IMPACT STUDENT RESOURCES KS3
A NEW APPROACH TO CLASSROOM ENSEMBLE LEARNING
Find Your IMPACT Level
IMPACT helps you develop your instrumental skills step by step. You may begin at different levels depending on your previous musical experience. Your starting level is determined by what you can already play confidently and independently, rather than your age or year group. As your skills improve, you progress to the next level.
A — First Sound (G)
Pieces 1–3
INSTRUMENTAL SKILLS — WHAT YOU WILL LEARN
Explore different classroom instruments and discover how they produce sound. Learn to play your first note, G, keep a steady pulse in 4/4, recognise basic notation and begin performing together as an ensemble.
THEMATIC UNIT — MAKING MUSIC WITH ONE NOTE
What you always wanted to know…
Can you make interesting music using just one note?
Explore Brazilian bossa nova through Antônio Carlos Jobim's One Note Samba. Discover how rhythm, repetition and different instrumental sounds can turn a single note into exciting music. Learn about the composer and share two interesting facts with your class.
Then use the note G to create and perform your own musical idea!”
Listening Challenge — Find the Repeated Note
Listen carefully to the song. Can you hear the note that is repeated in the musical motif? Try to find and play that note on your own instrument. Can you play along with the recording?
0 – Meet the Instruments
Recognise the main instrument families, explore how different instruments produce sound, identify their ensemble roles and choose an appropriate instrument for your first IMPACT ensemble pieces.
0 – Meet_the_Instruments_Teacher_Answer_Sheet
Establish controlled tone, posture and a steady 4/4 pulse using one shared pitch, G, with coordinated sound and silence.
1 – First Sound_(G)_Teacher_Answer_Sheet
2 – The Cat and the Cave (G Quarters)
Develop crotchet (quarter-note) rhythm, note values, rests and repetition while keeping the pulse through whole-bar silences.
2 – The Cat and the Cave (G Quarters)_Teacher_Answer_Sheet
Explore 4/4 metre, barlines and two balanced phrases while a repeated G melody is supported by changing C and G harmony.
B — Two Notes & Pitch Direction (F–G)
Pieces 4–5
INSTRUMENTAL SKILLS — WHAT YOU WILL LEARN
Learn to move confidently between the notes F and G and recognise higher and lower pitch. Keep a steady pulse in 4/4, practise simple rhythms and rests, explore loud and quiet sounds, and use repetition and call-and-response when performing together as an ensemble.
THEMATIC UNIT — THE POWER OF A ROCK ANTHEM
What you always wanted to know…
How can a simple musical idea become a powerful rock anthem?
Explore British rock music through Queen's We Will Rock You. Discover how strong rhythms, repetition, powerful vocals and audience participation can make a song unforgettable. Learn about Queen and share two interesting facts about the band or one of its members with your class.
Then use the notes F and G to create your own rock riff, write original lyrics and combine them with the famous stomp–stomp–clap rhythm. Work together to perform and record your own 60-second rock anthem!
Introduce the new note F and explore higher and lower pitch through repetition, call and response and F major harmony.
4 – Echo Hill (New Note F) Answer Sheet
Use F and G to explore sequence, soft and loud dynamics, steady pulse and coordinated conductor cues.
5 – Simple Steps Answer Sheet
C — Stepwise Melody (E–F–G)
You will extend your range to E–F–G, develop smooth ascending and descending stepwise melodies, keep the pulse through different note values and rests, explore C and F major harmony, and strengthen your understanding of notation, instrument families and ensemble coordination.
C — Stepwise Melody (E–F–G)
Pieces 6-7
INSTRUMENTAL SKILLS — WHAT YOU WILL LEARN
Learn to play short melodies using the three notes E, F and G. Practise moving smoothly between neighbouring notes, both ascending and descending, while keeping a steady pulse. Develop greater confidence in recognising pitch direction, playing complete melodic phrases and performing your part independently as part of an ensemble.
Introduce the new note E, compare it with F and G, and maintain a steady pulse through whole-bar rests.
6 – Heading Down (New Note E) Answer Sheet
Explore rising stepwise movement, melodic contour and A–A′ form while counting accurately through rests and silence.
