FREE Sample Materials from Musical Contexts

All Musical Contexts units are supported by detailed Schemes of Work and Lesson Plans (available in both .pdf and .doc formats for easy customising!), Listening, Learning, Composing & Evaluating Activities, a range of Performing Activities including Songs and Scores and a selection of Starter & Plenary Activities. All of the Audio files (.mp3) you’ll need for the unit are located together with their accompanying resources and Performing Activities are supported with MIDI files. There’s also the option of downloading all the resources needed for each lesson in the Lesson Bundles (.zip) files in just one click!

Some FREE Key Stage 2 Primary Samples from Musical Contexts units

Free Musical Contexts Sample Scheme of Work taken from Primary/Key Stage 2 Unit - "Water Music"

Detailed Schemes of Work for each unit contain full listings of all Musical Contexts resources and a summary of all lessons including Learning Objectives, suggested teaching and learning activities and coverage of the new National Curriculum for Music Key Stage 2 Programmes of Study (effective from September 2014).

Free Musical Contexts Sample Lesson Plan taken from Primary/Key Stage 2 Unit - "Ancient Egypt"

In-depth Lesson Plans provide a suggested step-by-step approach including clear Learning Objectives and Outcomes, Starter, Plenary and Core Activities, clearly broken down with suggested timings (based on a one hour lesson), Cross-Curricular Links, EAL, SEN and GAT suggestions, Language for Learning Key Words, Musical Contexts resource listings and coverage of the new National Curriculum for Music Key Stage 2 Programmes of Study (effective from September 2014).

Free Musical Contexts Sample Starter or Plenary Activity taken from Primary/Key Stage 2 Unit - "The Tudors" - "Medieval Musical Instruments Card Sort"

Free Musical Contexts Sample Evaluation Activity taken from Primary/Key Stage 2 Unit - "The Haunted House" - "The Haunted House Evaluation Sheet"

Evaluation Activities involve both Self and Peer Assessment and allow pupils to reflect and review their learning.

Free Musical Contexts Sample Performing Activity taken from Primary/Key Stage 2 Unit - "The Victorians" - "Performing Victorian Street Cries"

Performing tasks are given with note names which can easily be "erased" for higher-ability pupils who may be learning to read staff notation. Graphic Scores and Rhythm Grid Notations are also used in Performing Activities, particularly for learning rhythmic ostinato patterns, accompaniments to songs and illustrating melodic shape. Performing Activities come complete with MIDI files modelling and demonstrating how parts sound so that teachers can hear what pieces sound like prior to teaching. The MIDI files associated with this Sample Performing Activity can be accessed from the links above.

Free Musical Contexts Sample Listening Activity taken from Primary/Key Stage 2 Unit - "Weather and Seasons" - "Listening to 'Storm Music'"

Listening Activities develop pupil's skills, knowledge and understanding of the concepts explored during the units. All of the Audio Files needed for completing the Listening Activities are included on the site and include a range of styles, such as this example which contrasts "Classical" with "Modern Electronic" genres. The Audio Files associated with this Sample Listening Activity can be accessed from the links above.

Some FREE Key Stage 3 Secondary Samples from Musical Contexts units

Free Musical Contexts Sample Scheme of Work taken from Secondary/Key Stage 3 Unit - "Rhythm and Pulse"

Detailed Schemes of Work for each unit contain full listings of all Musical Contexts resources and a summary of all lessons including Learning Objectives, suggested teaching and learning activities and coverage of the new National Curriculum for Music Key Stage 3 Programmes of Study (effective from September 2014).

Free Musical Contexts Sample Lesson Plan taken from Secondary/Key Stage 3 Unit - "Medieval Music"

In-depth Lesson Plans provide a suggested step-by-step approach including clear Learning Objectives and Outcomes, Starter, Plenary and Core Activities, clearly broken down with suggested timings (based on a one hour lesson), Cross-Curricular Links, EAL, SEN and GAT suggestions, Language for Learning Key Words, Musical Contexts resource listings and coverage of the new National Curriculum for Music Key Stage 3 Programmes of Study (effective from September 2014).

