This week's post

There's a trap in mock exams. Give a Year 10 a full GCSE paper and they're going to fail most of it — they've only covered half the course. That's demoralising, and it doesn't teach anything except anxiety. Give them a question from a real paper and you hit the same problem: most of the question works, but there are elements that have not been covered yet. Now the test isn't measuring what they know, it's measuring what they don't.

Half-term 1 of Year 10. They've covered some basics, maybe a tiny bit of a set work. You want to test them on wider listening, but only on concepts they actually know. Here's how: identify one concept they've definitely covered — maybe monophonic texture, or major key. Search WiderListen.ing for it. Find a track. Clear the search, and type in the name of that track instead. You'll find 5, 6 other concepts layered into the same recording. Two minutes, you've got your test question.

The payoff is twofold. First, it's fast — you're not hunting through past papers for salvageable fragments. Second, it's meaningful. The data you get back actually tells you something: what have your students understood from what you've taught them so far? Not what they're going to fail at. What they know.

If you're using the site in ways I haven't thought of, let me know via the contact form on the website. I want to hear how it's working in your classroom, and what else I could add to make it better.

Track of the Week

Parklife by Blur — featuring Drum kit, Panning, Pedal, Allegro

Listen on YouTube

New in the database this week

• Juancito Trucupey by Celia Cruz — featuring Trumpet, Ostinato, Call and response
• Harder to Walk These Days Than Run by Karine Polwart — featuring Accordion, Compound Duple (6/8), Melody and accompaniment
• Smooth by Santana — featuring Minor, Moderato, Simple Quadruple (4/4), Syncopation, Bend
• Intermezzo from Carmen Suite No. 1 by Georges Bizet — featuring Harp, Major, Polyphonic, Trill

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