D — Pulse & Duration Control (D–E–F–G)
Pieces 8–9
INSTRUMENTAL SKILLS — WHAT YOU WILL LEARN
Extend your playing range to four notes: D, E, F and G. Learn to hold notes for their correct duration, count rests accurately and maintain a steady pulse even when you are not playing. Practise starting and stopping together, controlling note endings and completing short musical phrases confidently as part of an ensemble.
8 – The Long Haul (New Note D)
Introduce the new note D, sustain longer sounds accurately, compare D minor with C major and coordinate balanced ensemble releases through measured silence.
8 – The Long Haul (New Note D) Answer Sheet
Use repeated rhythmic patterns, changing G, C and F harmony and two related phrases to develop 4/4 pulse, harmonic awareness and open and closed endings.
E — From Five Notes to Ensemble Independence
Pieces 10-16
INSTRUMENTAL SKILLS — WHAT YOU WILL LEARN
Develop confidence playing all five notes from C to G, with C as your tonal centre. Improve your ability to read and follow musical notation, move smoothly between notes and articulate each note clearly. Explore short melodic patterns, repetition, sequences and phrase shapes while learning to distinguish a melody from its accompaniment. Practise performing your own part accurately and independently within the ensemble.
Complete the five-note range C–D–E–F–G, establish C as the tonal home and explore Middle C, semitones and intervals.
10 – Touchdown (New Note C) Answer Sheet
Use the complete five-note range to explore scale degrees, tonic and dominant, and balanced question-and-answer phrases.
11 – The Fab Five Answer Sheet
Strengthen treble-clef reading, stepwise movement and phrase recognition while learning how ledger lines extend the stave (staff).
12 – Reading the Notes Answer Sheet
Develop clear articulation and explore exact and varied repetition through two related four-bar phrases.
13 – The Wood Chuck Answer Sheet
Explore motifs (motives), sequences and variation while shaping a parallel period with open and closed phrase endings.
14 – First Flight Answer Sheet
Explore musical texture by comparing unison melody with chordal accompaniment and distinguishing monophonic and homophonic sound.
15 – Melody, Harmony & Rhythm Answer Sheet
Shape two related phrases, explore tonic and dominant harmony and discover how a familiar melody can be passed through oral tradition.
16 – Mary Had a Little Lamb Answer Sheet
F — Rhythm & Ensemble Independence
Pieces 17–23
INSTRUMENTAL SKILLS — WHAT YOU WILL LEARN
Develop greater rhythmic independence by learning to play quavers (eighth notes), quaver rests and more varied rhythmic patterns. Extend your melodic range beyond five notes towards the complete C major scale and improve coordination between rhythm and pitch. Practise maintaining a steady pulse and performing your own part confidently, even when other instruments play contrasting rhythms. Begin exploring simple improvisation within a limited range.
Maintain independent rhythmic ostinati, read percussion notation and combine contrasting parts into a layered ensemble texture.
17 – Late for the Bus Answer Sheet
Extend your understanding to the complete C-major scale, principal chords I, IV and V, sequence and arch-shaped melodic contour.
18 – Ran to School Fast Answer Sheet
Explore A–A–B–A form, repetition and contrast, then create a short improvisation using a limited five-note range.
19 – Hot Cross Buns (E–D–C) Answer Sheet
Introduce quavers (eighth notes), strong beats, chord tones and passing notes while developing smooth phrase variation and a settled ending.
20 – Go Tell Aunt Rhody Answer Sheet
Subdivide the beat into quavers, use quaver rests and beaming, and explore how a returning refrain supports a narrative song.
21 – Six Little Ducks Answer Sheet
Develop musical communication through call and response, creating exact, varied and contrasting answers to a musical idea.
Explore major and minor triads, chord ii and cadences while comparing phrase endings with different degrees of completion.
23 – Razor’s Edge Answer Sheet
G — Independent Melodic Playing
Pieces 24–29
INSTRUMENTAL SKILLS — WHAT YOU WILL LEARN
Develop greater independence by playing longer melodies and maintaining your own musical part while other instruments perform contrasting rhythms or melodies. Improve your control of articulation, including accents and legato, and learn to shape musical phrases with greater expression. Practise performing a complete piece confidently, listening carefully to the ensemble without losing your own part.
Perform two independent melodic lines and explore counterpoint, complementary rhythms and different types of melodic motion.
24 – Split Decision (Duet) Answer Sheet
Develop a strong marching pulse by recognising strong and weak beats, accents and balanced four-bar phrase structure.
