustrious Austro-Hungarian court. It takes a deeper look at why Haydn ended up as ‘Papa’...

Secondary education

Identifying and presenting eras of classical music

This resource is more about the ‘how’ than the ‘what’. How do you present the differences and evolution in styles in a way that works for new, young listeners, so that they can pick them apart with...

Secondary education

Edexcel AoS 1: Mozart’s The Magic Flute

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was born and raised in Salzburg, where he and his father, Leopold Mozart, were on the Prince Archbishop of Salzburg’s music staff. On discovering and nurturing his children’s...

Secondary education

Edexcel GCSE AoS2: Unpacking Purcell’s ‘Music for a While’

This article provides teaching ideas and suggestions for Area of Study 2 of the Appraising component of the new Edexcel GCSE music course, which we have now started teaching to Year 10 students (see...

Secondary education

AQA GCSE AoS4: Copland’s Rodeo

It’s quite a soft touch to use Copland’s Rodeo as an example of AoS4’s Western classical tradition since 1910 in the new AQA GCSE specification. This resource is about providing context for Rodeo’s...

Secondary education