BBC Bitesize – KS3 Music
Added to website 31/03/2020. Updated 07/09/2023.
Music-making support and activities for 11-14 year old.
Loads of practical steps for music-making and inspiring examples from famous musicians and artists.
These guides are designed to enable 11-14-year-old students to work through at their own pace, whatever their level, to develop their practical skills and get inspired about the potential of a career in music.
The resources cover composition, performance, improvisation and evaluation skills and are ideal for short or long-term projects in the classroom or as homework.
Topics include How to write a song, How to rap and Percussion. We’ve also teamed up with Ten Pieces to create five companion guides with detailed steps on making jazz music, minimalism, a Doctor Who theme, film composition and fusion music.
Resource highlights include:
A band learning new skills
Twenty of the guides feature a short film following the story of a young band exploring and developing their musical skills. Through distinct topics such as songwriting, music producing and found sounds, we see the musicians driven by enthusiasm and curiosity to work together and improve their skills.
Interviews with artists and experts
To help students understand the potential of a music qualification like a GCSE, our band interview musicians and experts about their work in musicals, music publishing, rap, DJing and composing. Experts include grime artist C Cane, DJ Jordss and arranger Rob Eckland.
Audio and videos of famous performers
All topics are brought to life with the use of audio and video clips from famous artists such as Stormzy, Billie Eillish, The Beach Boys, Tchaikovsky and many others.
Quizzes
Each guide contains a five question quiz that recaps on the knowledge explored in the guide. A great snapshot of student knowledge and easy to replay again.
Practical composing steps
Each guide contains a short practical exercise that shows students how they can start making their own music.
Bitesize Ten Pieces resources
Bitesize and Ten Pieces have teamed up to create a brand new set of resources for students featuring five of the Ten Pieces Trailblazers.
The Ten Pieces Bitesize resources provide detailed steps to compose on themes inspired by the Trailblazer composers:
- Compose your own film score – with Hans Zimmer
- Make your own Doctor Who theme tune – with Delia Derbyshire
- Make a rhapsody about a day in your life – with George Gershwin
- Make your own minimalist music – with Steve Reich
- Make your own fusion music – with Ravi Shankar
BBC Young Composer
A great project for your students to work on at the end of this year could be the BBC Young Composer competition for ages 12-18. Winners will participate in a development programme working with a mentor composer on a project with the BBC Concert Orchestra. The music they make will be performed and broadcast in a special concert at the BBC Proms in 2021. The closing date for entries to the competition is Monday 20th July.
Primary schools – Bring the Noise
BBC Teach Bring the Noise is inspiring children aged 4 to 7-years-old, across the UK, to discover the joys of music-making. You can get involved by visiting our website to discover a wide range of free, easy-to-use music resources and activities that can be used at home, including our exciting online interactive tool Play It! where children can explore the different elements that make up a song, experiment with making their own music and listen back to their own versions.
GCSE Bitesize
Resources for OCR, Edexel, AQA and Eduqas covering topics such as elements of music, music appreciation, classical orchestral music, music for dance, contemporary music and world music.
Ten Pieces
Resources for teachers and ensemble leaders to open up the world of classical music to 7-14 year olds. Explore our exciting films, lesson plans and instrumental arrangements.
YOUR FEEDBACK
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For students:
https://www.facebook.com/bbcbitesize
About the Provider
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England.
