August 2010

Out of the Ark Moves To new Premises

On the 25th August 2010 Out of the Ark is moving to its new offices in Hampton, Middlesex. Our new premises will house our sales, marketing, customer services and publishing departments as well as our warehousing and distribution.

Out of the Ark Music, Units F1 & F2, Kingsway Business Park, Hampton, Middlesex, TW12 2HD

Telephone: 020 8481 7200,  Fax: 020 8941 5548

Nativities And Christmas Musicals For Autumn 2010

The Landlord's Cat

by Antony and Julia Copus

Ages 4 - 8

35 minutes approx.

Available Late August 2010

In this traditional nativity, life is hectic in Bethlehem and the resident landlord’s cat of a certain inn on the edge of town is feeling the pressure. Fed up with being ignored by his owners, and irritated by the constant stream of visitors who prevent him from sleeping, the landlord’s cat is on the verge of leaving home when a young man and his pregnant wife arrive at the door one night and are shown to the stable. They look just like any other couple, but cats are wily and intuitive creatures, and he senses that something very special is about to happen. Naturally he is determined to find out just what it is...

 

Children Of The World

by Mary Green and Julie Stanley

Ages 5 - 9

Available Late August  2010

Every year, Gabriel and the angels celebrate the birth of Jesus by bringing children from around the world to visit the manger. Travelling from as far afield as China, Malawi, Poland and Australia, each group is finally brought to the stable where they tell of their special Christmas customs, singing songs and presenting gifts.

Discover a little bit of Christmas from around the world with this charming Christmas musical.

 

Busy, Busy Bethlehem

by Niki Davies

Ages 3 - 6

25 minutes approx.

Available Late August 2010

It will soon be the day of the census in Bethlehem and the town is busy, busy, busy. Watching the excitement is a little soldier sent to Bethlehem by Julius Caesar. He loves to organise everybody and thinks that nothing could be more important. One couple arrives rather late and at first the little soldier is cross, but then something changes and he can’t understand why. He forgets all about organising - could it be because the baby Jesus is about to be born?

Includes 7 appealing, easily remembered songs in this nativity story by Niki Davies

 

Song of the Month - Free Song Download!

Out of the Ark is pleased to announce an exciting new feature on our website, the FREE Song of the Month download!

The Song of the Month allows you to download the vocal track and backing track in MP3 format, along with a lyric sheet and the sheet music to a popular Out of the Ark song - absoloutely FREE!

Each month we will upload a song to our website that links with the time of year, or covers an important day in the forthcoming month. You can then enjoy using the song with your class, nursery, drama group, or at home with your children.

We are really keen to get your feedback on this one, so would appreciate you reviewing the song on our website after you have downloaded it. Why not also let us know what you think about downloads in general. Would you like us to make our complete catalogue available in a download format?

Spread the word - this is a great FREE resource for you to use and enjoy!

 

 

 

June 2010

Rehearsal CDs and CDs To Sell At Performances

We are often asked if we sell packs of CDs that can be used to help children learn songs ahead of the big performance and increasingly, we are asked if we sell CDs in bulk for schools to sell at performances where they can put a margin on top and make a small profit.

The answer is yes we do!

You can now buy rehearsal/selling CDs online for all of our musicals and nativities - Priced at £23.50 for a pack of 5 CDs, that makes the individual CD price £4.70. You can also buy a class-sized pack of 25 CDs at £98.75 or 30 CDs at £115.97 - individual CD price £3.95 and £3.87 respectively.

You could sell your CDs on performance night for £7.20 and make clear profit of £2.50 per CD (more if you have bought the 25 or 30 CD pack).

 

June 2010

Special Offers

 

Buy a full Words on Screen™ version of Songs for EVERY Season, Songs for EVERY Day or Songs for EVERYbody for only £22.95 each!

Also, Save a 1/3 off the Sunday's Cool! Series of books and CDs.

Check out our Offers section for more details!

 

 

May 2010

Chantons! - Tous Les Jours now in stock!

Chantons! - Tous Les Jours, our exciting new French resource by Mark and Helen Johnson, is NOW IN STOCK. Click here for more details about the product and to purchase.

