To celebrate Black History Month in October we are delighted to publish a new Black History Month Resource Pack for secondary music teachers, including a FREE Black History Month Listening Calendar with 31 days of inspiring music.  At I Can Compose we are passionate about getting pupils listening to a variety of musical genres and styles by a diverse range of composers.  We believe it is important that all young people can identify with a musician or composer – “you can’t be what you can’t see”.

Introduction

Black History Month is an opportunity to highlight the extraordinary contribution to our musical culture of Black composers and to continue highlighting it beyond October.  Our hope is that music by these composers will be integrated into music curricular around the country and ignite a passion for these pioneering composers.  Many of these musicians were and are trailblazers, experimenting with new styles, succeeding in the music industry against all odds and combining their musical passion with a desire for equality and justice.  We want pupils and teachers alike, to feel inspired and enjoy discovering some music for the first time or revisit old favourites.

FREE Black History Month Music Listening Calendar

To celebrate Black History Month we have created a listening calendar showcasing 31 inspirational black composers – one for each day – complete with a Spotify playlist, accessible by QR code or weblink.  The original artwork and calendar design is by our graphic designer, Toby Potter.

Choosing just thirty-one composers was quite a challenge, so as part of the full resource pack you’ll also find a list of thirty-four additional composers to explore.

Download FREE Black History Month Listening Calendar

Black History Month Music Listening Calendar

Black History Month Music Resource Pack

The full resource pack includes:

  • Google Slides presentation linked to the Listening Calendar (link included in the pack)
  • 4 pupil listening sheets (aimed at KS3) focussing on: Florence Price, Tracy Chapman, Duke Ellington and Quincy Jones.
  • Black History Month Listening Calendar to download or print – 31 days of inspiring music.
  • Additional Composers PDF – thirty-four composers to explore.
  • Further resources PDF – people, organisations and website suggestions to support teachers’ own learning and delivery of Black History Month lessons.

The pack is included in Gold and Platinum Access Plans or can be purchased as an individual product.

Explore Black History Month Resource Pack

Black History Month Music Resource Pack

Follow the action!

We hope that you and your students will enjoy using the Black History Month Listening Calendar – we’ll be tweeting every day of October to remind you who the composer of the day is.  Do follow us if you don’t already and we’d love to hear your experience of how you’re using the pack:  have you discovered a new composer or work?  Did you feel prompted to find out more about a particular musician?  Are there opportunities to include more of these composers in your classroom listening activities?

Similar Posts