COVER LESSONS

IN MUSIC

ROB JONES
and
STEPH YATES

Illustrated by
LUCY WATSON

ISBN 1 86025 323 7

INTRODUCTION

The Pack Cover Lessons in Music provides a variety of lessons which can be carried out by
non-specialist teachers. Each lesson requires little or no preparation or musical
knowledge – where any preparation is required, this is highlighted in the Contents
and detailed in the appropriate Teachers’ Notes. Guidelines are also given in the
Teachers’ Notes to help with managing and assessing the lessons. The pack aims
not just to keep students occupied, but to engage them in worthwhile activities
through which they will be learning and gaining knowledge and skills outlined in
the National Curriculum. (All worksheets are cross-referenced to the September
2000 Programmes of Study). The pack uses a wide range of approaches, including
quizzes and puzzles, written and practical work.

Student The pack is designed for use in KS3 music lessons with mixed-ability students.
Suitability Some worksheets could also be used at KS4. Because the pack is photocopiable,
you can use it flexibly, with individual students, small or large groups, or across a
whole year set.

Using The Pack Each sheet can be used individually to provide a lesson when the specialist music
teacher is absent. Specialist teachers may also find the worksheets useful to
support their regular music lessons. The Teachers’ Notes provided opposite each
worksheet give the page’s aims, preparation needed, classroom management
advice, differentiation possibilities, answers and extension activities. We presume
that you have access to pen, paper and chalkboard, and that students are used to
working both individually and in small and large discussion groups. If you have a
query about how best to use the pack, we are happy to help; please write to us at
the address below.

The People Rob Jones, the consultant author for this pack, is Head of Music at Gateacre
Involved Comprehensive in Liverpool. Phil Freeman, the editorial co-ordinator, is a former
teacher at Shorefields Comprehensive in Liverpool. Steph Yates is a freelance writer.
The pack was illustrated by Lucy Watson and the editor was Scott Bradbury. The
Chalkface format was created by Susan Quilliam.

Photocopy Laws The text and pictures in this pack belong to The Chalkface Project Ltd. However,
you may photocopy the sheets, provided you do so only for use within your own
institution. If you wish to photocopy for any other use, you must write to us for
permission, for which we may charge a fee.

How To Address: The Chalkface Project, PO Box 111, Milton Keynes MK11 1XN
Contact Us Tel: 0800 781 8858 Fax: 0845 458 5344
E-mail: sales@[Link]
Website: [Link]

Cover Lessons in Music © The Chalkface Project Ltd 2000

ISBN 1 86025 323 7

Last updated 14/7/00

1
CONTENTS
Worksheets marked ★ require no preparation and are suitable for use at short notice.

7 ★ FILM MUSIC
Students plan appropriate music for film scores, focusing on the way in which instruments and playing
techniques can create atmosphere.
9 SINGING THE BLUES
Students learn about the origins of blues music, focusing particularly on the lyrics.
Preparation: Cassette/CD player, selection of blues music on cassette or CD.
11 ★ WOMEN COMPOSERS
Students find out about the life and work of Clara Schumann and consider the problems faced by female
composers in history and today.
Preparation: Nothing essential but a selection of any music, preferably from previous centuries, would help,
along with a cassette/CD player.
13 THE ROOTS OF ROCK ’N’ ROLL
Students discover the various musical strands that led to the emergence of rock ’n’ roll music.
Preparation: Music from any of the artists mentioned on the page would help to set the scene. Students will
need access to research materials. Large sheets of paper should be provided. Cassette/CD player.
15 RAP
Students explore the style and rhythms of rap music.
Preparation: Examples of Rap music would be helpful and use of a keyboard(s) although not essential, would
improve the quality of the lesson. Cassette/CD player.
17 MUSICAL PUZZLES
Students use puzzles to investigate musical instruments, performers and composers.
Preparation: Students will need access to research materials on instruments, performers and composers.
19 MUSICAL MATHS
Students use puzzles and research to increase their musical knowledge.
Preparation: Access to resource materials on composers, instruments and contemporary performers.
21 LASTING POPULARITY
Students explore the enduring popularity of the Beatles and and consider which current musicians will have
lasting popularity.
Preparation: A selection of Beatles’ songs is needed. Cassette/CD player.
23 CLASSICAL HITS
Students find out about Mozart and his music.
Preparation: You should provide some music by Mozart and some brief biographical information on Mozart.
Copies of modern music magazines would also be useful. Cassette/CD player.
25 ★ MERRY CHRISTMAS
Students learn to write Christmas songs, focusing on the use of lyrics and melody to create a particular
atmosphere and style.
27 BRASS INSTRUMENTS
Students learn how brass instruments produce different notes and explore their particular musical features.
Preparation: Students will need large sheets of paper. Pictures and information on brass instruments would
also be useful, as would some actual brass instruments to show students.
29 WOODWIND INSTRUMENTS
Students learn to identify woodwind instruments, and discover some differences between them.
Preparation: Large sheets of paper. Pictures and information on woodwind instruments would be useful, as
would some actual woodwind instruments to show students. A picture of an orchestra will help in activity 4.
31 PERCUSSION INSTRUMENTS
Students learn about the variety of percussion instruments available and describe their features.
Preparation: Pictures and information on percussion instruments would be useful, as would some actual
percussion instruments to show students.
33 STRINGED INSTRUMENTS
Students learn about the variety and versatility of stringed instruments.
Preparation: Pictures and information on stringed instruments would be useful, as would some stringed
instruments to show students.