See our Offers section for a discount code for orders of Chantons! - Tous Les Jours placed online or to download our discount flyer for orders placed by telephone, fax or post.

May 2010

Special Days In June

Go GREEN during the month of June! Add the followings special days to your calendar and sing along with your favourite songs:

5th June: World Environment Day - Green Song from Songs for EVERY Day and If You're Feeling Cool, Dress Hot from Eddie The Penguin

8th June: World Ocean Day - The Deep Blue Sea from Wonderful Water

12th-20th June: National Bike Day - I Like To Ride My Bicycle from On The Move

21st-27th June: Recycle Now Week - The Recycling Song and Use It Again from Eddie The Penguin 

March 2010

Sing For Change - A WaterAid Update

Fifteen year old Sabina Roka sometimes used to avoid going to school near Bijanbari in Nepal because she was embarrassed about the lack of toilet facilities. She says “Before we used to go to the bush where there were bamboo plants. We used to have to run when we saw the boys coming.”

WaterAid enabled the school to build new latrines which have made Sabina’s life easier. She adds, “Now we don’t need to miss our classes and we feel healthier than before”.

A selection of Out of the Ark songs all about water were used in WaterAid’s Sing for Change project for Girlguiding UK, which has raised over £150,000 for water and sanitation projects in Nepal – helping more people like Sabina look forward to a brighter future.

For more information about WaterAid or to take part in Sing for Change, visit the website at http://www.wateraid.org/singforchange

March 2010

Chantons! - Tous Les Jours

Chantons! - Tous Les Jours, our exciting new French resource by Mark and Helen Johnson, will be in stock during May. You may pre-order by phoning our customer services department on 01932 232250.

February 2010

That's What I Call A Class Assembly!

We are pleased to announce that the first three titles in our exciting new series That's What I Call A Class Assembly will be in stock towards the end of February. This brand new series of books with enhanced CD has been written to support and reinforce what children are already learning in their history topics. Through performing the catchy, fact-based songs alongside the short play, children will find it easier to retain the information they have learnt. They can then showcase their work either in a school assembly or in their own classroom.

Suitable for KS2, each book and enhanced CD is £16.95 and includes performance licence.

The first three titles in this series are The Romans, The Tudors: Henry VIII and World War II.

February 2010

Pancake Day

Don't forget, February 16th is Shrove Tuesday or Pancake Day. Whether you like them with sugar and lemon, maple syrup or bacon, we have two fabulous songs about pancakes in our spring products!

Pancakes is featured in our Book Of The Month, A Spring Thing as well as Songs for EVERY Season from our Songs for EVERY... series.

For younger voices Where Did The Pancake Go? is featured in It Must Be Spring.

November 2009

Did You Know We Have A Shop?

Did you know that Out of the Ark has a shop where you can come and look through all of the books in our catalogue, listen to songs and get helpful friendly advice from our customer services team? We are located on Hersham Green in Surrey and the shop is open from 9am-5pm, Monday to Friday. Telephone 01932 232250 for more information.

October 2009

Fantastic Resource For Learning French Coming Soon

Mark & Helen Johnson are currently putting together the final touches on an amazing new resource for helping to teach French with singing. Chantons! - Tous Les Jours is the most fun and intuitive way to enjoy learning French. With 12 cleverly composed, interactive songs by Mark and Helen, Chantons! gives you a flexible creative resource for teaching Primary French.

Download a special voucher from the Offers section of this website and enjoy 25% off your copy!

This resource will be released early in 2010.

October 2009

Three New Titles for the Song & Story Series

We are pleased to announce that there will be three new titles available in the Song & Story Series in January. The new titles are Princess And The Pea, Little Red Riding Hood and The Three Little Pigs and have once again been written by Niki Davies. A further three titles will also be released in September 2010.

September 2009

Days To Remember!

Sunday 4th October is World Animal Day so why not grab a copy of Animals from the My World Series.

Thursday 8th October is National Poetry Day and our cross-curricular 'big books' in the Pictures Poems & Percussion series are an ideal way to get involved.

