JC

Kurt singing about school

YoU’rE iN HiGh ScHooL AgAiN!

The new school year has started!! There will (hopefully!) be some lovely times, but there will also be moments when it feels like - in the words of Kurt Cobain - there's no recess. https://youtu.be/DeoWhvsyOZ8?si=helHzNJ0yDi944w5 The Sound o... Read More...
Lynn Gunn telling the crowd why some things rhyme and some things don't.

rHyMe & HaLf-RhYmE WiTh PvRiS

Whether a poet chooses to rhyme or not can tell you a lot about how they're feeling! Read anything by Shakespeare, Rossetti, Agard etc. if you want proof. Alternatively, you could just listen to 'You and I by PVRIS! ACTIVITY 1 Listen to PVRIS'... Read More...
Chastity feeling as isolated as most of the characters studied in English Literature lessons.

eXpLoRiNg HoPeLeSSnEss WiTh ChAsTiTy

Chastity writes heart wrenching emo. Which, pretty much, is true of all the writers we study in the English classroom! But exactly how hopeless do Brandon Williams (a.k.a. Chastity) and each of our course writers feel? https://youtu.be/n-gReb0RF... Read More...
venbee looking as delighted as you'll feel when listening to Sound of Pen's favourite songs of 2025 so far - each song will help you develop your A-Level Literature skills.

BeSt 50 SoNgS oF 2025 So FaR

There has been so much amazing music released already in 2025!!! Here are the songs we have had playing on repeat - from number 50 all the way up to our very favourite at number 1!!! You can listen to our playlist here. There are some related cla... Read More...
A Level and GCSE English Lessons

ToPiCs & ArTiSTs

Lots of the Sound of Pen classes are aimed at simply heightening your enjoyment of English - but each one does also tie neatly to a particular unit or theme. S... Read More...

We’LL aLwAyS hAvE PaRiS: a StRuCtUrE cLaSS

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 - even when life is crazy and tough - your life will be filled with moments of light! We'... Read More...
No U In Ftre

fTrE: cHaPtEr 1

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...

JC

English Teacher & Music Journalist

Favourite artists: Against The Current, Holding Absence, Trophy Eyes, Taylor Swift, Kim Petras
Favourite album: Blind Melon: Blind Melon
Favourite song: The Used: Taste of Ink
Best gig: 30 Seconds To Mars @ Main Square Festival, July 2013
Lyric worth remembering: Live right now, just be yourself; it doesn't matter if it's good enough for someone else
Most likely to feel: Inspired and determined
Favourite month and why: June – the start of festival season