Everyone in the Sound of Pen community gets their own reviews page. Here's JC's!
Taylor Swift: Lover (Republic Records)
'Lover' is a record you absolutel... 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...
It's impossible to read 'Where The Crawdads Sing' or listen to Taylor Swift's 'Carolina' and not feel inspired!
https://youtu.be/egxyRSb_XtI
Our aim to... Read More...
This week, the Sound of Pen A-Level group began exploring the use of colour in our favourite songs. We started with a look at black, the aim being to see beyon... 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...
A lot of songwriters make use of colour in their lyrics - and some of those artists employ blacks, whites, greens, pinks etc. as potently as actual painters. H... Read More...
This is the first of a five-part series which will allow you to indulge your love for the inimitable Taylor Swift AND develop your confidence with unseen poetr... Read More...
Is there anything more fun that writing about the things you REALLY believe in?
Have a read through our letter to Download Festival booker, Andy Copping. T... Read More...
The lovable Olly Alexander speaks with such energy and enthusiasm. In the summer of 2019, this Glastonbury MOMENT served as evidence of exactly that.
Today,... Read More...
Okay, before we get started... there is NO need to start shouting just because Jax isn't exactly a pop-punk artist or if you think Holding Absence are actually... Read More...
If you’re looking to finetune your use of letter sounds, you’re in the right place. This class works brilliantly all on its own, but you might also want to thi... Read More...
If you’re looking to finetune your use of symbols, you’re in the right place. This class works brilliantly all on its own, but you might also want to think of ... Read More...
Special thanks to my Year 8 class for providing the musical inspiration for this class!
Check out their favourite songs here.
You may wish to download th... Read More...
Review writing can be tricky. You might love a record or a film or a book soooooo much - but how do you possibly pack all the positive energy you're feeling in... Read More...
NOTE: THERE IS ONE MOMENT OF SWEARING DURING THE TRAILER.
Review writing can be tricky. You might love a record or a film or a book soooooo much - but how d... Read More...
If you’re looking to develop your vocabulary, you’re in the right place. This class works brilliantly all on its own, but you might also want to think of it as... Read More...
If you’re looking to develop your understanding of allusion, you’re in the right place. This class works brilliantly all on its own, but you might also want to... Read More...
Here's a selection, not just of our favourite songs of the year, but of our favourite similes and metaphors EVER!
If you're looking to finetune your creativ... Read More...
This lesson works well on its own, but it's also the third part in our poetry writing series. You may enjoy starting with our Avicii lesson, then looking at st... Read More...
Start today's poetry writing class by watching this tribute to the superstar DJ/humble songwriter...
https://youtu.be/FhWDZExRacE
TASK 1
Watch the '... Read More...
Yes, we do know it's the school holidays, but as far as fun activities go, it's hard to think of anything more enjoyable than listening to Creeper, Against The... Read More...
This is the final part in a series we created so that you can indulge your love for the inimitable Taylor Swift AND develop your confidence with unseen poetry ... Read More...
We love Against The Current because they’re fighting the same problems that we're battling with too. In order to ensure we understand this, the band make such ... Read More...
Imagine you're living in the 12th Century, chatting to your friends in Latin and someone uses the word 'monstrum'. You know immediately that they're taking abo... Read More...
The more you read, the easier your life as an English student gets.
And yet sometimes the thought of actually picking up a book which is not on the A-Level ... Read More...
Examiners love students who write with personality and passion. Read the question (in orange) and response (in green) below, then have a go at writing about yo... Read More...
Unbelievably, Billie Eilish's 'Ocean Eyes' song is now more than half a decade old! But it remains as fresh-sounding and relevant as ever...
TASK 1
Read ... Read More...
Swiftogeddon
Belgrave Music Hall & Canteen, Leeds
18th February 2022
Outside Belgrave Music Hall & Canteen, the queue stretches up the hill. T... Read More...
'NO U IN FTRE' is the latest project from Sound of Pen. Watch the video, press pause when you reach each activity slot and get ready to absolutely nail your En... Read More...
Taylor Swift’s 2020 albums – ‘folklore’ and ‘evermore’ – are like water. In the surface of them, we see ourselves, as vague and actual as we really are. Undern... Read More...
So many A-Level Literature texts deal with what it means to lose out in love. If you look closely at Taylor Swift's 'Exile', you'll realise our favourite pop ... Read More...
Lil Peep knew how it felt to get his heart broken. And because it's definitely way easier to relate to the rapper's romantic issues than it is to those of Erne... Read More...
Hello, GORGEOUS people. It's time to study our list of 2021's BEST albums and EPs. Once you've done that, crank the playlist up loud and get ready to take your... 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...
From number 50 to number 1, here are the songs we loved most this year.
50. While She Sleeps, Nervous
49. Doll Skin, Control Freak
48. Creeper, Midnig... Read More...
CLASS FOCUS:
Understanding how context impacts on the significance of key vocabularyIdentifying key themes/messages within course textsCollecting quotes tha... Read More...
Let's be clear: you want your analysis of a writer's alliteration to SPARKLE! Okay, so it's fair to say that a writer often uses the technique to draw our att... Read More...
CLASS FOCUS:
Making clear pointsEstablishing three points per essay Collecting quotes that evidence the family theme
When Avicii died in 2018, we lost an... Read More...
CLASS FOCUS:
Identifying key themes within course textsIdentifying vocabulary used for effectExploring use of language techniques in relation to theme
Sl... Read More...
The 3 purple links below serve as wormholes. They'll take you straight into the pages of the texts you're studying at school. Use YONAKA's ideas to develop you... Read More...
And so we reach the end of another school year. Where did the time go?!
It's been an amazing first twelve months for Sound of Pen. It started with a collect... Read More...
As you read through the below, you'll find our model ideas in orange and green. There are tasks for you to complete in purple.
We always love the summer te... Read More...
The purple links in this article serve as wormholes. Click on them and you'll find yourself walking through the pages of Oscar Wilde's 'The Picture Of Dorian G... Read More...
We've heard so much amaaaaazing music in 2021 already! Here are the songs we've enjoyed most. Each mini-review includes a word that you can try to use in your ... Read More...
So, you KNOW we love it when our favourite artists offer us a way into the texts we’re studying in class. We especially love it when that artist is TAYLOR ... Read More...
Finding the words to describe that feeling our favourite music gives us is never easy. And so we repeat ourselves in the hope that someone will get what we're ... Read More...
A story isn't just a story. It's a message. From the writer to US. But what exactly is the message? Well, let's find out...
Watch: Video
Watc... Read More...
Iago gets to Othello because the eponymous 'hero' has got a head full of voices. The men in charge of Gilead are absolutely ruled by the chattering that only t... Read More...
It's time for us to YELL about our favourite songs of recent times. Have a read of the four reviews below, and remember: it's not always about using BIG words ... Read More...
There are a lot of activities already available at Sound of Pen. And, yes, they'll help you develop the skills you'll want to sharpen in advance of any GCSE an... Read More...
Your voice is EVERYTHING. But how to say all the things you need to? Well, it's so funny that you should ask! Enter Shikari's impassioned frontman Rou Reynolds... Read More...
Because work and play can be exactly the same thing, here are 3 more reviews that will introduce you to the best music of recent times AND improve your confide... Read More...