September 2009

Just Sing!

Helen Johnson's fantastic article entitled 'Just Sing!' is now available in the Resources section of the website along with a free download of the Words On Screen™ version of the song. This article is also available in print form in our current catalogue.

Download the article here or check out our Resources section for more details.

September 2009

Top 10 Resources

A Combined Harvest has been selected as one of the 'Top 10 Best Back To School Resources' by Junior Education Magazine (September issue).

Read the review here.

September 2009

Out Of The Ark Write New Christingle Song

Out of the Ark Music, the UK’s leading songbook publisher for nurseries and primary schools has written and produced a new Christingle song for The Children’s Society.

‘Hope of Heaven’ has been composed by Out of the Ark’s leading writers and company founders Mark & Helen Johnson and a CD of the song along with two other Christmas carols, will be available to order as part of The Children’s Society’s free fundraising resources for Christingle this year.

Mark & Helen Johnson formed Out of the Ark twenty years ago with an aim to provide primary schools with memorable, life-affirming songs, nativity musicals and school production musicals. In that time the company has grown to be a major force in school’s music publishing and Mark & Helen have also penned the last two Comic Relief Songs For Schools and also written songs for the ‘Sing For Change’ campaign for Water Aid and Girlguiding UK.

Christingle, the candlelit celebration which places children at its heart, is a fun and festive celebration enjoyed by adults and young people alike. Last year, 6000 schools and Churches welcomed over 500,000 children to celebrations across the country, raising £1.2 million for The Children’s Society’s work with disadvantaged children in the UK.

To get involved with Christingle and order your free copy of ‘Hope of Heaven’ visit www.christingle.org or call 0845 600 8585.

July 2009

New Titles For The Autumn!

Silent Night

Mary Green & Julie Stanley

Ages 7 - 11

35 minutes approx.

Available Now

Visit 19th century Austria, where the villagers of Oberndorf are busy preparing for their traditional Christmas Eve pageant. Amidst the hustle and bustle however, they realise that the naughty mice have destroyed the church organ, and they will need to find alternative music for their special celebrations, Discover, through this charmingly adapted story, how a poem written by a parish priest resulted in the well-loved carol Silent Night.

Featuring 9 heart-warming songs with an Austrian feel, with a nativity tableau that uses a medley of well-known carols, this Christmas musical combines humour, drama and Christmas traditions.

Book and Audio CD - £21.95

Book, Audio CD & Instant Licence - £35.75

Shine Star, Shine

Niki Davies

Ages 3 - 6

20 minutes approx.

Available now

The big star has to show the way to the stable where a special baby has been born - but he just can't shine. How will the shepherds and kings find their way? Luckily all the other stars lead the big star to the stable where he sees Mary, Joseph and the beautiful baby. He realises that Jesus loves all the stars, angels and people of the world and this love gives the big star enough strength to shine again.

With a simple script and 7 catchy songs, this magical retelling of the nativity story will fill everyone with delight. From the author of Whoops-A-Daisy Angel and The Nativity.

Book and Audio CD - £18.95

Book, Audio CD & Instant Licence - £30.45

Christmas With The Aliens

Nikki Lewis

Ages 4 - 7

25 minutes approx.

Available now

The traditional Christmas story is retold to some alien visitors. Stranded on earth with their broken spaceship, they meet some school children about to rehearse their Christmas play. Invited to watch, there, the aliens discover and amazing story they want the whole universe to hear. But will the aliens be able to mend their spaceship and travel back into outerspace?

This delightful new nativity by Nikki Lewis (author of Born in a Barn) looks set to become a firm favourite for years to come.

Book and Audio CD - £18.95

Book, Audio CD & Instant Licence - £30.45

A Cracking Christmas! - A Festive Hamper Of Christmas Songs

by leading writers

Ages 5 - 11

Available now

Whether you want to sing about Christmas dinner, waiting for Christmas to arrive, Santa Claus, holly and mistletoe or rocking around the shops then this Christmas songbook is for you. This book contains 19 brand new songs by Out of the Ark's group of leading writers and a further 11 songs chosen from the very best of our existing catalogue.

