Transition Songs (Welsh National Opera)

for Early Years Foundation Stage and Key Stage 1

WNO workshop leaders Emily Rooke and Dalma Sinka have created six brand new transition songs for you to use as part of your school routines from the summer term onwards!  Each song has a bespoke backing track and video you can use in the classroom as a teaching video to learn  the melody and the Makaton signs that go with it.  We hope that you can make use of these to help ease transitions during the school day and embed them into your day to day activities throughout the school year. 

In the resource pack we have included some suggestions for how you might like to make use of these songs throughout your normal daily routine with your class but this is not an exhaustive list!  There are lots of ways to incorporate song and singing in your day and please feel free to adapt the lyrics of these songs to suit your classroom and activities specifically.  We have included a small amount of Makaton signs in the learning videos but we would not expect pupils to be using them while washing their hands or tidying up for example so feel free to use or not use them as appropriate.

Getting in a Circle

Learning Video & Backing Track

Washing Hands

learning Video & Backing Track

Lining Up

Learning video & Backing Track

Tidy Up Song

Learning Video & Backing Track

Quiet Time

Learning Video & Backing Track

Pack Your Bags

Learning Video & Backing Track

Vocal Warm Ups (WNO)

Welsh National Opera Singers and Workshop Leaders Dalma and Emily have created some fantastic vocal warm up videos for us. These can be used either in your classroom, as a CPD activity for teachers who are planning on leading singing or for individual students working on their vocal technique.

Posture & Stretching

Breathing Exercises 1

Breathing Exercises 2

Facial Muscles & Diction

Extending Your Vocal Range

All Purpose Warm Up

WNONia CollinsKS2, KS3, KS4, KS5, CPD
This Is Our Carnival (10 Minute Sign & Sing)

Key Stage 2

Learn Makaton signs for This Is Our Carnival, an original song written by Jo Downs and sung by children from Theatre Educational directed by Katy Edmunds and produced by Aidan Hampson. This special song is part of a larger project for National Children’s Carnival Week taking place up and down the country in the week beginning 12th July 2021. Our project with The New Carnival Company has allowed us to share this song nationally so join in from wherever you are and feel free to change the lyrics ‘Isle of Wight’ to your own school, town or carnival company name!

Learn the Makaton signs with Kelly and then try it out with the performance video. Also included is a pdf of the score for download and backing track versions for your own performances.

LEARNING VIDEO — LEARN THE LYRICS AND THE SIGNS

PERFORM ALONG VIDEO — SING AND SIGN ALONG THROUGH THE WHOLE SONG

Rise Up Underdog & Shine (Big 10 Minute Sign & Sing Workshop)

Key Stage 2

Learn Makaton signs and body percussion for Rise Up Underdog & Shine, an original song mash up arranged by Sheldon Hamilton-McKenzie and sung by Emilia Heritage, in this special extended edition workshop, then try it out with the performance video.

LEARNING VIDEO — LEARN THE LYRICS, BODY PERCUSSION AND THE SIGNS

PERFORM ALONG VIDEO — PLAY, SING AND SIGN ALONG THROUGH THE WHOLE SONG