The Music Workshop Company Blog

Each month the Music Workshop Company publishes two blogs. One blog, written by the MWC team addresses a key issue in Music Education or gives information about a particular genre or period of music. The other blog is written by a guest writer, highlighting good practice or key events in Music Education. We hope you enjoy reading the blogs.

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To contribute as a guest writer please email Maria@music-workshop.co.uk

Posts tagged “SONGWRITING”

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Sherman Brothers

Posted on 16th December 2025 at 14:49

The 19th December 2025 would have been Robert B. Sherman’s 100th birthday. Robert worked with his brother Richard M. Sherman, and together they wrote more song scores for motion picture than any other songwriting teams: over 200 songs for 27 films and 24 television productions. Their songs remain popular today, and two of them (‘Colonel Hathi Elephant March’ from The Jungle Book and ‘Hushabye Mountain’ from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang) are listed in the Model Music Curriculum’s recommended listening.

Image: Howard352 at English Wikipedia, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

JS Bach St John Passion

Posted on 14th March 2024 at 10:24

J. S. Bach’s St John Passion was first performed on Good Friday, 7th April 1724. This year we celebrate the 300th anniversary of this remarkable work.

Bach is one of the most famous composers of the Baroque era and his work has been celebrated by many notable composers including Mendelssohn.

The Chorale from the first part of St John Passion is recommended in the New Model Music Curriculum.

Taking inspiration from Bach's use of written text, our activity explores some things to consider when writing songs based on poems.

Image: Johann Sebastian Bach (aged 61) in a portrait by Elias Gottlob Haussmann, second version of his 1746 canvas. Bach is holding a copy of the six-part canon BWV 1076.

Gershwin Rhapsody in Blue

Posted on 16th January 2024 at 12:04

This month our blog explores the life and work of George Gershwin. Famous as a songwriter with his brother, Ira, Gershwin mixed European Classical music traditions with Blues and Jazz to create a sound that is particularly linked to his birth city of New York.

Despite a relatively short life, Gershwin's musical output was huge, including musicals, an opera, orchestral music and film scores.

The Model Music Curriculum suggests listening to two of his most famous songs “I Got Rhythm” and “Summertime” as well as “Rhapsody in Blue”.

This blog explores “Rhapsody in Blue” and suggests activities linked to creating arrangements.

Image credit: Carl Van Vechten, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

The National Trust at 125 – Honouring British Composers

Posted on 28th January 2020 at 10:32

The National Trust was founded on the 12th January 1895 by Octavia Hill, Robert Hunter and Hardwicke Rawnsley.

As the Trust reaches its 125th birthday, we share its celebration of famous British composers and the work it does to inspire a new generation.

Leith Hill Place in Surrey was the home of Ralph Vaughan Williams from the age of two until he was 20, when he went to study at Cambridge.