Performing in a nativity or musical can be a highlight of the school year for some children, but for others the anxiety of performing on stage in front of an audience can prevent them from enjoying what should be a very special experience. Managing performance anxiety early on and building confidence can release children into pursuing their passions and reaching their potential in later life, but where do we start? Dealing with nerves shouldn’t be something that is just addressed on the day of the performance; there are things we can do during rehearsal time to lessen the impact of stage fright on the big day as well as more specific things that we can do just before we go on stage.

With huge potential to help unpack key values of acceptance and self-worth, You Are Special is a beautiful musical that will touch the hearts and minds of teachers, parents and children alike. In this blog we have linked the values within You Are Special to several craft activities. We hope you enjoy them and we would love for you to share your class’s creations with us!

We’re SO excited about the launch of Sparkyard (you can read more about what Sparkyard is here), but who better to tell you about its amazing benefits than other teachers, headteachers and music leads? Our beta programme ran for several months and here’s what the participants had to say after using Sparkyard in their schools.

The link between physical activity and mental wellbeing is well known and proven. The National Curriculum requires us to teach pupils the importance of understanding that good physical health contributes to good mental wellbeing, and vice versa. On top of this, music and movement are inextricably linked, and innate. Play a song with a strong beat to a toddler and they will instinctively start to dance. Indeed, for some of our songs, it’s practically impossible not to start moving!

Every teacher knows the importance of ensuring the safety and wellbeing of their pupils. In fact, with the challenges that the coronavirus has brought over the last 12 months, for most schools, it is their highest priority. Here at Out of the Ark we have always believed in the power of music to make a difference and enhance wellbeing. Here are a few of the reasons why...

At Out of the Ark Music we believe that singing can and should be inclusive. With that in mind, we have worked closely with Singing Hands to produce Makaton-signing videos for five of our popular songs. We asked our friends at Singing Hands, Suzanne Miell-Ingram and Tracy Upton (who were recently awarded with MBEs!), to explain a little bit about what Makaton signing is and why it is useful to use alongside songs.

The mental and physical health benefits of outdoor play and physical exercise are well-known, and it is likely that finding creative ways to get your class active will be an important part of your curriculum this year. Active songs and playground games are great for this and could be enjoyed in small groups in a large, open space. 

Our understanding of the risks associated with singing in relation to COVID-19 is growing all the time. It seems likely that the singing landscape in schools will look very different. While some schools will feel comfortable singing in ‘bubbles’ or outside for example, others may not have the facilities necessary to sing as regularly as they might like. The great news is that your favourite songs (as well as many you have yet to discover) can be used to support your music and whole-school curriculums whether you are singing in your school or not. Our #candomusic Recovery Curriculum will show you how.

Why not make today the day where all of the children in your household celebrate one another, enjoy the things they have in common and appreciate the differences between them. We've created some ideas around the theme of siblings for you to try at home. Note, the children may need some adult support, but encourage them to help each other as much as possible.

Fruit and vegetables aren’t just good and nutritious to eat, they come in handy for all sorts of things. Get your children to try these five activities based around them, then make sure you eat at least five different fruits and vegetables a day!

Well, what better time to be talking about world health than right now? In the current circumstances, it is easy to feel that everything is out of our control, so it seems like a good time to be planning what we can do when we are free to move about again and to be thinking about the changes we would like to make, so that in the future our world can be a healthier place. Here are some ideas around the theme of World Health Day for you to try at home.

Social media is full of the highs and lows of homeschooling, lockdown and isolation right now. This is an unprecedented and challenging time for parents and children, so here at Out of the Ark Music we have made a selection of songs and downloadable resources available for free to help families shape their own ‘new normal’ in these unusual times. Our hope is that as you’re squeezed and squashed together with no escape, you’ll find joy and unity as a family. So here are our five top tips to help with that!

In 2017, in collaboration with Professor Susan Hallam MBE and the Milton Keynes and Sheffield Music Hubs, Out of the Ark Music worked with 24 primary schools, offering them simple training for all their staff alongside free, unlimited use of our entire catalogue of songs and all associated resources. They wanted to measure the impact that fully integrating singing into the school curriculum could have on a range of measures. In part two of our blogs, Laura Dolan talks to us about how the children in her class benefited from different songs.

In 2017, in collaboration with Professor Susan Hallam MBE and the Milton Keynes and Sheffield Music Hubs, Out of the Ark Music worked with 24 primary schools, offering them simple training for all their staff alongside free, unlimited use of our entire catalogue of songs and all associated resources. They wanted to measure the impact that fully integrating singing into the school curriculum could have on a range of measures. Laura Dolan, a class teacher who was involved in the project, talks to us about how it impacted her teaching and her school.

Schools that value and prioritise music have a School Music Education Plan that ensures that they are delivering a Music Curriculum in which pupils have the opportunity to learn to play an instrument, sing regularly, to perform and hear live music, and to work with professional musicians. Singing costs nothing, it’s easy to set in motion and it oxygenates a school like nothing else. If a school ain’t singing, then it ain’t swinging so here are ten good reasons why singing should be ringing in every classroom.

Singing is a foundational musical skill and one of the most natural ways for children to engage in making music and central to the development of musicianship. It can make children’s brains light up like a Christmas tree and it’s something they should be doing every day of the week because it’s good for their development on so many levels. Research has shown that music-making improves a myriad of cognitive and non-cognitive skills and the variety of skills needed for singing help develop the whole child. John Dabell discusses 15 ways singing can help with child development.

The contribution of music and other expressive arts activities in promoting the well-being and health of the school community is enormous. Singing is one of the most accessible forms of music-making and there is something rather special about how it can feed our minds, bodies and souls. It really does makes us feel well.

Singing, throughout my life, has freed me and empowered me. It’s brought me friends and opportunities, and has given me a way to identify, control and communicate my emotions. It’s shaped the way I think and the way I interact with other people and it’s given me great joy. My job is to bring this freedom and power to as many people as I can.

In 2017, in collaboration with Professor Susan Hallam MBE and the Milton Keynes and Sheffield Music Hubs, Out of the Ark Music conducted a major research project into the most effective ways of integrating music (and singing in particular) into the school curriculum. We worked with 24 primary schools, offering them simple training for all their staff alongside free, unlimited use of our entire catalogue of songs and all associated resources. As part of the project, we asked all schools to sing regularly together as a whole school community. Many chose to start their days with singing, and some ended the school day with a singing celebration. However they implemented their whole-school singing, all reported a positive impact on both children and staff. Our aim was to measure the impact that fully integrating singing into the school curriculum could have on a range of measures, including well-being, social inclusion, pupil and teacher confidence, as well as academic attainment across general subjects and the music curriculum. Some of the results surprised even us!

Valentine's Day is celebrated annually on the 14th February. To help “put a little love in your” school, we’ve put together a list of amazing school songs along with some fantastic classroom ideas and discussion points to mark the age-old tradition of St Valentine. We know it can be a tricky one to teach (with giggles often getting in the way) but with so much room to touch on themes of friendship, compassion, caring and much more, it’s a must for any classroom teacher.