2
CONTENTS

35 ★ 100 YEARS OF TOTP

Students think about popular music and predict how it might develop in the twenty-first century.
37 ★ FINAL SCORE
Students learn to write and play basic rhythm patterns and practise playing them accurately.
39 REMEMBERING BEETHOVEN
Students find out about Beethoven and consider what makes him such an important musical figure.
Preparation: Music by Beethoven and some biographical materials on Beethoven, plus cassette/CD player.
41 BAROQUE ‘N’ ROLL
Students gain an overview of four hundred years of musical development.
Preparation: Students will need large pieces of paper and research materials on Baroque, Classical, Romantic
and 20th Century music. Examples of each type of music would also enhance the lesson. Cassette/CD player.
43 ★ TV THEMES
Students discover the purpose of television theme music and justify their choices of music for a variety of
programmes.
45 FOOTBALL CRAZY
Students learn about the power popular songs can have and practise lyric writing.
Preparation: Some football songs would help to set the scene (plus cassette/CD player).
47 FANTASY BAND
Students focus on band images, and devise ways in which these can be deliberately created.
Preparation: Large sheets of paper are required.
49 SELL IT WITH MUSIC
Students explore the power of music when used in advertising.
Preparation: Keyboards or other instruments would be useful.
51 THE MUSIC OF INDIA
Students learn about Indian music and instruments.
Preparation: Pictures of Indian instruments and musicians would be useful. Examples of Indian music would
be ideal. Cassette/CD player.
53 IT’S ALL ITALIAN
Students gain familiarity with musical terminology.
Preparation: Students would benefit from dictionaries or books containing musical terms. Squared paper
would be useful for activity 3.
55 COMPLETING THE SCORE
Students gain familiarity with musical symbols and terms found on scores, and practise following these.
Preparation: Students will need keyboards and tuned percussion or other instruments such as recorders.
57 SSSHH!
Students learn about experimental approaches to music through the work of John Cage.
Preparation: Some taped examples of John Cage’s music would enhance the lesson. Cassette/CD player.
59 CLOSE ENCOUNTERS
Students prepare an overview of world instruments and world music.
Preparation: Students will need research materials containing information on world music and instruments.
61 RHYTHM SQUARE
Students use a rhythm square to learn to create and play strong percussion rhythms.
Preparation: This lesson will be more effective if you can provide percussion instruments.
62 HELP SLIPS
To help with differentiation for pages 11, 13, 17 and 21.
63 HELP SLIPS
To help with differentiation for pages 25, 37, 39, 43, 53 and 59.
64 APPENDIX
Checklist to record pages used by different classes.
Lesson-specific Teachers’ Notes are to be found on the page facing each worksheet.

3
GENERAL GUIDELINES

Opposite each worksheet you will find a page of Teachers’ Notes giving specific advice and information relevant
to that worksheet. These more general guidelines give advice on using the whole pack and offer suggestions on
preparation, running the lesson and record keeping.

Please remember to photocopy both the relevant Teachers’ Notes and these general guidelines if you are copying
worksheets for a supply teacher to use.

