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March 2021

Songs for a Busy Bee

MCEP Creative Curriculum Partnership

We are excited to be part of this Manchester Cultural Education Partnership (MCEP) initiative which sees cultural organisations paired with education establishments across Manchester, aiming to embed creativity within the school curriculum.  For this project, Note Weavers were paired with the Hospital School based at Manchester Children’s Hospital to develop a digital resource which included links to the City of Manchester.  Thus ‘Songs for a Busy Bee’ was born.

This was an exciting opportunity to bring music to children staying in hospital, but it also brought a number of unique challenges.  Due to the nature of schooling in hospitals and the differing ages/number of children hospitalised at any one time, the sessions needed to be appropriate for all ages in Early Years/Key Stage 1 and offer progression for those children who have a longer stay as well as short term patients.  The ongoing pandemic also meant that it was not possible to lead any live sessions, so the project was designed and developed as a digital resource by music educator Sorrel Harty.

The result was a series of four linked music sessions, with accompanying craft activity videos and song sheets including ideas to extend learning.  The sessions can be used individually or in a progressive series.

The resources are currently being used by the Hospital School and will soon be available as a resource on the MCEP website.

 

Music in the Outdoors with Sally-Anne Brown

Sunday 9 May 2021, 10.00-12 noon   £15

Preparing & using outside spaces for music sessions,

from fields to concrete playground

 

Sally-Anne will cover:

  • some of the challenges of delivering music outside and how to overcome them
  • resources and musical activities which can be used in the outdoor environment

This session is suitable for all Early Years practitioners.

 

Sally Anne Brown has been a freelance Early Years music practitioner since 2005 following an increasing interest in very young children’s musical interactions and experiences which she witnessed during over 25 years as a woodwind teacher. Sally Anne’s experience includes delivering both ‘open to all’ music sessions in Children’s Centres and community groups and more tailored sessions in nurseries, preschools and schools in North Yorkshire and East Lancashire. She have also worked for several charities on music projects supporting families with young children with visual impairment, with physical disabilities and children for whom English is an additional language. She is also a mentor on the CME:Early Childhood based at CREC in Birmingham.


Songs, Rhymes & Story Times

with Children’s Librarian & Early Childhood Music Specialist Ben Lawrence

Sunday 16 May 2021, 10.00-12 noon   £15

Picture books are some of the most useful and powerful tools for engaging children in the Early Years. This highly practical session led by Children’s Librarian and Early Childhood Music Specialist, Ben Lawrence will explore ways to combine songs and rhymes with picture books to engage and inspire young children. Find out top tips and discover different ways to bring stories alive through music and song and enable a positive experience of key musical concepts.

In this session Ben will be exploring the magical world of picture books and sharing stories with young children:

  • Strategies for sharing stories in different ways
  • How using pictures books can help embed music learning within early years provision

During the session there will be an opportunity to work in small groups, so please bring along your favourite picture books to share.

This session is suitable for all Early Years practitioners, Early Years Music Practitioners & others who lead family story time sessions in libraries & community settings.

About Ben Lawrence

Ben is Children’s Librarian for Calderdale Libraries and an Early Childhood Music Specialist. He is an Early Years methodology tutor for the British Kodály Academy & regularly presents at conferences & delivers training on using songs and rhymes for Children Centre and Early Years staff as well as Children’s Library professionals. He has recorded songs and rhymes for the charity Booktrust, for their National Bookstart Week celebrations and, with his colleague Shelley Bullas, he co-authored the chapter Music and Rhyme Time Sessions for the Early Years in the book “Library Services from Birth to Five: Delivering the Best Start” edited Carolynn Rankin and Avril Brock.