Online Teaching Materials
Downloadable resources for music teachers
Teaching materials are an integral part of a music teacher's practice. Every month Music Teacher publishes downloadable materials for KS3, 4 and 5, offering complete units of work, GCSE and A Level set-work guidance, and practical ideas across all levels for both classroom and peripatetic teachers. All materials are written by experienced teachers and examiners and provide indispensable content for your teaching.
If you would like to see an example of a Teaching Material, please click here.
SubscribeTeaching autistic students
VMT Extra-curricular music
This resource will cover aspects of teaching autistic students as a visiting music teacher or workshop leader. Autism is a wide spectrum and autistic people can, of course, be vastly different from...
Christmas 2021: ideas for in-person and hybrid teaching
KS 3
This resource uses Wham!’s Christmas classic ‘Last Christmas’ as the starting point for a range of creative and listening activities that will work for in-person and online teaching. It would be...
OCR AoS 2 Barbra Streisand: Four songs from Color Me Barbra
KS 5
These four songs from Barbra Streisand’s 1966 album Color Me Barbra are the prescribed music for OCR’s Area of Study 2: Popular song. They need to be studied in the context of other examples of music...
Ableton
KS 3 KS 4 KS 5
This resource introduces the basic functions of Ableton, enough so that you’ll be able to make music with your class. We’ll introduce the software and provide classroom projects that can be used in...
Music exam boards: an overview
VMT
There are five Ofqual-regulated boards, and this resource briefly summarises what they offer. While it may sound obvious, make sure you thoroughly read the syllabus. Put away any preconceived notions...
Getting the most from Focus on Sound
KS 3 KS 4 KS 5
Focus on Sound Pro is a piece of cloud-based software from Music First. This resource looks at features of the software, and explores how you can use it in your teaching across Key Stages 3, 4 and 5.
Edexcel AoS4: Kate Bush’s Hounds of Love
KS 5
English singer-songwriter Kate Bush released Hounds of Love, her fifth studio album, in September 1985. It received immediate acclaim from critics and record-buyers alike, and was soon being hailed as...
Little Shop of Horrors
KS 4
In this resource, we’ll look at the history and context of the show and the musical characteristics of the three songs. I don’t intend to go into the depth of analytical detail that can already be...
Arranging music for guitar
VMT
The subject of arranging is vast, so in this resource I’ll focus on chord and riff arrangement, since it’s the staple of most popular guitar playing. I’m also only working in the realms of popular...
Exploring riffs
KS 3
This project is about developing an understanding of the value of repeating patterns in music. Students will need to know what a riff is, and the different ways in which repeating patterns can be...