View the compositions and songs featured in each UK GCSE Music syllabus
‹ Back to Playalong Library
Here you can find each of the listed areas of study pieces featured at examination level in the UK but suitable for students of ages 14 and above.
On the right side of each table you can find which pieces we supply resources for and which ones we’re currently working on.
We choose repertoire from the current GCSE set works/areas of study which will lend themselves to classroom performance. There are some popular songs which we are prohibited from reproducing due to licensing restrictions – these include set works from the AQA syllabus by Paul Simon.
If you have any requests for playalongs, please complete the Resource Request form
Jump to:
Visit the AQA website and full syllabus HERE
| Area of Study | Composition/Song | Artist/Performer | Resource |
|---|---|---|---|
| Area of study 1: Western classical tradition 1650–1910 | Clarinet Concerto in A major, K. 622, 3rd movement, Rondo (first taught 2020, first assessed 2022, final assessment 2025) | Mozart | Resource |
| Area of study 1: Western classical tradition 1650–1910 | Symphony No.1, Movement 1: Adagio molto – Allegro con brio (first taught 2024, first assessed 2026) | Beethoven | Not currently available |
| Area of study 4: Western classical tradition since 1910 | Battle and Defeat of Napoleon and Intermezzo from Háry János Suite (first taught 2020, first assessed 2022, final assessment 2025) | Zoltán Kodály | Not currently available |
| Area of study 4: Western classical tradition since 1910 | Hungarian Pictures – the following four movements: • Movement 1: Evening in the Village • Movement 2: The Bear Dance • Movement 4: Slightly Tipsy • Movement 5: Swineherd’s Dance (first taught 2024, first assessed 2026) | Bartók | Not currently available |
Visit the Edexcel website and full syllabus HERE
| Area of Study | Composition/Song | Artist/Performer | Resource |
|---|---|---|---|
| Instrumental Music 1700–1820 | 3rd Movement from Brandenburg Concerto no. 5 in D major | J S Bach | Not currently available |
| Instrumental Music 1700–1820 | 1st Movement from Piano Sonata no. 8 in C minor ‘Pathétique' | L van Beethoven | Not currently available |
| Vocal Music | Music for a While | H Purcell | Not currently available |
| Vocal Music | Killer Queen (from the album ‘Sheer Heart Attack’) | Queen | Resource |
| Music for Stage and Screen | Defying Gravity (from the album of the cast recording of Wicked) | S Schwartz | Resource |
| Music for Stage and Screen | Main title/rebel blockade runner - Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope | John Williams | Resource |
| Fusions | Release | Afro Celt Sound System | Resource |
| Fusions | Samba Em Preludio (from the album Esperanza) | Esperanza Spalding | Not currently available |
Visit the Eduqas website and full syllabus HERE
| Area of Study | Composition/Song | Artist/Performer | Resource |
|---|---|---|---|
| Set work | Badinerie from Orchestral Suite No.2 | J S Bach | Resource |
| Set work | Africa | Toto | Resource |
| Set work | Handbags and Gladrags | Stereophonics | Resource |
| Area of Study 1: Musical Forms and Devices | Dance of the Reed Pipes - The Nutcracker | Tchaikovsky | Not currently available |
| Area of Study 1: Musical Forms and Devices | Fossils - Carnival of the Animals | Camille Saint-Saëns | Not currently available |
| Area of Study 2: Musical for Ensemble | The Lonely Goatherd - The Sound Of Music | Julie Andrews | Not currently available |
| Area of Study 3: Film Music | Let The River Run - Working Girl | Carly Simon | Not currently available |
| Area of Study 4: Popular Music | Every Breath You Take | The Police | Resource |
| Area of Study 4: Popular Music | Wonderwall | Oasis | Resource |
Visit the OCR website and full syllabus HERE
| Area of Study | Composition/Song | Artist/Performer | Resource |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3: Rhythms of the World - Traditional Eastern Mediterranean & Middle Eastern Folk | Ve’Shuv Itchem - Israeli Folk Dances Vol 1 (Hataklit label) | Effi Netzer Band, Yonathon Gabay | Resource |
| 4: Film Music | Main Theme - Out of Africa | John Barry | Not currently available |
| 4: Film Music | Star Wars | John Williams | Resource |
| 4: Film Music | Halo | Martin O’Donnell, Michael Salvatori | Resource |
| 5: Conventions of Pop - Rock ‘n’ Roll of the 50s & 60s | Hound Dog | Elvis Presley | Not currently available |
| 5: Conventions of Pop - Rock ‘n’ Roll of the 50s & 60s | Surfin’ USA | The Beach Boys | Resource |
| 5: Conventions of Pop - Rock Anthems of the 70s & 80s | We Will Rock You | Queen | Resource |
| 5: Conventions of Pop - Rock Anthems of the 70s & 80s | Livin’ On A Prayer | Bon Jovi | Resource |
| 5: Conventions of Pop - Pop Ballads of the 70s, 80s & 90s | Wind Beneath My Wings | Bette Midler | Not currently available |
| 5: Conventions of Pop - Solo Artists from the 90s to the Present Day | Can’t Get You Outta My Head | Kylie Minogue | Not currently available |