Develop smooth legato playing, phrase shape and breath control while creating gentle musical arcs suited to a lullaby.
26 – Dear Little Moon Answer Sheet
27 – Snug as an Elf in the Rug
Explore contrasting phrases and musical character through changes between C major and D minor, register, rhythm and timbre.
27 – Snug as an Elf in the Rug Answer Sheet
Explore strophic form, recurring melodic patterns and phrase structure while seeing how traditional songs retain their identity across different versions.
28 – Hänschen Klein Answer Sheet
Consolidate note and rest values, rhythmic equivalence and accurate 4/4 bar totals before creating your first complete eight-bar composition.
H — Expanded Range, Cadences & Variation
Pieces 30–35
INSTRUMENTAL SKILLS — WHAT YOU WILL LEARN
Extend your playing range to six notes (C–D–E–F–G–A) and develop greater fluency when playing quavers (eighth notes). Explore 2/4 metre, contrasting articulation and dynamics, and learn to shape musical phrases and their endings with greater confidence. Practise using sequences, ornamentation and variation while maintaining a steady pulse and performing expressively as part of an ensemble.
30 – Reaching Higher (New Note A)
Extend your range to A, recognise scale degree 6 and shape a rising melody towards a clear musical climax.
30 – Reaching Higher (New Note A) Answer Sheet
Explore cumulative song structure, A–A–B form and open and closed phrase endings through changing words and repeated musical material.
31 – Bought Me A Cat Answer Sheet
Develop flowing quaver (eighth-note) movement, explore A–B–C–A form and hear how ii–V–I harmony leads to a strong perfect cadence (authentic cadence).
32 – Incy Wincy Spider Answer Sheet
33 – Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star
Explore simple ternary A–B–A form and compare perfect, plagal and imperfect cadences within familiar C-major harmony.
33 – Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star Answer Sheet
34 – Variation on a Familiar Theme
Transform a familiar melody through rhythmic change, melodic decoration and ornaments while keeping the original theme recognisable.
34 – Variation on a Familiar Theme Answer Sheet
Develop confident 2/4 metre, contrasting articulation and dynamics while shaping an A–B–A′ form with a varied return.
35 – Allegretto – Bartók Anser Sheet
I — Extended Reading & Musical Independence
Pieces 36–43
INSTRUMENTAL SKILLS — WHAT YOU WILL LEARN
Extend your playing range below Middle C to B and develop confidence performing across a broader register. Learn to read and follow more complex musical notation, including pickups, repeats and first and second endings. Explore swing feel and expressive directions such as ritardando, diminuendo and fermata. Practise maintaining a continuous performance, following musical directions independently and playing expressively while remaining aware of the other instruments in your ensemble.
36 – Deep Pockets (New Note B)
Extend your range below Middle C with the new note B, develop ledger-line reading and recognise the B–C semitone within C major.
36 – Deep Pockets (New Note B) Answer Sheet
37 – Doodle All Day
Explore binary A–B form, the complete diatonic harmony of C major, slash chords and the distinctive sound of the diminished triad.
38 – A-Tisket, A-Tasket
Develop confidence with an anacrusis (pickup), incomplete bars (measures), reharmonisation and the flexible swing feel associated with jazz.
39 – Jingle Bells
Perform with a lively Allegro character while exploring A–B–A–B′ form and harmonic contrast between major and minor chords.
40 – My Dreydl (Traditional Hanukkah Song)
Explore verse–refrain structure and strengthen your understanding of triads, root position and the roles of the root and third.
41 – Long, Long Ago
Develop lyrical phrasing and shape an expressive ending using ritardando, diminuendo and fermata while keeping the ensemble together.
42 – Oh, Susanna
Develop confident score navigation by following repeat signs, first and second endings and internal pickups in the correct performance order.
43 – A Sad Song
Introduce 3/4 metre and A minor, exploring the natural minor scale and the relationship between A minor and its relative major, C major.
J — F Major, D Minor & Expression
Pieces 44–56
INSTRUMENTAL SKILLS — WHAT YOU WILL LEARN
Develop confidence performing in F major and D minor, introducing B-flat and extending your playing range to high C. Practise dotted rhythms, triplets and swing while improving your control of slurs, legato, articulation and dynamics. Learn to shape musical phrases expressively and maintain your own part in more demanding ensemble music, including rounds and canons.
