Of all the ‘New Directions’ works in the Edexcel A level Anthology, Saariaho's Petals is the only one written by a living composer (at the time of writing). It is without doubt one of the most...
David Guinane Secondary education
This is the last of three resources on film music (following part one in Music Teacher, November 2017, and part two in January 2018) based around Edexcel's Area of Study 3. Here we'll focus on Batman...
James Manwaring Secondary education
Gypsy jazz, best exemplified by the music of Django Reinhardt and Stéphane Grappelli, has provided a stimulating and challenging environment for guitarists (and many other musicians) in my school....
David Guinane Secondary education
One of the attractive features of the OCR A level syllabus is the thoroughly enjoyable repertoire covered by this particular Area of Study. However, while the songs themselves have instant appeal, it...
Jane Werry Secondary education
Aside from two years in Mantua (1718-20) and his final months in Vienna, Antonio Vivaldi spent his life in Venice, from where his reputation and fame emanated. Venice had a unique atmosphere that had...
Hanh Doan Secondary education
In this resource we will look at music by the artists and composers prescribed by AQA in Area of Study 6: Contemporary Traditional Music. The focus will be on providing background on these artists and...
Simon Rushby Secondary education
The first movement of the Eroica is of epic length, built on a nexus of closely related themes, with rebellious touches that merit inspection in every paragraph.
This resource is about how to navigate...
Sitar player and composer Anoushka Shankar's fifth album, Breathing Under Water, was recorded in numerous locations over the course of ten months, and released in August 2007.
Simon Rushby Secondary education
The Beatles’ seventh album Revolver was released in August 1966. Following Rubber Soul and preceding Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (discussed in its own Music Teacher resource, February 2017),...
Simon Rushby Secondary education
This resource will not only give some Christmas-themed lesson ideas, but also suggest some one-off lessons that you might like to try. It might be that you’re at the end of a scheme of work, or just...
James Manwaring Secondary education
For each of the main pieces covered by this resource, there will be information about its context, background and programme (story). Details regarding each of the musical areas likely to come up in...
Jane Werry Secondary education
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...
David Ashworth Secondary education