Popular Music

What this page covers

This unit sits in the Popular Music and Jazz strand of the Music subject. Most of what is listed is mind maps and flashcards, with a smaller set of quizzes, notes, slide sets and flowcharts. Some resources follow a genre through time, such as the mind maps on Reggae, Rock 'n' Roll and Soul Music. Others work through one set song, such as Red Red Wine by UB40, Killer Queen or Don't Look Back in Anger by Oasis.

Where to start

If you are new to the unit, begin with a genre overview. The Reggae mind map traces mento, selectors and dance halls in the 1950s. The Beatles mind map begins with four young men from Liverpool and their early management. Broad maps like these give you names, places and a rough order of events.

Then move to a single song. The flashcard deck on Grace by Jeff Buckley asks about structure, tonality, rhythm, tempo, texture, timbre and melody, plus the meaning of ornamentation. The deck on Disco Facts covers syncopation and which beats the snare plays on.

Using quizzes and maps together

Maps are good for seeing how ideas connect. Quizzes show what you actually remember. A simple routine works well:

1. Read one mind map slowly, such as the Killer Queen map on guitar techniques, texture and recording techniques.
2. Close it and take a quiz on the same song, like Music: Killer Queen.
3. Note the questions you missed and go back to the map or a flashcard deck.
4. Repeat a few days later.

Several resources are about Jeff Buckley's Grace, so you can compare a map, a deck, a note and a few quizzes on one piece. The listings mention GCSE Music and A-level Music, so many suit school students at that stage.

For teachers

Teachers can use the song-by-song sets as ready-made starting points for a lesson or a homework task. The Beatles Class decks on people, music terms and songs are one example of material organized for a class.

Pick one song or genre that matches what you are studying, open a mind map, and see how far you get before you try a quiz.