january 2010: new additions

Warm-ups, greeting songs, playground games, riffs and rhythms

All the musical ideas that help getting activities going, starting from a good place, overcoming tiredness, boredom, disengagement.
Ideas for rhythms, backing tracks, chords, accompaniments.

We hope this site will be a resource for people who would like to be able to write their own material on the spur of the moment or respond to their students' ideas with confidence. Please contribute anything you have written, even if it is unfinished - someone else may add to it.

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Baby 123

Warm-up song from Trinidad, both physical and mental. Two lively variations on Head and Shoulders. Sung here by Sharon Durant and Beccy Owen.
mp3 | score

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Balloon Warm- Up for KS1 - by Casey Middaugh, North London

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BACKING TRACKS:
Cameron Harris, Ashley Bell, UCC.

descending bassline in Em, rock feel - 2 minutes of backing for people to improvise to, work out riffs, practice rhythms etc.
mp3
2 chord riff (backing to Vamos a Caminar (see songs with spanish words page)
mp3

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Can you brush your teeth? - John Keys, Charlotte Radcliffe, Ruth Price.

Simple song with easy and fun responses, written during Eden Valley Singing Squad session. Works well in a round with actions.
mp3 score

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Come And Sing With Me Now - Mary Keith

Repeating riff with harmonies, lovely feel.
(Mary is a Vocal Force Facilitator who writes regularly for the theatre and other projects)
KEY STAGE 2 & 3 & adult
score

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Dinah

Playground song from Northumberland with American music. Really popular KS1,2
score

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Engine No.9

Simple melody also used as a round or waiting canon. (see score & mp3Â’s for examples). Taught by Su Hollingsworth at Vocal Union Training Day, Sage Gateshead.
mp3 score

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Evening Time - Mary Keith

Vocal groove in two parts. It grew out of 'Evening Time', a traditional Jamaican song (see traditional songs page), but works really well on its own too.
score

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Good Morning Everybody - Jilly Jarman

Written for Beaconside Schools -Singing Communities project.
Greeting song which allows high and low sounds and play acting. Jazzy with piano accompaniment KEY STAGE 1 & 2
score

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Hammersmith gathering warm-up - Em Whitfield-Brooks

Really successful session in an intensive conference. Go to projects page

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Hello Everyone How Are You?

Great easy introduction song. KEY STAGE 1 & 2
mp3

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Here I am! - James Ramage

Fun song-game for taking the register or going home time. Easy call and response with simple guitar accompaniment. Written for the reception and Year One class at Warcop School during Vocal Force training sessions.
score | mp3

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Harry Potter

Words by Harry Potter Puppet Pals to rhythm patterns for 4 voices KEY STAGE 1, 2, 3
score

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Hear the Heartbeat - Mary Keith

Piece exploring different time values in a musical and evocative way. Very accessible.
KEY STAGE 2 upwards
score

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I Don't Want To Go To School Today - Beaconside Primary, Yr 4

Words made up to help learn a samba call and response break pattern. They have been enjoyed by students and teachers throughout Cumbria.
score | mp3

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I like ice cream - Jilly Jarman

Very simple harmonised riff to help people sing on the 2 and 4 - very useful for reggae and calypso songs among others. Sung here with Marieke
mp3

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Joho - arr. Jilly Jarman

Arrangement of extract of a gospel song learnt from Scott Stroman. (His arrangements are available on sibeliusmusic.com) Written for North Lakes School Choir, Penrith, it uses repeated phrases to explore rhythm and texture.
notes | score

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Kinetic Energy - Sharon Durant & Jilly Jarman

Riff-based piece, useful as a starting point for composition ideas and improvisation. Written during the first vocal union training weekend in Allerdale, 2006
score

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Fire! - Ems Featherstone, Alison Scott, Penrith Singing Squad

A great song to sing with energy with three interlocking parts
KEY STAGE 2 & 3 mp3 | score

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Little Riff in 5 & 7 - Mary Keith

Just 3 bars of melody mixing the 2 time signatures. Evocative.
score

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Mama Don't Allow - Penrith Sing Up training session for teachers Feb 2011

4 groups had 10 minutes to work on Mama Don't Allow looking at: spoken word riffs; story (instruments); harmonies and percussion. This is what they came up with. Session led by Jilly Jarman. See version of Mama on traditional songs page.
mp3

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Miso Soup - Alison Coates

Warm-up song with a fun look at sol fa. With actions.
KEY STAGE 1, 2, 3
score | actions

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One two three four five! - Jilly Jarman

Simple warm-up song using numbers for pitches, with a high and low five.
Great for everyone to have a go at conducting
score

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Pussy Cat - Sarah Grey & Alison Scott

Easy song, lyrical with piano accompaniment.
KEY STAGE 1 & 2
mp3 | score | Warm-up ideas

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playground clapping games

These are demonstrated by school students from London and Bath at CLJazz week in Wales. Some they learned from other people and others made up themselves, or adapted. Thanks guys!



Cups game:

............Hi low chick o lo : ...A sailor went to sea, sea, sea...

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Sasquatch - Vocal Union training day.

Call and response song, using consonants - good fun - all about yetis etc.
KEY STAGE 2 & 3 - adult
mp3 | score

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Singing the scale - taught by Steph Brandon.

Warm up exercise from vocal union training day.
mp3

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Summertime Riffs - Penrith Singing Squad

Ideas for extending Summertime and moving it from a lullaby into an upbeat groovy piece.
score

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Sun Shine on Me - Hannah Reid, Shelley Stewart, James Ramage, Helen Rimmer

Song with 3 interlocking melodies that work together very well - could be used as a round or for bringing parts in and out over a riff.
mp3 | score

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Tanczymy Labada - traditional playground song

Easy song with few words, about a waltz. A great song to get everyone to join in. Make up your own circle games to go with it. Suggestions here. Words given by Emilia Zbikowska
KEY STAGE 1,2,3,4
score

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Vi voce Donna Maria

A Brazilian greeting song. Great for circle time, standing in queues waiting for the bell etc. (sorry - score coming soon)

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Yoohoo! Where are you? - Vocal Union training day, Sage Gateshead

Warm-up song, excellent for KEY STAGE 2 or training
mp3

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Sing Up, the Music Manifesto National Singing Programme, produced by Youth Music with AMV-BBDO, Faber Music and The Sage Gateshead supported by Government.
Vocal Union is part-funded through Sing Up and is part of its national singing programme.