Free Musical Contexts Sample Starter or Plenary Activity taken from Secondary/Key Stage 3 Unit - "Soundtracks" - "Creepy Chords"

Starter and Plenary Activities provide valuable "openers" and "cloers" to each lesson in the form of puzzles, warm-ups (vocal and instrumental), games and "card sorts" and inviting responses from pupils which will later be connected to a particular musical style or concept. In this Sample practical Starter Activity, pupils learn to perform two different chords on keyboards, exploring the effect and mood they create to prepare them to explore how Film Music is used in Horror Films.

Some FREE 2016 GCSE (9-1) Music Samples from Musical Contexts units

Free Musical Contexts 2016 GCSE (9-1) Music Sample Workbook and Teacher's Notes - "The Elements of Music"

"The Elements of Music" Workbook from Musical Contexts features a full 22-page booklet ideal for GCSE Music cover, homework or as a "Summer Holidays Workbook", covering the Elements of Music via explorations of a Mozart Piano Concerto, a Rock 'n' Roll Song from the 1970's and an Indian Raga.

Covering the key Elements of Music for all of the new 2016 GCSE (9-1) Music specifications, scores, together with listening extracts and videos encourage pupils to explore and investigate the music thoroughly. The accompanying 10-page Teacher's Notes provides full discussion and suggested answers to all activities within the pupil workbook.

Free Musical Contexts 2016 GCSE (9-1) Music Sample Study and Revision Guide - "Film Music"

The "Film Music Study and Revision Guide" from Musical Contexts features a full 19-page booklet to support the Area of Study: "Film Music".

Providing all underpinning knowledge as covered in the new 2016 GCSE (9-1) Music specifications (excluding set works due to copyright) and covering key facts together with summary tables, Key Words and Learning Outcomes.

Available in both "completed" and "blank" versions (with question prompts for pupil's responses), Musical Contexts hopes to produce similar "Study and Revision Guides" for all of the new 2016 GCSE (9-1) Music Areas of Study (excluding set works due to copyright).

Free Musical Contexts 2016 GCSE (9-1) Music Sample GCSE-style Listening Questions - "The Concerto Through Time"

The GCSE-style Listening Questions from Musical Contexts are designed to support teachers and pupils preparing for the Listening Examination.

This free sample, taken from Area of Study "The Concerto Through Time" shows a sample GCSE-style Listening Question comparing Concertos from different times and places in terms of musical features. Pupil answer booklets are provided along with teacher mark schemes and all audio extracts are given on accompanying audio tracks with announcements regarding the number of playings of each extract. Teachers can use these GCSE-style Listening Questions as valuable revision or in constructing their own "mock" Listening Examinations.

Free Musical Contexts Sample Composing and Evaluation Activity taken from Secondary/Key Stage 3 Unit - "Indian Music" - "Ragas Composing Sheet" and "Assessing Ragas"

Composing Activities allow space for pupils to record their ideas in appropriate notation which follow naturally on to Evaluation Activities that involve both Self and Peer Assessment and allow pupils to reflect and review their learning.

Free Musical Contexts Sample Performing Activity taken from Secondary/Key Stage 3 Unit - "Samba" - "Performing Samba de Janeiro"

Performing Activities come complete with MIDI files modelling and demonstrating how parts sound so that teachers can hear what pieces sound like prior to teaching. Melodic parts are given separately (including parts for ‘transposing instruments’) as well as Full Scores and original Audio Files enable teachers and pupils to hear the originals from which arrangements have been taken. The Audio and MIDI files associated with this Sample Performing Activity can be accessed from the links above.

Free Musical Contexts Sample Listening Activity taken from Secondary/Key Stage 3 Unit - "Night and Day" - "Listening to Morning Music"

Listening Activities develop pupil's skills, knowledge and understanding of the concepts explored during the units. All of the Audio Files needed for completing the Listening Activities are included on the site and where more than one audio extract is used, they are often linked into the same Audio File. In this Sample Listening Activity, pupils explore 'Morning Music' in terms of the Elements of Music. The Audio File associated with this Sample Listening Activity can be accessed from the link above.