There was so much PERFECT music released in 2025. Here are the 25 songs we loved the most. Give yourself an early Christmas present and listen to the playlist!... Read More...
'Wuthering Heights' really informed my expectations of romantic love! I studied the text at A-Level and it quickly became my favourite book, inspiring a vision... Read More...
I love my weekly Sound of Pen classes SO much. But even the hour we spend together each Wednesday isn't enough to make our way through all the ideas we have. So trying to synthesise five different classes in one half-hour podcast was some kind of ch... Read More...
AS A-Level students, we need to demonstrate an understanding that texts can be interpreted in this way or that way, that one word could mean this but it also m... Read More...
Thinking about the significance of a theme can leave our brains feeling like a ball of string after it's spent half an hour with a hyperactive kitten. Let's lo... Read More...
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...
Just like us, lots of our GCSE and A-Level English Lit characters accessorise! But what does each character's choice of accessory suggest about them? Let's ask... Read More...
The sun!! You'll have noticed it up there in the sky. What do we know about it? Let's have a think, then use our knowledge to deepen our understanding of our f... Read More...
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...
When I first started the Sound of Pen project, it was with enormous help from my good friend, Simon. We met in 2004, when he was playing guitar in The Trend (l... Read More...
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... Read More...
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...
We started the school year by listening to Charli XCX's 'I Love It' and exploring 'The Handmaid's Tale'. We learnt so much about how to write an essay and had ... Read More...
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. Alte... Read More...
Charli XCX is everywhere! And that's a very good thing! Equally brilliant is the way in which her music can help facilitate a deeper understanding of the characters in our A-Level Lit texts!
ACTIVITY 1
I have taken a lyric from each of the... Read More...
Who better to teach us about Shakespeare than the tornado-like Charli XCX? Her 'brat' project propelled her to pop stardom - just as your own work is about to ... Read More...
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 Will... Read More...
Taking Back Sunday return to the UK next month to headline 2000trees. The perfect time, then, to revisit post-hardcore/emo smash 'Cute Without The E'!
https://youtu.be/ap0mqwvf7H0?si=CHa-CLUd20NSLdaP
ACTIVITY 1
Read the lyrics to Taking B... Read More...
We don't often talk about post-metal at Sound of Pen. But if you want music that takes you on a journey - in the same way that a novel might - then you should ... Read More...
English Literature classes aren't, of course, just about identifying different poetic techniques! But there's no doubting it helps to know the difference betwe... Read More...
Here's a nice activity to ease you into your literature studies! All you need to do is get out the colouring pens and map those techniques you know you'll be coming back to time and again throughout your English course!
ACTIVITY 1
Make a map o... Read More...
YUNGBLUD just doesn't stop delivering! 'Zombie' is another triumph. The song's video highlights the awe-inspiring job our nurses do - and now it's your turn to... Read More...
We've picked out 10 sets that we're very, very, very much looking forward to this summer. Together, we'll look at one key song per artist - and we'll ask why t... Read More...
Here's a fun task to keep you occupied and purposeful during an independent study session! Write a letter from one character to another. Perhaps pick a character you're finding it difficult to make sense of. Use actual quotes from the text and it wi... Read More...
So many of our A-Level Literature texts revolve around feelings of love and obsession. But, what actually is the difference between love and obsession? In the ... Read More...
Sound of Pen classes are usually aimed at those of you studying A-Level English - as well as the most passionate, interested GCSE students. But here's a projec... Read More...
This is third class of our 2000trees series and it's FUN! Find some coloured pencils (or a computer!), put PVRIS on the stereo and consolidate your knowledge of the characters you've been studying in the English classroom!
ACTIVITY 1
Find ... Read More...
RORY is a huge inspiration and we love the fact that she has broken through despite being told she was too old to be a rock star! Let's spend some time with th... Read More...
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 f... Read More...
I've spoken a zillion times about how lucky we are to have Banquet Records in Kingston. Not that you need me to tell you. Just look at the artists they've brought to perform in small venues on our doorstep: YUNGBLUD, Tate McRae, Jimmy Eat World, Mac... Read More...
Once upon a time, I scribed for Kerrang!, Rocksound and various other magazines. I would write about music just because I loved it. Such an uncomplicated and g... Read More...
Hi! I hope you enjoy the first in Sound of Pen's 2000trees Series. Today, we're going to listen to Hevenshe. Watch her set on the Saturday at Upcote Farm!!
... Read More...
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...
How listening to music can help us navigate the darkness - and our English Literature studies!
For a long time now, I’ve been using music in the classroom. ... Read More...
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.. again does. He mixes drones and words:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zeD0g5xXo7E&am... Read More...
Here are Sound of Pen's favourite albums of 2024!
Fred again.., 'ten days'
Charli xcx, 'brat'
Dua Lipa, 'Radical Optimism'
Mk.gee, 'Two Star &... 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 Dead Pony's 'MK Nothing' video and/or live performance.
Project MKUltra was a human experi... 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 'Houdini' video and read the lyrics. What poetic devices has Dua Lipa employed to great effect... 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 the classroom!
Listen to the Sound of Pen podcast. Click here to hear Lucas talk abo... 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=xIE_xF7KtwXApBI7
ACTIVITY 1
Read the review below. Highlight any words/phrases tha... 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 Coldplay demonstrate that LOVE? Make a list of the different ways in which Coldplay try t... 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 reference, typically brief, to a person, place, thing, event, or other literary work. If th... 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...
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
