December Music Reading Comprehension – 31 Composer Activities

Description

🎵 December Music Reading Comprehension – 31 Composer Activities

Introduce pupils to a different composer or musician every day throughout December with 31 ready-to-use music reading comprehension and listening activities.

Each activity combines an accessible non-fiction biography with five comprehension questions, suggested answers and a QR code linking to carefully selected listening. The collection is particularly well suited to KS2 and KS3, with flexible use for KS4 enrichment, literacy, starters and cover work.

⭐ What’s Included

• 31 complete Composer of the Day activities – one for every day of December
• An accessible biography for each composer or musician
• Five comprehension questions covering retrieval, vocabulary, inference, explanation and summarising
• Full suggested answer sheets
• QR codes linking to carefully selected listening examples
• Print-ready PDF pages for straightforward classroom use

🎯 Benefits for Teachers and Pupils

• Develops reading comprehension alongside musical knowledge
• Encourages focused listening and discussion
• Introduces pupils to composers and musicians from different periods, styles and cultures
• Provides purposeful, no-preparation starter, cover and independent-learning activities
• Supports cross-curricular links between Music and English
• Gives teachers a flexible bank of activities that can be used daily or selected individually

🎼 Featured December Composers and Musicians

The December collection includes:

Franz Xaver Richter, Aaron Copland, William Grant Still, Benjamin Britten, Francesco Scarlatti, Dave Brubeck, Armando Manzanero Canché, Jean Sibelius, Charles-Émile Waldteufel, Tarquinio Merula, Hector Berlioz, Emahoy Tsegué-Maryam Guèbrou, Harry Gregson-Williams, Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach, Glenn Miller, Camille Saint-Saëns, Peter Warlock, Julia Wolfe, George Frederick Bristow, René Aubry, Eric Coates, Giacomo Puccini, Victor Hely-Hutchinson, Amy Marcy Cheney Beach, John Dunstaple, Joseph Bologne (Chevalier de Saint-Georges), Joseph Bodin de Boismortier, Daniel Léo Simpson, Philip Sparke, Alex Baranowski and Jennifer Higdon.

Together, the activities introduce pupils to a broad mix of early, Baroque, Classical, Romantic, jazz, film, popular and contemporary music from different cultures and traditions.

📚 Curriculum Links

English – Reading

• Retrieve and record information
• Understand vocabulary in context
• Draw inferences
• Explain ideas using evidence
• Identify and summarise key information

Music

• Listen attentively to a wide range of music
• Develop knowledge of composers and musical traditions
• Explore music from different historical periods, cultures and styles
• Discuss and respond to music using appropriate vocabulary

💡 Ideas for Classroom Use

• Begin each day with a Composer of the Day activity
• Use as Music lesson starters or plenaries
• Build a December composer display or timeline
• Combine the reading with whole-class listening and discussion
• Use individual activities for cover lessons
• Set as homework or independent learning
• Use selected composers to support wider topics or musical styles
• Incorporate into cross-curricular English and Music work

🛒 Why Teachers Will Find This Useful

The resource removes the need to find separate biographies, questions and listening examples. Everything follows a consistent format, making it easy to choose an activity, print the relevant pages and teach.

🎶 Perfect For

• KS2 and KS3 Music
• KS4 enrichment and cover activities
• Music appreciation
• Reading comprehension
• Music history
• Daily starter activities
• Cover lessons
• Tutor time
• Homework
• Independent learning
• Cross-curricular English and Music
• End-of-term enrichment

Supplied as a downloadable PDF containing all 31 activities and suggested answer sheets.

👉 Want a full year of Composer of the Day activities? Explore the 366-activity Composer of the Day bundle for a complete year of reading, listening and musical discovery.