We are so excited to have collaborated with local artists Shannon B and producer Sera Bless for 2024’s Black History Month song on a theme of Reclaiming Narratives; showcasing untold stories, correcting historical inaccuracies, challenging the narratives that have often overlooked the contributions and achievements of Black individuals.

Below you will find a KS2/KS3 music curriculum resource to go alongside the song outlining the topic, researching the themes and writing your own verse to fit with the existing chorus and example verse.

Below you find the songs and resources for our 2024 Christmas Songbook! This year after listening feedback from teachers we have focused our songs around the nativity story. Each song will tell the Christmas story sequentially and features varying styles and genres of music. Sign and sing video resources for each song will be added to our YouTube channel to support this and are embedded below.

Below you will find 6 songs - the first three have been written with Key Stage 1 pupils in mind and the last three are aimed at Key Stage 2 but any of them could be sung by either group if appropriate in your setting. For each song resource there is a guide track including vocals, a backing track and a pdf of the vocal score along with a lyrics document for printing and a powerpoint for easy display and learning along with the signing videos.

The tracks are as follows:

1. The Message (KS1)

2. Donkey, Don’t Stop! (KS1)

3. A Big Night in Bethlehem (KS1)

4. Under the Moonlit Sky (KS2)

5. Herod - A Puppet King (KS2)

6. Anthem for a Better World (KS2)

Thanks to:

Composer Jo Downs

PowerPoint resources Anna Thompsett

Illustrations Mabel Thompsett

Makaton content Vicky Trevithick

Recording & Editing Aidan Hampson

Southampton Songbook 2014

The Southampton Songbook is a collection of original songs composed especially for the 50@50 project – a celebration of 50 events to mark 50 years of Southampton’s city status. Schools and individuals were invited to compose songs about Southampton’s people, places and history. The songs were mostly written with children and young people in mind (schools and choirs), however adults and community choirs may also find this book a useful resource to add to their repertoire.

Each song contains original lyrics and in some cases, children from several primary schools in Southampton have played a key part not only in writing the lyrics, but also offering ideas for the melodic, creative and stylistic content.

Find the complete songbook with lyrics and musical scores via the button below.

Find all of the downloadable audio files for the Southampton Songbook below.

Southampton Is The Best - Hightown Primary School

Three Cheers for Southampton - A. Jones

S is for Southampton - L. Mills

Come Along with Me - Jo Downs

The Legend of Sir Bevois - Jo Downs

Deep in the Heart of Southampton - Bitterne Park Primary School

Samba Round The Solent - A. Mills

Shopping at West Quay - A-M. Taylor

The Ships Sail In - Jo Downs

African Choral Exchange

Find the complete lyrics with actions, musical scores and teaching notes for the African Choral Exchange via the buttons below.

Find all of the downloadable audio files for the African Choral Exchange below.

Waka Waka (This Time For Africa) - Shakira

Try Everything - Shakira (from Zootropolis)

Growth Mindset & Emotional Literacy

Power In Me - Rebecca Lawrence

Growth Mindset & Emotional Literacy

Happy (For Kenya) - Pharrell Williams

We're All Here From Around The World - Big Summer Sing 2017

The songs are appropriate for both KS1 and KS2. Some could be sung in English if language is prohibitive or certain songs could work if pupils just sing in the chorus or just the responses.

Songs  collected and adapted by composer and choir leader Fiona Funnell (www.fionafunnell.co.uk), accompanied by Julian Harrow on several ukuleles. The CD gives you the opportunity to learn the song and sing without the vocals if you wish.

Find the complete lyrics with actions, musical scores and teaching notes for We're All Here From Around The World (Big Summer Sing) via the buttons below.

Find all of the downloadable audio files for the We're All Here From Around The World (Big Summer Sing) below.

