Welcome to the Sound of Pen lecture series. Today's class revolves around PVRIS. You'll think about how writers might choose to structure their work and how - ... Read More...
You are going to work on a spoken word project that speaks for the experience of being you - and of being a teenager! Let's get started!
This is what Fred..... Read More...
Here are Sound of Pen's favourite albums of 2024!
Fred again.., 'ten days'
Charli xcx, 'brat'
Mk.gee, 'Two Star & The Dream Police'
Jamie xx, ... Read More...
Writing persuasively is easier when you're passionate about your subject matter!! Pick a topic and tell us why it's so important!!!
ACTIVITY 1
Read the a... Read More...
Dead Pony's music fills you with an energy that absolutely needs to be unleashed. Get ready to go crazy...
ACTIVITY 1
Read the notes below then watch Dea... Read More...
Damnation Festival always plays host to the most thrilling metal and alternative bands on the planet. Let's listen to two of the brilliant acts - Perturbator a... Read More...
Fred again.. wasn't the only artist releasing era-defining dance records in 2024. 'In Waves' by Jamie xx is an album that will live - and be relevant - forever... Read More...
Every writer makes a zillion different choices. Explore the impact of that decision-making with the kaleidoscopic Dua Lipa!
ACTIVITY 1
Watch the 'Hou... 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...
Why might a writer choose to order things the way they do? Let's find out.
Whatever stage you're at with your English studies, it's always interesting t... Read More...
Writing essays takes brainpower, You need ideas. Then you need to shuffle those ideas into order. Then you need to put them down on paper. Let's practise t... Read More...
Lucas Woodland talked to Sound of Pen about the themes threaded throughout his own work. Note how relevant his ideas are to the texts we’ve been studying in t... Read More...
We know what butterflies are but why do so many writers fill their pages with them? Let's make sure we have something interesting to say about that butterfly i... Read More...
14 lines, written in iambic pentameter and inextricably linked to feelings of love - the short and sweet sonnet packs as much punch as your favourite three-min... Read More...
Ankor are the most exciting metal band on the planet right now. Let them help you prep for your English Language GCSE!!
https://youtu.be/UEw-G3JlsJA?si... Read More...
Given that winter means a world without festivals, it's hard to not be constantly looking forward to summer! Let's listen to the artists we most want to see ou... Read More...
The best poetry is BEAUTIFUL. And while it's true that songs and poems do have lots in common, there aren't many lyrics that you would mistake for poems. Here,... Read More...
Coldplay's music is the sound of LOVE.
ACTIVITY 1
Watch the video clips below. It will become clear that Coldplay made 'Moon Music' with LOVE. How do... Read More...
Assonance is a literary technique where the same or similar vowel sound is repeated. It creates a flow between words - which sounds lovely. And if we're writin... Read More...
So many of our favourite songs are as multi-layered as any of the texts we study in school. For proof, look no further than the startling 'Life In Slow Motion'... Read More...
If you’re looking to develop your understanding of allusion, you’re in the right place!
So, what do we mean by allusion?
An allusion is a r... 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...
Maybe you already dance (and, yes, dancing around the bedroom with your headphones on does count!). If you don’t, you should start. Mainly, because it will mak... Read More...
Like Shakespeare, Wilde, Stevenson and so many of our course authors, Chrissy Costanza frequently writes about Hell. But why? And when we come across that Hell... Read More...
Taylor Swift is a feminist icon. Let's listen to 'folklore' and have a think about how the singer uses language to ensure her ideas about equality hit as hard ... Read More...
What do pop icon Britney Spears and Tennessee Williams' Blanche DuBois have in common? Uh, how about A LOT! Raised in Southern America, forced to adhere to a r... Read More...
When DJing, Andy C puts his whole heart into creating the most mind-blowing mixes. You should take the same approach to your creative writing. When you pack yo... Read More...
Use YONAKA's ideas to develop your understanding of 'A Streetcar Named Desire', light imagery and gender inequality!
Listen to Theresa talk on the Sound of ... Read More...
We delved back into our favourite albums of 2022. Then we matched the best 20 records of that year with the best 20 words of all-time!!
Listen to our pl... Read More...
Explore the significance of disappointment in SZA’s ‘Kill Bill’.
ACTIVITY 1
Read the 'Kill Bill' lyrics and prep by considering the 3 questions direc... Read More...
Let's listen to some brilliant songs and then write a poem with real focus on rhyming for effect!
ACTIVITY 1
We can start by hearing what the experts... Read More...
When we read a text, we have to consider the time at which it was written. We need to understand whether the author's ideas aligned with the majority - or if t... Read More...
Let's make sure that practising the skills needed to complete AQA's Language Paper 2 is fun for us!! Today, we're going to listen to Louis Dunford's 'North Lon... Read More...
Madonna's music a made an enormous impact. Let's think about how her songs hit even harder than they might have otherwise because of the world - Ronald Reagan'... Read More...
Here's a list of our favourite Against The Current tracks! See if you agree with our choices, then have a go at using the different techniques used in each sho... Read More...
Back in 2023, there were soooo many albums that made our hearts whoosh! Here's a list of our favourite releases of that year. Within the mini-reviews you'll fi... 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 this story inspired by Linkin Park and practise your Language Paper 1 skills.
https://youtu.be/uOJRx5GEDu0
Music has the power to make us feel... Read More...
So many of our favourite songs are as multi-layered as any of the texts we study in school 'The Cave' is a perfect example. Let's look at how To Kill Achilles ... Read More...
When you're asked to explore the 'significance' of something, what are you being asked to think about? This is a chance to figure that out. With a little help ... Read More...
Listen to the brilliant Andrew McMahon and then have a think about your own brilliant life!
For lots of my generation, Something Corporate and Jack's Ma... 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...
Ellie Goulding lit up Camden's KoKo with a kaleidoscopic show! Now she can help you add some spark to your own GCSE Language Paper 1 work!
ACTIVITY 1
... Read More...
Like so many of our course writers, Ellie Goulding is OBSESSED with love. Which makes her the perfect person to lead a study of our favourite, conundrum-filled... Read More...
To rhyme or not to rhyme, that is the question!
ACTIVITY 1
Match each of the lyrics below with the relevant type of rhyme. Choose from:
absent: n... Read More...
Before going on, you could listen to this clip from the session I ran with in 'real life' with the Sound of Pen students. It goes some way to summarising w... 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...
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...
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...
Of course, both our reviews of 'Suicide and Sunshine' focus on the fact that it's an utterly brilliant album! But let's look more closely at how Daisy and JC c... Read More...
Trophy Eyes, ‘Suicide and Sunshine’ (Hopeless Records)
Think about the truly important albums: Nirvana’s raw yet resplendent ‘Nevermind’; Biffy Clyro’s hear... Read More...
We went to Slam Dunk and it was the PERFECT day. Read our review, then write about your own perfect experience.
MUSIC FOCUS: Enter Shikari; Malevolence; PVR... 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...