Also available in this range are It's A Spring Thing and A Combined Harvest. Words on Screen™ is available for all of the books in this series.

Book and 2 x Audio CDs - £25.95

Book, 2 x Audio CDs & WOS CD Rom - £39.95

Sunday's Cool - Immanuel!

Mark & Helen Johnson

Ages 5 - 12

Expected in stock mid-August

Intended particularly for junior church, assemblies and all age worship, this book contains 12 songs suitable for Christmas, 4 of which are previously unreleased and unique to this title.

Book and Audio CD - £14.95

June 2009

Out of the Ark Choir perform with Delirious?

The Out of the Ark Choir performed onstage with Delirious? on Sunday 24th May infront of 15,000 people at the Big Church Day Out. The choir provided backing vocals for the song 'All Gods Children'. Out of the Ark also took a small exhibition stand at the event and company co-founder Mark Johnson was on-hand to talk about music and particularly the Sunday's Cool range of songbooks that were highlighted at the show.

May 2009

Songs for EVERY Day - Words on Screen™ now available!

We are excited to announce that Songs for EVERY Day is now available in Words on Screen™ format, so for all of you looking to complete their Songs for EVERY... Words on Screen™ set, here's your chance!

You can also take advantage of our current very special offer allowing you to purchase this versatile resource for £22.95 instead of £39.95!

See below or click here for more details.

March 2009

Red Nose Day Thank You!

A massive thank-you to the thousands of schools that performed 'Doing Something Funny! - The Red Nose Day 2009 Schools' Song. We hope that you enjoyed singing the song and congratulations to everyone that helped raise such an incredible amount of money for Comic Relief.

March 2009

"Sing For Change" with WaterAid and Girlguiding UK

Mark and Helen Johnson are very proud to have been involved in writing two new songs for the exciting new Sing for Change project. A WaterAid song highlighting the issues of 5,000 children a day who die from a lack of sanitation and clean water, and a rousing "helping hand" Girlguiding song.

Sing for Change is a brand new project developed by WaterAid for Girlguiding UK as part of their year of community action Changing the World in the run up to their centenary celebrations next year. Guides, Brownies and Rainbows will be Singing for Change to raise funds for WaterAid's work in Nepal and to raise awareness of water and sanitation issues in the developing world.

The full set of six songs, written by Mark and Helen Johnson, and one by Sha Armstrong, will help Guides, Brownies and Rainbows learn about water and its uses and compares the lives of girls in the UK with those in Nepal who don't have access to safe drinking water.

Girls across the country will be getting sponsored to Sing for Change and performing the six sensational songs from the Out of the Ark catalogue to raise funds for WaterAid's work in Nepal. To date over 1,600 packs have been sent out by Wateraid and 62 concerts have been planned.

To find out more about the project, visit WaterAid's website at www.wateraid.org/singforchange.

March 2009

The Red Nose Day 2009 Schools' Song

Doing Something Funny! By Mark & Helen Johnson

After the huge success of Make Someone Happy!, the 2007 Red Nose Day Schools' Song, Out of the Ark Music has teamed up with Comic Relief again to bring you the new song for this year. Doing Something Funny! is a great way for you and your school to raise money on Red Nose Day, Friday 13 March 2009.

Schools and private customers will receive the FREE CD as part of our January 2009 catalogue and mailing.

This interactive CD features:

• Doing Something Funny! vocal and backing tracks.
• A fantastic video of the song to inspire you!
• A Words on Screen™ version of the song. Lyrics can be projected onto any screen or whiteboard. Words and music are highlighted and synchronized with the music as it plays – includes a user guide.
• Printable lyric sheets and music score (PDF).
• List of fundraising ideas (PDF).

If you don't receive the CD in the mailing, all the above can be downloaded and viewed from the resources section

Find more information about Red Nose Day at www.rednoseday.com/schools.

