JC

KiM PeTrAs: FoLLoW ThE YeLLoW bRiCk RoAd

Kim Petras Listening to Kim Petras' early releases makes me feel like Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz. Except the singer doesn’t transport me to some made-up place inhabited by talking scarecrows and cowardly lions. Instead, she takes me somewhere ... Read More...
Halsey Marshmello Be Kind

HaLsEy: WhY PiNk hAiR iS nEvEr JuSt PiNk hAiR!

Halsey & Marshmello: Be Kind More than half a decade on from its release, the video for Be Kind still makes me feel all tingly! It’s like Marshmello, Halsey and their team understood exactly what makes music so important. Which OF COURSE they... Read More...
Maggie Lindemann contemplating her top 10 favourite moments in English Literature.

Top 10: MaGGiE LiNdEmAnn SoNgS

We always enjoy making lists! Lists of our favourite albums. Lists of the best festivals. Lists of songs we couldn't live without. Talking of which, here are the Maggie Lindemann tracks we love the most. From 10 to 1... 10. phases https://you... Read More...
Dua Lipa hoping to finish concert in time for her Sound of Pen class.

pOsTeRs WiTh DuA LiPa

Whenever I attempt to draw something on the board in class, my students laugh. I am not the most skilled artist you have ever met!! As a result, I am extremely grateful to Canva for enabling me to make posters the way that I imagine them in my head!... Read More...

BuStEd! ThE pReSiDeNt MyTh

THE PRESIDENT MYTH BUSTED When the much-hyped PRESIDENT made their live debut at Download Festival earlier this year, they told us it was the beginning of: "the inauguration". But the inauguration of what? Doesn't the word 'inauguration' imply th... 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. Scan the topics below if you're looking to focus on a particular skill or learn about a spe... Read More...

JC

English Teacher & Music Journalist

Favourite artists: Against The Current, Holding Absence, Dua Lipa, Trophy Eyes, YUNGBLUD, Kim Petras
Favourite album: Blind Melon: Blind Melon
Favourite song: The Used: Taste of Ink
Best gig: Coldplay @ Glastonbury Festival
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