44 – Climbing Higher (New Note High C)
Extend your F-major range to high C, strengthen reading in the new key signature and recognise B♭ as part of F major.
45 – Down by the Station
Develop smooth phrasing with slurs, accurate tempo control and successive variation as the same musical idea returns with changes.
46 – Take the Lead
Explore melody-and-accompaniment texture and the dominant seventh C7, hearing how V7 creates a strong pull back towards F major.
47 – The Dot Always Counts
Develop confidence with dotted note values and learn how dotted minims (half notes) and dotted crotchets (quarter notes) fit accurately within the pulse.
48 – Alouette (Ties and Dotted Half Notes)
Compare ties and dotted notes, recognising how different written rhythms can create the same total sounding duration.
49 – Old MacDonald Had a Band
Explore refrain-and-episode structure and create contrast between solo and larger ensemble sections.
50 – Aura Lee
Explore chord inversions, slash chords, moving bass notes and suspended harmony while shaping a lyrical F-major melody.
51 – Melody in F
Add chromatic colour to F major through lower-neighbour figures and hear how tension is created and resolved by notes outside the key.
52 – Hey, Ho! Nobody’s Home
Develop independent ensemble listening through round and canon performance, using staggered entries while maintaining a secure shared pulse.
53 – Sakura, Sakura (Japanese Folk Song)
Explore repeated melodic cells, A–B–B–A–C form and the sound and construction of D-minor scale forms.
54 – Hard Rock Blues
Perform a 12-bar minor blues with a strong backbeat and develop awareness of repeating blues form and minor-key harmony.
55 – Goin’ Home (Dvořák)
Develop expressive tone colour, broad Largo phrasing and dynamic shaping while exploring the orchestral character of a familiar Romantic melody.
56 – Echoes and Silence
Shape musical phrases through piano and forte contrast, crescendo and diminuendo, using gradual dynamic change as an expressive ensemble tool.
K — G Major, E Minor & Accidentals
Pieces 57–62
INSTRUMENTAL SKILLS — WHAT YOU WILL LEARN
Develop confidence performing in G major and E minor, using F-sharp (F♯) and other accidentals accurately. Extend your playing range to include lower notes and practise moving fluently between major and minor tonalities. Improve your control of tempo changes, dynamics, articulation and expressive phrasing. Learn to perform increasingly demanding melodic and ensemble parts independently while maintaining musical continuity and expression.
57 – The Sharp Turn (New Note F♯)
Introduce F♯ and the one-sharp key signature, establish G major as the new tonal centre and recognise D major as its dominant chord.
58 – Razor’s Edge
Develop expressive contrast through echo phrases, changing dynamics, rallentando and accelerando while maintaining clear ensemble control.
59 – Camptown Races
Extend the range to low G and explore register contrast, octaves and the effect of performing familiar material in different pitch areas.
60 – Das Wandern ist des Müllers Lust
Explore strophic form, the German Lied tradition and vocal range while connecting melody, poetry and accompaniment across repeated verses.
61 – Cossack Dance
Develop E-minor fluency through the harmonic minor scale, leading note and B7–Em resolution while comparing E minor with its relative major, G major.
62 – Naturally (The Natural Sign)
Use natural signs and other accidentals to alter notes temporarily, cancel the key signature and create changing harmonic colour within the music.
L — Style & Advanced Score
Pieces 63–78
INSTRUMENTAL SKILLS — WHAT YOU WILL LEARN
Develop confidence performing longer and more demanding pieces in contrasting musical styles and metres. Practise reading increasingly complex notation, including triplets, dotted rhythms and chromatic notes, while maintaining accurate rhythm and secure instrumental technique. Improve your control of articulation, dynamics and expressive phrasing, and learn to interpret different musical styles while performing independently and responding confidently to the rest of the ensemble.
63 – Over the Waves
Explore the flowing 3/4 waltz pulse, balanced four-bar phrases, double-dotted rhythms and the larger structure of a Romantic concert waltz.
64 – Scarborough Fair
Explore expressive 3/4 phrasing and the modal character of a traditional folk ballad, including Aeolian and Dorian colour.
65 – Minuet in C Major
Explore the graceful minuet style while developing transposition skills and reading Middle C in alto clef.
