Taking a theme, motif or chord progression and finding ways to vary it has always been a foundation of composition, and it’s not just in ‘classical’ music that we find examples – variations can change...
Simon Rushby Teaching Materials
It can take many hours to create and refine a piece, but who realistically has 10+ hours in their KS3 curriculum to give over entirely to a composition? Then there’s also the question of whether we...
Dice Wood Teaching Materials
In this resource, we look at guitar chords from the point of view of teaching them to students, starting from beginners and working upwards to more accomplished guitarists. It will focus primarily on...
Paul White Teaching Materials
In this resource, we explore the vital role that understanding plot and character development plays in vocal training across a range of genres, from opera and musical theatre to Western classical art...
Jenna Brown Instrumental & Vocal
A phrase is a 'musical sentence'. Phrasing is how we make sense of pitches and rhythms, and organise them into coherent patterns. Like a sentence constructed from words, a phrase needs to have flow,...
Edward Maxwell Instrumental & Vocal
Last month we looked at how sonata form evolved from Baroque musical structures to become a staple of the Classical period. Its three-part plan became the common form for the first movements of...
Simon Rushby KS 4
US composer Terry Riley and minimalism are included as suggested listening in several exam boards’ specifications. But there are several other reasons why studying Terry Riley might be worthwhile for...
David Kettle KS 4
Teaching KS3 and KS4 music involves the continual need to find ways to make sense out of music for our students. Our scant two-page KS3 national curriculum gives us the freedom to do this as we...
Jane Werry Teaching Materials
In May 2024, we looked at short, bankable activities for KS3 that would set the composition ball rolling. As a follow-up, this resource will explore the next steps, looking at ways for your students...
Richard Barnard Teaching Materials
A major part of the argument for using imagery lies in understanding what’s unique for singers compared to instrumentalists: our instrument is hidden. Even demonstration is fraught with potential...
Jenna Brown Instrumental & Vocal
Though it developed out of binary form, sonata form is more like ternary form in the way that it presents thematic material, so a review of last month’s resource would be helpful to support students’...
Simon Rushby Teaching Materials
What do we mean by fun? Maybe ‘enjoyment’ is a better work than ‘fun’. There’s less pressure on the teacher to make the lesson ‘enjoyable’, rather than ‘fun’. We have to acknowledge that most of our...
Richard Steggall Teaching Materials