Music and Song

Folk music and song are inextricably linked.  TRADS teaches them both, together and separately, and also combines them with other art forms.

Song 

Songs Called Folk: An introduction to English folk song.   Where did the songs come from?  Who sang them?  What were they about?  Why did they last so long?  What is their place in today’s world?  Answer all these questions and more through singing the songs.  Suitable for all ages from KS2 upwards, including adult groups.  Can be fitted into any time slot, from one short workshop, to a  more in-depth series.

Sing Out:  Learn chants, rounds, chorus songs, work songs and part songs from Britain and around the world.   For all ages, abilities and situations.

Sail Away: Singing Around Cape Horn:  Shanties were the work songs of the British merchant fleet, sung by the shanty-man to help the sailors ‘pull together’ and work in the rhythms that their different tasks required.  They are rollicking chorus songs that are some of the most enjoyable of all traditional songs to sing, great for singing as ‘call and response’ and for harmonising.  Workshops consist of simply singing the songs, or we can add learning about the history and background; arranging and devising harmonies; making up your own.  Sing purely for pleasure or work to a performance.  For all ages and abilities.

Singing Our Song:  A song writing project for primary age KS2 pupils or youth groups.  Sing a variety of simple songs from around the world, create new versions which suit your own lives and ideas and perform them to an audience.

Passion, Murder and Gossip:  A two-part song-writing workshop for KS3 and 4, for older youth groups, or for adult groups.  Songs and ballads were once the equivalent of today’s tabloids and gossip magazines, passing on all the sensational stories of the time.  The basic, human stories they relate are universal and just as relevant today as when they first hit the headlines.  Hear several versions of a song.  Write your own, keeping the theme of the story but giving it a modern setting and characters.  Tweak the tune, add a modern arrangement.  

Singing the Season:   Experience the whole year or a part of the year in song, taking in customs, history and fascinating facts on the way.  A one-off workshop or a series leading to performance.  Suitable for all ages and groups from KS2 upwards.  (See also Calendar Customs).

Playground Sounds:  Two sessions, suitable for KS1 and 2.  Put children together in a playground and they naturally play a game.  There are clapping rituals, circle games, trust games, team games and skipping games plus accompanying songs and chants.  Games are handed down through generations, being added to and changed as they go.  We bring along singing games, old and new, and get participants to teach us theirs.  Teachers are encouraged to continue the process in classroom and playground.  Playing singing games in school has been shown to

• enhance musical and singing ability
• improve language skills
• aid physical development
• encourage social development
• diminish bullying and violence in the playground

Singing Our Lives:  A series of sessions of reminiscence and song writing for older people.  Share memories, put them together into songs with familiar tunes and perform them to friends and family.

Music 

The Music Session:  For competent musicians of all ages.  A one-off taster or a series of workshops.  Play the most popular tunes from English music sessions.

Playing for Dance:  For competent musicians of all ages.  Best as a series of workshops.  Play some of the tunes that accompany a range of traditional dances and the techniques needed to work with dancers.

Make and Play: For ages 5 – 13.  Make instruments from found materials and play them in a band.

Combined Workshops

Traditional music, song, dance and drama are inseparable parts of the whole folk experience.  We tailor combined arts workshops and performances to suit the needs of clients.  Below are some examples.

Gower House Folk: Our tutor Lucy Duff runs a weekly folk group on Thursdays for ages 16+ in Gower House, Ashford. At present the ages range from 16 to 60+ and there are around 17 regular participants. All abilities and instruments are welcome. The group learn a range of folk songs and tunes and perform these in concerts and ceilidhs. English folk plays and customs are also covered. The musical repertoire comes mostly from the british isles and Ireland along with a few tunes from france, eastern europe and Scandinavia.

Folk: What It’s All About? For all ages and types of group from primary KS2 to adult.  A basic and participatory introduction to traditional music, song, dance and drama.  Available as a one-off session or a series.

We Can Do Music:  For KS1 and 2.  Two one-hour sessions involving song, the use of simple instruments, basic composition and one simple dance.  This is an introduction to traditional music and dance for pupils and also an ideal way of informing teachers about basic music teaching without the need for formal musical knowledge.  Teachers’ session also available.

English Ceilidh:  See under Dance.

CeilidhBeats:  A total ceilidh experience for KS 3 and 4 (years 9-13), running over a whole school term.  Play for a ceilidh using DJ equipment, synthesiser and sound engineering techniques, djembe and bass guitar, alongside traditional instruments, whilst others learn and devise dances and prepare publicity.   Training for teachers is also available.

Rhythm Sticks: For KS 2 and 3, or youth groups.  African drumming, and simple rhythms using bamboo sticks, claves and large willow sticks.  Combine these with a traditional English stick dance for a fusion of styles and a dynamic performance.  Two workshop sessions, or four leading to performance.

Music Tells the Story:  Music combined with storytelling, showing how music can enhance a storyteller’s performance and using both traditional storytelling and Playback Theatre.  Suitable for groups of KS3 and above, youth groups and adult groups which include both musicians and willing actor-performers.

Celebrate the Season:  See Calendar Customs

Working with the Curriculum:  Participatory programmes for curriculum topics.  Learning any of the traditional performing arts automatically hits a number of curriculum topics: music, drama, PE, history, geography, English and art being the main examples.  TRADS can put programmes together for specific topics.

Music Roundabout for Early Years

TRADS ’Music Roundabout’ sessions for under-fives provide a fun, interractive way of experiencing the basic musical skills.  A child who has an early, positive experience of singing, playing and moving to music will carry their enthusiasm through to their first school years and often beyond.

Two of TRADS workshop tutors have an Advanced Certificate in Early Years Music and Movement.  Our teaching method adds to physical, social and language development.

Children learn rhythm through hand actions, rhymes, action songs, singing games and moving around to music of different tempos.

Singing simple songs enables children to explore and enjoy using their own voice.  This greatly improves confidence and listening, language and communication skills.

Puppets, toys and coloured scarves encourage imagination.

The use of simple instruments teaches the skills of performing together and the concepts of loud and soft, fast and slow, and stop, start and listen.  Children hear and play along with live instruments rather than recorded music.  They learn the names of every instrument in the music box.

Working in a group with other children helps a child’s social skills:  sharing, turn-taking, listening to others and performing solo.

In groups for children with their parents and carers, the adults are involved as an essential part of the group, which ensures that the skills the children are learning can be taken away and developed at home.   This makes the experience of music even more enjoyable.

In nursery settings, nursery teachers are encouraged to become involved, learn the activities and carry them on between sessions.  In pre-school nurseries, TRADS tutors can work with educational themes, choosing songs and activities to complement and enhance the everyday teaching of the staff.

Music learning is greatly reinforced by regular sessions and a block of weekly or fortnightly sessions, or a year of monthly sessions is always to be recommended.

We can also provide a one-off, fun, musical experience for a special occasion, or a drop-in session for a play day.

TRADS early years sessions take place in:

• Children’s Centres
• Surestart Centres
• Parent and toddler groups
• Nurseries
• Pre-school classes
• KS1 classes
• A variety of play-day venues, both indoor and outdoor

Ages:  We are experienced in  teaching all ages of early years and KS1 children.  For convenience (where there are siblings of different ages), parent/carer and child sessions are often for children of mixed ages (0-4).  Nursery and school-age children can be divided into age groups.