Following our work on the 'Location, Location, Location' series, the amazing Chiara wrote a truly beautiful song. She thought carefully about the setting and h... Read More...
Sound of Pen student, Sophie, writes soooo beautifully. Here are the opening chapters to the story she's been working on. Prepare to be DAZZLED!
Chapter 1
... Read More...
MUSIC FOCUS: Holding Absence, Taylor Swift, Against The Current, YONAKA, Chrissy Costanza, Lil Lotus & Olivia Rodrigo
ACTIVITY FOCUS: Analysing quotati... Read More...
Language Paper 2 is TOUGH - in large part because it revolves around extracts written in that more challenging Victorian style. For now, then, let's concentrat... Read More...
MUSIC FOCUS: Taylor Swift.ACTIVITY FOCUS: Explode the quotes from 'folklore'!
…Ready for it?
ACTIVITY 1
How does Taylor Swift use 'folklore' to explor... Read More...
MUSIC FOCUS: YUNGBLUD.ACTIVITY FOCUS: Write your own essay about the significance of a character, theme or artist of your choice!
Listen here to some of th... Read More...
OKAAAAY. THIS CLASS IS NOT FINISHED - PLEASE CAN YOU HELP!!
PICK A TAYLOR SONG FROM OUR TOP 52 (LISTED BELOW) AND WRITE A SHORT REVIEW! IN THAT REVIEW, YOU... Read More...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dqKb7dIVZq8
Music: 'Your Hand In Mine' by Explosions In The Sky
MUSIC FOCUS: YUNGBLUD.ACTIVITY FOCUS: Focus on that word 's... Read More...
The Sound of Pen students spent two sessions listening to 'folklore' and exploring the position of women in love. Here's an essay built from the ideas discusse... Read More...
The Sound of Pen students spent a session exploring the significance of love in Taylor Swift's 'dorothea'. Here's an essay built from the ideas discussed durin... Read More...
Both Louis Dunford and William Blake write about London in a way that makes us feel so strongly about the city. Let's compare 'The Angel (North London Forever)... Read More...
So many of our favourite songs are as multi-layered as any of the texts we study in school; with the new term dawning, we listed the best tracks of the year so... Read More...
So many of our favourite songs are as multi-layered as any of the texts we study in school. With the new term dawning, here are the tracks that have already kn... Read More...
So many of our favourite songs are as multi-layered as any of the texts we study in school. With the new term dawning, we listed the best tracks of the year so... Read More...
Lots of our favourite songs feature scarves, photos, makeup and all sorts of other 'props'. But, why are they there?! What is their purpose?! Let's find out, s... Read More...
In recent years, rock music may have been buried out of sight. Thankfully, it's likely to return to the frontline at just about the same time as you perfect yo... Read More...
Today, the best Australian band of modern times are going to help you with your 'Power & Conflict' poetry. How lovely of them.
MUSIC FOCUS: Trophy Eyes.... Read More...
Our New Favourite Band Injects Us With (Greased) Lightning!
MUSIC FOCUS: Beauty School Dropout.ACTIVITY FOCUS: Practise the skills needed to answer question... Read More...
Let's think about how the final moments of Slam Dunk will hit harder because of the songs you've enjoyed during the earlier parts of the day!
MUSIC FOCUS: M... Read More...
Accelerate your ability to analyse poetry - and deepen your appreciation of the female position - with a quick study of 'Better Man'.
MUSIC FOCUS: Ellie Go... Read More...
Why do things happen in the order they do? Who can say? YOU can. Or, at least, you will be able to once you've completed this class!
MUSIC FOCUS: PVRIS, Sin... Read More...
Glastonbury! Exactly the kind of important event we should write about when asked to write about something important!
MUSIC FOCUS: Glastonbury Festival.ACTI... Read More...
Ava Max sings songs that dissect the concept of power whilst making you feel like you can take on the world. Perfectly meta.
MUSIC FOCUS: Ava Max.ACTIVITY F... Read More...
It's been a while since Robert Louis Stevenson and Oscar Wilde wrote their novels about humanity's duality. But the conversation is NOT over...
MUSIC FOCUS:... Read More...
The first time Linkin Park came to England, I got to hang out with them for a couple of days. This is a story inspired by my love for the band.
MUSIC FOCUS:... Read More...
Sometimes the world can feel slightly too angry. Let's use today's persuasive activity as an opportunity to channel our positive energy!
MUSIC FOCUS: Zurich... Read More...
Sometimes, when studying English Literature, it can feel like the experience of love will be utterly joyless. Soooo much pain!
MUSIC FOCUS: Prospa, Taylor S... Read More...
