Listening to Music Revision Activities is one of those books that does what it says – it covers everything in the syllabus and does it in a way that starts from the premise that the lessons have already been taught but the memory has faded just a bit.

What is also nice is the way in which the sections follow a set pattern so that you know exactly what to find and where to find it. Being photocopiable means one can just find the page needed, run it off, and there it is, revision preparation done.

The main body of the book describes the history of western music from 1200 today, and world music, and for each category sets out the characteristics of the music and the instruments used. There is also a section on listening activities followed by page after page after page of revision quizzes – in fact over 100 pages of photocopiable worksheets in all.
Sample pages can be viewed at http://pdf.firstandbest.co.uk/music/T1656.pdf

ISBN: 978 1 86083 589 6; Order code: T1656emn

The volume is available as…

Photocopiable report in a ring binder, £19.95 plus £3.95 delivery
CD with school-wide rights: £19.95 plus £3.95 delivery
Both the Ring Binder and the CD £26.94 plus £3.95 delivery
Prices include VAT.

You can purchase the book or CD…

By post to First and Best, Hamilton House, Earlstrees Ct., Earlstrees Way, Corby, NN17 4HH
On the phone with a school order number at 01536 399 011
By fax to 01536 399 012
On line with a credit card at http://shop.firstandbest.co.uk/product_info.php?cPath=36&products_id=479

What is the most effective way of showing parents your commitment to investing in the school?

For many primary schools the minibus is used for the regular trips to the local swimming pool or to the various sports fixtures, but it can also be an extraordinarily powerful PR message.

When a new minibus arrives, this demonstrates to parents just how committed you are to investing in the school.

What’s more, the parents will also be impressed and appreciative when they realise that they no longer have to transport their children to sports fixtures or to trips in the local area, especially without the additional cost of hiring a coach.

Obviously you need a school minibus which is modern, safe and itself a positive advertisement for the school – which is why Benchmark focuses on leasing minibuses.

The great benefit of leasing is that the purchase of the bus doesn’t come in one lump from school funds. Rather the bus is paid for as it is used by the school.

A further benefit is the fact that a new minibus is far less likely to have problems – plus you have the option of having a professional undertake all the standard maintenance and servicing.

This effectively reduces the onus that is put on the person who is nominated in the school’s transport policy to look after the minibus. Indeed, it was to overcome issues and difficulties such as this that we introduced full maintenance as part of our minibus leasing.

Not only do the schools that use our service get a new minibus without having to use current capital to buy it, but they have the comfort of knowing that qualified engineers have kept it serviced and maintained.

You can find more information on our website or give us a call on 01753 859944.

Twenty years ago the answer was simple: authors would just send their ideas for a book to a few publishers, and then wait to see if any of the books were published.

Digitalisation changed all that. Today fewer and fewer publishers are taking on new authors, and it can be a fruitless task to send out an idea to all the relevant publishers listed in a trade directory.

But there are still some publishing companies that are looking for books from writers. These tend to be specialist publishers, working with a specific audience in one specific field, and they tend to be publishers that are embracing the new media as well as publishing in printed form.

First and Best is one such publishing company, and we are indeed seeking authors who can produce volumes that will be purchased by teachers in secondary schools.

The books we publish often move across various media – they can be sold as printed copies, on CD with permission for the schools to put them on their learning platforms, and as downloads. But the one thing that all our books have in common is that they are copiable under licence by the school.

You can see exactly what we currently publish by going to www.shop.firstandbest.co.uk and look at the category headings down the left of the screen. From there you’ll be able to read some details about any of the books that are of interest. However I must stress that although we have some books for primary schools listed there, we are not currently looking to expand that range.

Our books are advertised through direct marketing – which means that we write to teachers who might be interested, telling them of the items on sale. We also advertise on www.ukeducationnews.co.uk and other websites of a similar type. Our authors receive a royalty of 10% on the price of each sale.

If you have a book that is ready to be published or if you have an idea for a book, we’d like to hear from you. Just email Anne@firstandbest.co.uk with the following information:

The proposed title of the book
The target audience (eg GCSE history teachers, senior managers, administrators…)
A contents list and outline of the book’s coverage
A short extract from the body of the book (ie not the introduction).
I’m sorry to say that it is very hard indeed for us to make a judgement about a book just by hearing about it on the phone, so if you have any questions please do email me at the above address. If you prefer you can submit your proposal by post, but please note we can’t return any materials unless you provide a stamped, self-addressed envelope.

You can write to me at Anne Cockburn, First and Best, Hamilton House, Earlstrees Ct., Earlstrees Rd., Corby, Northants NN17 4HH

I look forward to hearing from you.

Anne Cockburn