Latvia

Bangladesh

England

Senegal

France

UK, Original Song

Poland

South Africa

Big African Sing - Southampton Schools Music Association

Compiled and arranged by Kath Page, Nia Collins and Matt Brombley.

Find the complete lyrics with actions, musical scores and teaching notes for the Big African Sing in the resource pack via the button below.

Find all of the downloadable audio files for the Big African Sing below.

PSHE - Big Spring Sing 2018

Find the complete lyrics with actions, musical scores and teaching notes for the PSHE (Big Spring Sing) via the buttons below.

Find all of the downloadable audio files for the PSHE (Big Spring Sing) below.

The Worlds Around Us - Big Summer Sing

With original songs by Leah Mills, transcribed by Kath Page.

Find the complete lyrics with actions, musical scores and teaching notes for The World Around Us (Big Summer Sing) in the songbook via the button below.

Find all of the downloadable audio files for The World Around Us (Big Summer Sing) below.

Every Story Rocks! (Storytelling - Big Spring Sing 2016)

Songs about storytelling, with original songs written and illustrated by Fiona Funnell. Accompanied and recorded by Julian Harrow.

Find the complete lyrics with actions, musical scores and teaching notes for the Storytelling Big Spring Sing in the music pack via the button below.

Find all of the downloadable audio files for the Storytelling Big Spring Sing below.

Sports (Big Spring Sing 2014)

Find the complete lyrics with actions, musical scores and teaching notes for the Sports Big Spring Sing in the music pack via the button below.

Find all of the downloadable audio files for the Sports Big Spring Sing below.

Solent Shanty Sing includes existing shanties and new songs written for and about Southampton, Isle of White, Portsmouth and wider Hampshire. Some of the shanties in this book were collected locally by the folk song collectors of the early 1900s and can be found in the Vaughan Williams Memorial Library online. Many of the songs were inspired by school children who contributed ideas and drawings, and sometimes words. Songs can be adapted and song arrangements are very flexible.

This book was curated, compiled, arranged, designed and sometimes composed by sound artist and composer Dr Emily Peasgood, with the support of musicians Dani Osoba and Sam Slattery.

The Songbook (PDF), lyrics presentation, and all audio files are accessible via the buttons below.

Below you will find all the vocal resources for this project with downloadable sound files, scores and lyric sheets.

Songs by theme:

Growth Mindset: “What You Leave Behind” & “Mayflower 400”

Emotional Literacy: “You Don’t Know a Thing” & “It All Hangs in the Balance”

Hourglass

Music by Rebecca Applin

Book by Rebecca Applin and Susannah Pearse

Lyrics by Susannah Pearse

1. Make Full Sail

2. Seek It With Thimbles

3. It All Hangs In The Balance

Emotional Literacy

4. Mayflower 400

Music & Lyrics by Jo Downs

Growth Mindset

COMPASS

Music and lyrics by Stephanie Jayne Amies

Additional Music and Arrangements by Teddy Clements

Book By Stephanie Jayne Amies and Dinos Aristidou

5. You Don’t Know A Thing

Emotional Literacy

6. Just For You

7. What We Leave Behind

Growth Mindset

FINALE - FROM NOW ON

Music and lyrics by Pasek and Paul

Additional Music and Arrangements by John Bell

8. From Now On

9. The Voyage (Instrumental Piece)

Music by James Redwood

The Biosphere Big Sing Songbook includes the following songs:

Suggested songs for Key Stage 1:

Cheer for the Biosphere (Jo Downs)

Blue Whale Blues (Portsmouth Music Hub)

Plastic Pollution (Portsmouth Music Hub)

Recycling Rumba (Portsmouth Music Hub)

Suggested songs for Key Stage 2 and 3:

Protect Our Island (2 part harmony options) (Jo Downs)

Nurdles (Portsmouth Music Hub)

Put it in the Bin (Portsmouth Music Hub)

Tidy Up The Beach (Portsmouth Music Hub)

One World (2 part harmony options) (Portsmouth Music Hub)