66 – Minuet in F Major
Develop control of triplets within simple metre and explore how a Classical minuet can be adapted while retaining its characteristic style.
67 – The Merry Widow Waltz
Use the Circle of Fifths to explore key relationships, perfect fifths and relative minors while performing an elegant operetta waltz.
68 – Hungarian Dance No. 5
Develop chromatic awareness through altered notes, enharmonic equivalents, double sharps and flats, and the chromatic scale.
69 – Der Fröhliche Landmann
Explore Romantic piano texture, tenor clef and A–B–A′ form while hearing how melody and accompaniment can exchange traditional roles.
70 – Frère Jacques (Round)
Strengthen interval recognition by distinguishing major, minor, perfect, augmented and diminished intervals while performing a familiar round.
71 – When the Saints Go Marching In
Explore New Orleans jazz style, coda form and the relationship between concert pitch and transposing B♭ instruments.
72 – Swan Lake
Explore root position, first and second inversions while shaping transitions and a wide dynamic range within Romantic ballet music.
73 – The Blue Danube
Develop a flowing 3/4 waltz feel while exploring oom-pah-pah accompaniment, SATB writing and smooth voice leading between chords.
74 – Für Elise (Beethoven)
Explore rondo form, recurring principal themes and contrasting episodes while comparing the beat structure of 3/8 with other triple metres.
75 – Symphony No. 40
Explore large-scale sonata form through exposition, development and recapitulation, and examine how diminished harmony can increase musical tension.
76 – Eine kleine Nachtmusik
Explore Classical serenade style, contrasting first and second subjects, dominant-key relationships and reading a multi-part string ensemble score.
77 – Barcarolle
Develop the gentle rocking character of 6/8 compound duple metre, feeling two dotted-crotchet (dotted quarter-note) beats in each bar.
78 – Donauwellen
Explore Romantic waltz expression through D-minor and F-major contrast, A–B–A′ form, dominant harmony and chord inversions.
M — Lead Sheets, Popular Music & Jazz Pieces
Pieces 79-88
INSTRUMENTAL SKILLS — WHAT YOU WILL LEARN
Apply your instrumental skills to popular music and jazz, learning to read lead sheets and chord symbols while developing a secure sense of groove and musical style. Practise maintaining your own instrumental role, following chord changes and recognising musical forms within an ensemble. Explore improvisation where appropriate and develop the confidence to respond to other musicians, perform independently and contribute creatively to a complete musical performance.
79 – Perfect
Develop lead-sheet reading through a modern pop ballad, performing a repeating G–Em–C–D progression while feeling the four dotted-crotchet (dotted quarter-note) beats of 12/8 compound metre.
80 – My Girl
Explore the distinctive Motown sound through a memorable instrumental hook, bass line, backbeat and layered vocals while discovering how major pentatonic scales create effective melodic ideas.
81 – The Turn Around
Develop jazz harmony through the repeating Cmaj7–Am7–Dm7–G7 turnaround, using seventh chords, walking bass and ii–V7–I movement to create preparation, tension and resolution.
82 – Sweet Home Alabama
Explore Southern-rock style through the repeating D–C–G guitar riff, strong backbeat and D Mixolydian sound while strengthening semiquaver (sixteenth-note) reading and grouping.
83 – Stand by Me
Perform a soul-ballad groove built around a repeating bass ostinato and G–Em–C–D chord cycle while exploring the interrupted (deceptive) V–vi cadence.
84 – C Jam Blues
Explore Duke Ellington’s two-note riff, 12-bar blues form and dominant seventh harmony, then use the C blues scale to create call-and-response phrases and improvisations.
85 – Route 66
Develop vocal-led swing through walking bass, comping, ensemble stops, instrumental fills and 12-bar blues while following alternate endings, turnarounds and a coda.
86 – Autumn Leaves
Explore major and minor ii–V–I progressions, half-diminished seventh harmony and movement between G major and E minor within a 32-bar A–A–B–C jazz-standard form.
87 – Blue Bossa
Combine straight quavers (eighth notes), syncopated Bossa Nova accompaniment and extended jazz chords while following a 16-bar A–B–A′ form through C minor and D♭ major.
88 – Take Five
Develop confidence in 5/4 irregular metre by feeling the characteristic 3 + 2 groove, maintaining rhythmic stability through syncopation and faster notes, and performing an A–B–A form in E♭ minor.