Preparing for the Lesson

Although this pack is intended for use in cover lessons, the nature of the subject means that for lessons to be
effective some activities will require preparation. It would be useful for the Music Department to have
available a number of boxes containing suitable materials in the form of books, posters, cassettes and CDs,
together with a CD/cassette player. These could be collected quickly before the lesson. Each box could cover a
variety of musical styles and periods or you could have a separate box for each of the worksheets in the pack. The
Contents listing (pages 2–3) provides details of any resources required and the Teachers’ Notes give guidelines for
preparation wherever necessary. Some students will be able to cope without these additional materials but
having them available will cover all eventualities.

Some pages are specifically designed to provide material for lessons at short notice, requiring no preparation other
than photocopying enough sheets for the class. These sheets are indicated by a star (★) in the Contents and after
the title in the Teachers’ Notes. You should always have available copies of the worksheet, pens, pencils and a
chalkboard or equivalent. Allow approximately an hour’s lesson for each page, unless otherwise indicated in the
Teachers’ Notes.

The Lesson
Pages are usually worded so that you can choose how to manage the lesson in the classroom. The Teachers’ Notes
include suggestions for ways of organising each activity. In general, we suggest that you combine individual, whole
class, and pair or group work in each lesson. Where a specific approach is necessary for an activity to work, this is
made clear on the worksheet. Each sheet contains a variety of activities which could include:
• Thought starters • Oral work
• Research • Written work
• Reading • Brainstorming
• Practical work

Where appropriate, suggestions have been made to enable you to adapt activities for more or less able students. In
some cases, ‘Help Slips’ have been provided to help less able students. These can be found at the back of the pack.
You will need to photocopy a few of these and keep them ready to hand out to any student who may need
additional help.

Keeping Records
Sometimes cover lessons are needed at short notice, and it is not always possible to find out from the regular class
teacher which worksheets have been used with that class. You may, therefore, want to keep a record available in
the department which can be checked before the lesson. The Appendix provides a checklist with room for
recording lessons for six classes. Teachers can then put a tick against any worksheet they have used with a
particular class, enabling a cover teacher to see at a glance which sheets a class has already used. Remember to
keep this list from year to year as the sheets can be used for any year group in KS3. Each Teachers’ Notes page
includes assessment guidelines, which could be used to help cover teachers provide brief notes for the regular
teacher on how the lesson went. The notes also indicate some of the areas of the National Curriculum covered by
each worksheet.

5
 TEACHERS’ NOTES

FILM MUSIC ★

AIMS Students plan appropriate music for film scores, focusing on the way in which
instruments and playing techniques can create atmosphere.

ACTIVITY 3 Grouping: You could discuss what is happening in the pictures as a class
before students begin working individually.
Encourage the students to use appropriate musical terms:
• tempo means how fast or slow the music is,
• dynamics refers to the volume and may include
crescendo (getting louder) or
decrescendo (getting softer)
• pitch refers to how high or low the notes are.

ACTIVITY 4 Grouping: Students work individually.

Students could draw on paper instead of in the box, but don’t let them draw
very large or detailed pictures which will take them a long time. Point out that
the drawing skills are not important.

ACTIVITY 5 Grouping: Students could work individually, but some discussion to share ideas
might be useful.

EXTENSION ACTIVITY Students could compose some of the music described in their storyboards.

ASSESSMENT A good piece of work will show an awareness of atmosphere, use appropriate
musical terms and a variety of instruments.

POS / REFERENCES Music KS3: 2b, 4b, 5a, 5b, 5c

6
 Film Music
AIM: TO PLAN MUSIC FOR FILM SCORES,
FOCUSING ON CREATING ATMOSPHERE

1 List your five favourite film

themes.

2 Compare your list with those of

other people and say why you
like the themes you chose.
Eerie, tense atmosphere.
3 The scenes in the illustration are
Long, low notes from cellos and violins.
Short high notes on flutes. Drum making effect of heartbeat. from a horror film. The
composer has made notes about
the sort of music needed for
scene one. Write suitable notes
for scenes two and three. You
will need to include:
• the atmosphere you want to
create
• instruments to be used
• how they should be played
(think about tempo, dynamics
and pitch).

4 Draw the final scene for the film

and make notes for the music.

5 Now draw your own four-scene

storyboard for a different type of
film (for example: romantic,
comedy, science fiction,
adventure) and make notes on
the music for each scene.

6 Choose a piece of music or a

chart song which could be the
opening theme tune for your
film.
FILM MUSIC

7
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