To make singing the Red Nose Day Schools Song even more fun, get your students to pick their Noses! This year, for the first time ever, there are three Red Noses to choose from. You can bulk order noses for your students through the fabulously simple Nose Deposit Scheme, paying just 30p per Nose now – and the rest after you’ve sold them. Find out everything you need to know here.

Why not encourage your school to sing the song and do something funny to raise money for Red Nose Day!
Comic Relief, registered Charity no 326568 (England/Wales) SC039730 (Scotland)







January 2009

New for the Spring!

We have some exciting new books coming in January and February of 2009. Firstly, we will be releasing a great collection of songs called A Spring Thing containing 30 fantastic songs about Spring and Easter and very similar in format to our recent Harvest collection. A Spring Thing contains 11 songs from our existing catalogue and 19 new songs by leading writers. Available as book and CD and Words on Screen™. Suitable for ages 5-11, book and CD will be priced at £25.95 and the WOS version will be £39.95. Available in January.




We are also excited to announce the first 3 books in our new ‘Song & Story’ range by Niki Davies. These are far more than just a storybook, this brand new series has been written for use both in the classroom and in assemblies.






Traditional, well loved stories re-told through a very simple script and just a few bite-size songs. This delightful combination of ‘song and story’ will enliven and enrich learning, both in music and literacy, as well as give younger children a manageable experience of performing a mini-musical. The first three titles in this series are Goldilocks, Jack and The Beanstalk and The Three Billy Goats Gruff. Book and CDs are priced at £12.95 and include a performance licence! Suitable for ages 3-6 years.

Our next new title coming in late February will be My World – Space! This has been a much requested title and we are sure that you will find songs for all aspects of this subject that you will need to cover. Ages 4-9 and priced at £17.95, contains 13 brand new songs.




In February we will also be releasing the second of Mark and Helen Johnson’s ‘Sunday’s Cool’ series. Sunday’s Cool – Hosanna! is perfect for young church and all age worship and includes 4 previously unreleased songs. Book and CD £14.50, ages 5-12 years.




And finally…we will be releasing Words on Screen™ Songs for Every Easter, so all of you collecting the set there is only Songs for EVERY Day left to come and we hope to be able to make that available in the first half of next year. Songs for EVERY Easter, Words on Screen™ will be £39.95 or £29.95 if you are purchasing the upgrade from book and CD.







October 2008

New PDF Songfinder now available

A PDF of our latest songfinder is now available to download from the Resources section of the website. You can search for songs by title, by series and by theme and we hope it helps you to find some of the hidden gems in our catalogue!







October 2008

October 2008 is Walk To School Month

Why not use some of our resources to encourage everyone to get out of their cars, to walk, scooter or cycle to school.

From My World - On The Move
How Do We Get To School?  
I Like To Ride My Bicycle

From Eddie the Penguin Saves The World!
The Walking Song







October 2008

Mark & Helen Johnson need your input

Mark and Helen Johnson are starting to work on the next title in the Songs for EVERY series and they want your input. What subjects would you like them to write songs about? What subjects are missing from our existing EVERY... songbooks? What type of songs do you want, fast, slow, ballads, raps? Please email your ideas to music@outoftheark.com







September 2008

What books and songs would you like us to release?

Here at Out of the Ark, we are starting to think about the songbooks that we will release in the latter part of 2009 and during 2010. We would love your feedback! Drop us a line and tell us the subjects that you would like us to write songs about, the books that you can't find but wish were out there and any other great ideas that you may have to keep our children singing. For example what should the next EVERY... series book be about and what subjects would you like to see added to the My World series of songbooks - and what are we missing altogether?

We look forward to hearing from you. Email us at music@outoftheark.com







June 2008

More new titles coming this autumn

Eddie The Penguin Saves The World!

Niki Davies
Ages 4 - 7

In stock on September 1st

Eddie The Penguin discovers that the world that he is living in is changing and that the ice is melting. He decides to take his family to find a new home in the North Pole, where he meets Peggy the Polar Bear and discovers that human beings are causing the ice to melt. Eddie is on a mission to save the planet and let the world know how they can change things for the better.