Endangered Species (2 part harmony options) (Jo Downs)

Isle of Wight National Landscapes

IOW music collaborated with the IOW AONB team (now IW National Lapdscapes) who were successful in bidding for the IOW Unesco Biosphere Reserve status. For this project they helped us to create a list of 10 things you can do to help your Biosphere which appears in the song “Protect Our Island”. These 10 things were extrapolated from the 17 UN Sustainability Development Goals

MARDI GRAS SONGWRITING PROJECT, SUMMER TERM 2024, MARDI GRAS VOCAL WORKSHOP, SUMMER TERM IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE NEW CARNIVAL COMPANY

We are continuing our collaboration with The New Carnival Company to create and write with young people a new anthem to perform at Mardi Gras linked to their theme for this year. 

Schools signed up will receive a free creative workshop from the hub in the summer term to learn the chorus and create their own musical theme to sing, stomp, chant or play before the parade heads off on the day in July 2024!

You can hear the chorus for the new theme here and have a look at the music below.

We are excited to be sharing with you the resources for our Christmas song for 2022, Beneath the Winter Snow. This song was composed by Jo Downs. With Christmas fast approaching, we hope this will bring you into the Christmas spirit!

Below you can download and listen to the audio of Beneath the Winter Snow.

Below you will find the lyrics for Beneath the Winter Snow, outlining the lyrics for both the main melody and the harmony parts of the song. You will also find the Score, for you to learn the instrumental part of the song.

We are delighted to be able to share with you a new set of vocal resources for Black History Month this year around the UK theme in 2022 which is ‘Time for Change: Action not Words’. We have two songs which we are workshopping in schools this month which we are also sharing in the song bank for you to make use of in the classroom if you would like to do so.

Our original track this year ‘Time for Change’ was composed By @JT_UK_, Produced by @Lovemade_Muru both local artists. You will find an instrumental only version of this, one that includes a vocal chorus with 16 bar gaps for you to write some rap lyrics plus a lyrics document for the verse and outlining the structure of the song. This version is more suitable for KS3 and up.

Also included is a version of our song from last year by Jo Downs with new lyrics by Nia Collins around the theme for BHM this year Time for Change which you may find is more suitable for KS2 pupils. Again you will find a backing track and lyrics for this below.

Learn a new song in Hindi which is a fusion of music from East and West! Here you will find a tuition video and a performance video so you can learn the song in sections and practise with the performance video and lyrics on the screen. You will also find a powerpoint which takes you through learning the sections of the song with links to the videos and a structure for how to teach this. This will be a particularly useful practical resource for KS3/4 pupils learning about the features of Indian Classical music and fusion styles but it is also suitable for Key Stage 2 to sing with lots of optional extensions for the more able or adaptations for a simpler version.

Originally composed by Karan Rana and Dr Pooja Angra from Art Asia as part of the Belonging Project and adapted and harmonised by Nia Collins from Southampton and Isle of Wight Music Hub for the Creative Cross Currents Project at Dimbola Museum and Gallery.

These resources are part of a larger project - Creative Cross Currents with India and Sri Lanka and the exhibition or artwork relating to this at Dimbola Museums and Gallery which will be taking place on the Isle of Wight from 1st April 2022 until the end of the summer. CLICK HERE For more information on the other fantastic cross curricular education offers related to this from partnership organisations

TUITION VIDEO

Perform Along Video

Here you will find the final version of the Proud To Be featuring lyrics written by children from across Southampton and the Isle of Wight. In this version of the lyrics have been curated and performed by local rapper Larry Kazingizi, includes vocals by Southampton based artist Shannon B and was produced by KMaster Productions.

This song will feature in our History of Hip hop event at MAST Mayflower Studios on Tuesday 29th March. You will also find a PDF with the lyrics and a backing track for you to have a go at singing along or writing your own lyrics for the verses if you would like to.