Granta Chorale are running a carol competition for students in school years 7-13 from June to December 2025. We hope that taking part in this competition will serve as valuable practice of 'composing to a set brief', which is a significant element of both the Music GCSE and A Level syllabuses. We have created a printable classroom worksheet which can be used to introduce students to the competition in school time.

Entrants who are selected to attend the workshop day will also have the opportunity to receive advice from Granta Chorale singers and professional composers about how to refine their initial submission. Here's an idea of the kind of topics this feedback could cover:

• How easy the piece is to sing, and whether there are any bits that are too low or high

• How the musical ideas used could be developed, combined or connected to create a more coherent musical structure

• How the melody and rhythm of the submission could be altered to best suit the lyrics

• How musical vocabulary and expression markings could be used to communicate to the singers how the piece should be performed

• How different textures and voicings could be used to evoke a specific mood

• How the submission could be adapted to better suit the occasion, singers or brief

Granta Chorale's Carol Composition Competition will run from June to December 2025, with an initial submission date for 'draft' carols in mid September. Please share details of the competition with students you think would benefit from the opportunity to recieve personalised feedback on their compositional work.

Download classroom worksheet