This fantastic new musical from Niki Davies is a must for any school teaching ecological and enviromental issues. Songs can be used in conjunction with the script or stand alone, and includes curriculum links for all of the key issues.

Titles Comprise: The Melting Song, We're Great Big Polar Bears, The Walking Song, If You're Feeling Cool, Dress Hot, Trees, The Recycling Song, One World. Bonus Tracks: Turn Off The Tap, Use It Again




Book and Audio CD - £17.95	Book, Audio CD & Instant Licence - £29.70
Order Code - ETP-BCD	Order Code - ETP-BCDL

A Combined Harvest
a bumper crop of harvest songs!

By leading writers including Paul Field, Jeff Hammer, Niki Davies, Mark & Helen Johnson, Julie Stanley and Mary Green
Ages 5 - 11

In stock on September 1st

Due to popular demand, we can now offer this definitive bumper crop of 30 harvest time songs for primary children in one songbook, featuring 11 of the best Harvest songs from our existing catalogue and 19 new songs written by established and new writers.

Also available with Words On Screen™, where the lyrics are projected onto a whiteboard and the words and music are synchronized.







The Classic Package: Book & 2 x Audio CDs - £25.95	The Full Words On Screen Package: Book, 2 x Audio CDs & CD Rom - £39.95
Order Code - ACH-BCD	Order Code - ACH-BCW







June 2008

Mark & Helen Johnson write their first pantomime



In stock on September 1st

Mark and Helen Johnson have just completed writing their first ever pantomime entitled Cinderella & Rockerfella

This exciting new musical for key stage two is a witty re-write of the classic Cinderella story and features firm pantomime favorites ‘the two ugly sisters’ and ‘Buttons’. The script is being written by Sue Langwade who has previously worked with Mark and Helen on books including The Peace Child.

The CD is being recorded in the next couple of weeks and Cinderella & Rockerfella will be one of the key new releases for Out of the Ark in September. Titles include: Tonight’s The Night, A Friend Like You and If I Had One Wish.







June 2008

Search for a Songwriter winner to release first Nativity musical

Out of the Ark and Child Education magazine’s ‘Search for a Songwriter’ competition winner Nikki Lewis, is about to release her first nativity musical. Born In A Barn will be released by Out of the Ark at the start of July and is a charming take on the Christmas Nativity aimed at 3-7 year olds and priced at £17.95. 

Titles comprise: Shh, Don’t Wake The Baby, It’s A Long Way On A Donkey, Don’t Worry Mary, No Room No Room, Wake Up Shepherds, We Are Camels, He’s The King and Born In A Barn.

Nikki’s ‘Search for a Songwriter’ winning song ‘Colours of the World’ was included in the My World series title, ‘My World – Colours And Patterns’.







June 2008

‘Animals’ to be added to the My World series

The long awaited new title in the My World series of subject based, resource songbooks comes out at the beginning of July. ‘My World – Animals’ will be the seventh release in this range of books. The subject of ‘Animals’ was chosen from feedback given by teachers visiting our exhibition stand at last year’s Education Show in Birmingham and also from emails and letters sent in to the company. Once again the songs have been composed by leading children’s writers including Mark and Helen Johnson, Niki Davies and Mary Green & Julie Stanley.

Book & CD:  16.95      Ages:  4-7s

Titles are as follows: I Never Saw A Dinosaur, Baby Animals, You Wouldn’t Have A Pig As A Pet, If You Were A Turkey, Animals, My Dragon, Home, The Elephant Dance, Mine’s A Mutt, The Animal Train, When The Sun Goes Down and You Will Never Meet A Dodo.







June 2008

Out of the Ark launches brand new website

Welcome to the brand new Out of the Ark website. We hope you will enjoy browsing through our titles and will find all of the information that you need to select the perfect songbook, musical or nativity. 

This website will be updated frequently with exciting offers, resources and news of what’s in production and what our writers are up to. You will also find buying through our website a safe and pleasurable experience and if you sign up to our email newsletters, you will hear about new books, discounts and events – hot off the press! 

 

At Out of the Ark your feedback on our books is invaluable; so do let us have your ideas, reviews and suggestions.