Teaching Materials

AQA AoS 1: the Coronation Anthems and oratorios of Handel

This resource will give a brief overview of the context of Handel’s Coronation Anthems and oratorios, followed by detailed analysis of extracts from two works.

Teaching Materials

Developing wider listening – musical theatre: part 2

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...

Teaching Materials

Composition in instrumental lessons

This resource looks at why and how to include composing activities in instrumental lessons, regardless of your own composition experience.

Teaching Materials

Learning with singing

In this resource, I’ll look at some of the ways we can use singing to help with learning, giving practical suggestions and ideas. Singing isn’t something reserved for trained vocalists, musicians or...

Teaching Materials

Practical learning using instruments

This resource considers how we can use instruments to teach key concepts in music. It will focus on practical learning and how we can best approach it.

Teaching Materials

Developing wider listening – musical theatre: part 1

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...

Teaching Materials

AQA AoS7: Shostakovich

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...

Teaching Materials

Guitar repair for music teachers

Over the years, I’ve picked up a lot of knowledge about the workings of a music department and what are the best, most effective and value-for-money ways to keep it running. For the sake of space,...

Teaching Materials

Developing wider listening – film music: part 2

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...

Teaching Materials

OCR AoS5 and Pre-U topic B1: Liszt’s Prometheus and Dvořák’s The Noon Witch

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...

Teaching Materials

Teaching jazz harmony

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...

Teaching Materials

Cultivating independent learners

In this resource I’ll explore how teachers can cultivate independence in students both during and outside their lessons. I’ll examine a range of different theories that we can employ in order to...

Teaching Materials