Our top ten songs about rain are all GORGEOUS. But what do they mean? What does the rain symbolise?
MUSIC FOCUS: Taylor Swift, Pale Waves, Paramore, Tove Lo... Read More...
The texts we study are so full of dreams. Which sounds lovely. But - like love - dreams are complicated, unwieldy things. Here are the ten songs you should lis... Read More...
Walls aren't simply walls. They're symbols of power, traps within which we confine ourselves - and that's not all. Our favourite artists are here to help us in... Read More...
When YUNGBLUD hit Wembley, he showed everyone exactly how to put on an arena show! Stadiums next, surely?!
MUSIC FOCUS: YUNGBLUD.ACTIVITY FOCUS: Explore the... Read More...
Let's spend today's session thinking about exactly why we would love to live at Glastonbury Festival FOREVER AND EVER - and why we would rather never go to Gil... Read More...
The first in a series of sessions looking at the range of skills we're aiming to show off in our final pieces of writing. Before starting any essay, the first ... Read More...
Ellie Goulding lights up February with a kaleidoscopic show at Camden's KOKO. We cannot wait for the new album!
MUSIC FOCUS: Ellie Goulding.ACTIVITY FOCUS: ... Read More...
Ellie Goulding is BACK! And, like so many of our course writers, she is OBSESSED with love. Which makes her the perfect person to lead a study of our favourite... Read More...
MUSIC FOCUS: Yellowcard; Kids In Glass Houses; Underoath; Charlotte Sands; Creeper; Boston Manor; Trash Boat; The Menzingers; Maggie Lindemann; Enter Shikari; ... Read More...
MUSIC FOCUS: PVRIS.ACTIVITY FOCUS: Review an album or live show and practise writing about structure!
PVRIS, Hammersmith Apollo
PVRIS have never bee... Read More...
PVRIS are back in England (well, almost!!) - and they're bringing the ludicrously brilliant Maggie Lindemann and Charlotte Sands with them!! Life hasn't been t... Read More...
Read Sound of Pen's essay about Maggie Lindemann's 'SUCKERPUNCH' and fuel your own investigations into the literature of love.
MUSIC FOCUS: Maggie Lindemann... Read More...
Think about where your favourite songs are 'located' and develop your understanding of setting within your GCSE and A-Level texts.
MUSIC FOCUS: Calvin Harri... Read More...
Bright Star is locked in her manager’s office, Cynthia is locked in a friend’s basement and Ayley is locked in her bedroom. Sound of Pen’s ‘fTrE’ novel explore... Read More...
Read Sound of Pen's essay about YUNGBLUD - and prepare to get very excited about the links between 'weird!' and Shakespeare's 'Sonnet 116'!
MUSIC FOCUS: YUN... Read More...
Read Sound of Pen's essay about Against The Current's 'That Won't Save Us'. The song underlines ideas that will feel so relevant to your A-Level Lit study.
... Read More...
Our brainstorm activities don't so much focus on one idea as collate a whole stack of thoughts - all of which will feel absolutely relevant to one or other of ... Read More...
Read Sound of Pen's essay about Taylor Swift and develop your ability to make interesting points + to address context/typicality + to incorporate critical quot... Read More...
Lots of our texts examine the importance of self-belief. Let's listen to the music of Bush and work out what we'd say if asked to explore that very theme.
M... Read More...
Bright Star is locked in her manager’s office, Cynthia is locked in a friend’s basement and Ayley is locked in her bedroom. Sound of Pen's 'fTrE' novel explore... Read More...
Think about where your favourite songs are 'located' and develop your understanding of setting within your GCSE and A-Level texts.
MUSIC FOCUS: Trophy Eyes;... Read More...
Underneath our number 1 pick, you'll find some vocab activities - read them through and then have a go at sprinkling magic dust on your creative writing!
MU... Read More...
Following our work on the 'Location, Location, Location' series, the amazing Chiara wrote a truly beautiful song. She thought carefully about the setting and h... Read More...
How do the best songs of 2022 help us make sense of the texts we're studying at school? Look at the list of our top 75 tracks of the year - then have a go at t... Read More...
Jay Gatsby (aka James Gatz). Dignified? Desperate? Deluded? Here are the songs to help you make sense of Fitzgerald's most famous character. Okay, so they migh... Read More...
Looking at writers' use of colour is a worthwhile exercise - how many pieces of writing don't refer to a colour of one sort of another at some point?! Today, w... Read More...
In most stories, there's a letter being posted... or a phone ringing... or an email being sent. Characters are communicating and - whatever the era - they're u... Read More...
