Play Now: ten curated songs for secondary school rock and pop bands
No more googling for resources. Ten curated songs, everything in one place, ready to go
Play Now is an online resource designed to bridge the gap between teacher led whole class music making and the independent, informal learning which is at the heart of the Musical Futures approach.
With the huge success of our resource-based initiatives and the playalongs that have enabled thousands of students of all ages to play as part of a whole class band, many teachers don't take that leap into handing over some of the musical and learning decisions to their students, choosing instead to repeat the playalong process with a different song or using different instruments.
So Play Now has been developed as a stepping stone from Just Play to informal learning, with the idea that after learners have experienced this new approach they will be better able to replicate it with a song of their own choice, and truly go "In at The Deep End" with a few things to support them along the way.
- Another playalong with a different song on it
- A class all following the same screen at the same time
- A resource that needs the teacher at the front to work
- Small groups learning a song from the resources themselves
- Students choosing their instrument and their group
- Every part for every instrument, in one place, ready to go
Play Now promo video, with captions. Read the transcript (DOCX, 7KB).
Hand it over as early as you can bear to
Pick a song and send them off
We suggest that as soon as possible, students are sent off into small groups to use the resource to learn to play the song.
Let them find their own way in
They will access the material in a range of different ways, and giving them some time to explore it independently will give you an idea of how to structure subsequent lessons.
Teacher move: follow the informal learning principles. Let students work in friendship groups and choose their instrument.
Model the tricky moments, don't pre-empt them
Where there are tricky moments in a song we have included video to model what students may be hearing when they listen to the track and start to copy and play what they hear. It is there when they hit the wall, not before.
Stand back
It can be really hard to stand back and let students work in this way. But observing how they respond, and supporting them to achieve objectives they identify for themselves and for their group, is a crucial part of this approach.
What students learn
Learning by ear, not by following
Play Now increases student reliance on aural learning and moves them away from following a playalong.
Running their own rehearsal
Small groups have to decide who plays what, where to start, and what to do when it falls apart. That is the ensemble skill.
Practising without a teacher present
Students can access it anywhere, so they can keep working on their part outside of lesson time or at home.
Depth on their own instrument
Passing chords, inversions, riffs, bass tabs and advanced grooves are there for the students who want to go further.
We have created a versatile resource that can be used in flexible ways, with opportunities to embed breadth and depth of musical learning appropriate to the age group. It suits a variety of teaching contexts, especially small groups or bands, or working independently at home. For students engaged in distance learning it gives them a comprehensive resource to support making music at home.
The songs
Click to expand each song. Every one has parts for guitar, keyboard, bass, ukulele and drums, plus an "everything on one page" sheet. Access is via subscription.
1Teacher Guide1 chapter · 1 lesson
2Zombie1 chapter · 9 lessons
3One Love1 chapter · 9 lessons
4Happier1 chapter · 12 lessons
5Heroes1 chapter · 9 lessons
6Scars To Your Beautiful1 chapter · 9 lessons
7Sunflower1 chapter · 7 lessons
8Castles1 chapter · 9 lessons
9I'm A Believer1 chapter · 9 lessons
10Lonely Boy1 chapter · 8 lessons
11Losing My Religion1 chapter · 9 lessons
Play Now and the Musical Futures pathways
Musical Futures approaches are grouped into three areas, and these can take place within one lesson, across a unit of work, and even across an entire music program. We give students tools, model how to use them, and then encourage them to work independently to develop these in personalised ways.
The Musical Futures learning journey.
The aim is that at the end of their engagement with music at school, students leave as independent, informal musicians able to hear and play music of their choice. Alongside this lies the responsibility of schools and teachers to deliver a breadth and depth of musical content as prescribed by their curriculum. Musical Futures is not a curriculum in itself, rather it is an approach to teaching and learning music.
Common questions
What are the ten songs?
Zombie, Happier, One Love, Scars To Your Beautiful, Sunflower, Castles, Lonely Boy, Losing My Religion, I'm A Believer and Heroes. Each one has parts for guitar, keyboard, bass, ukulele and drums, plus an "everything on one page" sheet, and most add percussion, riffs, passing chords or inversions for students who want more.
How is Play Now different from a playalong?
A playalong keeps the class following the screen. Play Now hands the decisions over. Students work in small groups, learn the song from the resources, and increasingly rely on aural learning rather than following along. It is designed as the stepping stone from Just Play towards informal learning.
Do students have to work in groups?
We suggest sending them into small groups as soon as possible. Following the informal learning principles, let them work in friendship groups and choose their own instrument. It can be hard to stand back, but observing how they respond and supporting the objectives they set for themselves is a crucial part of the approach.
Can students use it at home?
Yes. Play Now suits a variety of teaching contexts, including small groups, bands, and independent work at home. Students engaged in distance learning can access the whole resource to make music at home, and anyone can use it to practise their part outside lesson time.
What happens at the tricky moments in a song?
Where a part is hard to pick up by ear, we have included video that models what students may be hearing, so they can copy and play what they hear rather than getting stuck.
Ready to run Play Now with your classes?
Everything above is ready to go the moment you subscribe. No setup, no printing, no hunting for parts.
Play Now is in the Starter Pack with 5 songs, and in the Band Skills Pack and Full Access with all 10.
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