Big Sing
Sing for the Earth
In partnership with
Welcome to Big Sing: Sing for the Earth Sage Gateshead presents our first ever Big Sing digital songbook for schools. Created with the ethos of encouraging all children and young people to sing and to explore Climate Change through music. The songbook comprises of 5 newly commissioned songs from Artists based in the North East of England. Each song has a written score, chords and lyrics, with supporting teaching notes, video tutorials and backing tracks. We hope your school enjoys learning these songs and then takes part in a final celebration sing along, with a live band featuring some of the finest musicians in our region. Keep an eye out for our Live Sing Along, with details available here.
Content Tips for leading a session Warming Up Move Over Clean Air Prayer Arctic Home Eco Warriors Our Earth
Tips For Leading A Session Whether you are leading a session for a whole class, a school choir or a smaller group, there are some general points that should help establish a productive approach. Everyone has their own style of delivery and preferred ways of working and although it can be difficult to fit a singing session into a hectic school day, we hope that these basic ‘golden rules’ ensure that each session, however short, builds positively on the preceding one. Improving group singing is a process of: • Developing good habits. • Establishing and maintaining high expectations. • Having fun. Good habits include: • Warming-up at the start of each session (see ‘Warming-Up’ section for some suggestions). • Making singing a regular activity. • Encouraging silence, before and after every song. • Encouraging awareness of good posture and breathing – it improves the sound as well as the length of time you can sing comfortably. • Encouraging listening – what do sharp and flat mean? • Trying different vocal sounds e.g. breathy sounds, nasal sounds, but know the sound you want the group to make. • Enunciating clearly. Aim for clarity with vowels and consonants. • Repeating sections differently when learning; louder, quieter, faster, slower, in a different key, clap the rhythm, whisper the words, make silly sounds, spot the mistake. • Grouping stronger singers together – confidence spreads from a core. • Keeping accompaniment minimal – singers can ‘hide’ behind the music. Listening, confidence, independence and awareness of others are also developed. • Rehearsing unaccompanied - unaccompanied singing requires unaccompanied rehearsal (so does accompanied singing!). • Encouraging harmony singing. After simple two-part harmony singing, it shouldn’t be too challenging to move on to three and four part harmonies. • Adding movement like simple steps, actions, claps etc. • Adding staging. Encourage group involvement and choreography. • Adding singing into regular school activity like end of term events, assemblies and more. • Establishing a culture of improvement.
- Warm Up Exercises Video
Move Over Move Over! is a protest song for children, aiming to help them feel connected to other young people around the globe, work together to bring about change and together, show up for the earth! Words and music by Bridie Jackson
Move Over activity pack Move Over sheet music Move Over lyrics
Move Over - video tutorial Move Over - performance track Move Over - backing track
Move Over! Move Over! is a protest song for children, aiming to help them feel connected to other young people around the globe, work together to bring about change and together, show up for the earth! Words and music by Bridie Jackson BEFORE YOU BEGIN Listen to the recording several times and familiarise yourself with the order, different sections, and irregularities of the song - the second chorus finishes slightly differently, for example. To increase interest, get the class to actively listen to the song before learning to sing it, encourage them to engage with the themes, and ask them questions about it, for example, “what do you think this song is about?” WARM UP Move Over tutorial, available here. TEACHING AND REHEARSING THE SONG After listening to the song a few times, encourage the children to memorise the running order and different sections of the song - intro, chorus, verse 1, chorus, verse 2, outro. Memorising the structure early on will make it much easier to learn the whole song. Get the class to learn the melody in sections, starting with the chorus. Because it is repeated and more upbeat, it’s easier to start with this. Spend some time focusing on the expressions, etc. such as the Forte marks and the Rall, so that the children are confident about these. Spend some time on the claps and ‘heys‘, to embed the timing. Listen to the vocal track and just focus on getting these in the right place. Some of the lines in the song have quite tricky timing, for example: Animals are dying, it’s enough to make me shout; hey! To get this right, try just speaking the line before singing it. Clapping out the rhythms may also help. On the line the that begins ‘if we’re going to save our future’ there is no gap in the music, so taking a large breath beforehand is important. The best time to do this is in the claps after the line ‘don’t you understand?’ There is the option of singing a high note at the end of the second chorus. It’s great fun to do this but you need to prepare your body for it, so the note comes out sounding bright and in tune. Encourage the children to smile and raise their eyebrows to support this.
DEVELOPMENT IDEAS - CROSS-CURRICULAR DEVELOPMENT Many of us will have heard of Greta Thunberg, but did you know there were many other young climate activists around the world, who are also very passionate about the cause? In small groups, do some research to find another activist that you find particularly inspiring, and list the top 3 things that they recommend we could do to help the environment. If you were in charge of parliament for the day, what changes would you make to help protect the environment? Think about this in small groups and come up with three ideas. What can we all do day to day to make a difference? Is there anything happening nearby that you could get involved in? E.g. mass tree planting, litter picking, etc. MUSICAL DEVELOPMENT Through learning this song, children will gain a wider knowledge of song structure and some simple musical terms, such as Forte (loud) and Rall (slowing down). PERFORMANCE IDEAS Actions in songs are a useful way of remembering the words and can add to the performance as well. Also, it’s a song with attitude and can be made even sassier with some movement included! For the chorus, point outwards and then tap your hand as if it’s a watch on the line “You’re just sat there talking while our time is running out”. For the hand claps, hold your hands up high. Be sure to shout the ‘heys’ and do the claps loud and precise, with lots of attitude.
Commissioned by Sage Gateshead for the Big Sing 2021
MOVE OVER!
Music and lyrics by Bridie Jackson VERSE 1 The Earth’s in danger, can’t you see? Deforestation, pollution and greed Oh, it’s a crying shame And everyone’s to blame! So, we’re working together to get things done It’s time to take over coz you’re getting it all wrong! So wrong, yeah CHORUS You’re just sat there talking while our time is running out (clap clap) Animals are dying. It’s enough to make me shout. Hey! We’re the ones gotta live with this. Don’t you understand? If we’re gonna save our future, now’s the time to make a stand! Coz we know that there’s a better way and it’s time to let us lead the way So move over. Move over. Yeah, yeah, yeah! VERSE 2 Children all around the world Now’s the time for our voices to be heard There’s so much we wanna say And things must change today So, we’re working together, for what that’s worth Each of us is gonna show up for the Earth. Show up, yeah CHORUS You’re just sat there talking while our time is running out (clap clap) Animals are dying. It’s enough to make me shout. Hey! We’re the ones gotta live with this. Don’t you understand? If we’re gonna save our future, now’s the time to make a stand! Coz we know that there’s a better way and it’s time to let us lead the way So move over. Move over. Yeah, yeah, yeah!
Clean Air Prayer A mantra of a song to help us stay committed to better ways of living. Words and music by Bex Mather Clean Air Prayer activity pack Clean Air Prayer sheet music Clean Air Prayer lyrics
Clean Air Prayer Melody - video tutorial Clean Air Prayer Harmony - video tutorial Clean Air Prayer - performance track Clean Air Prayer - backing track
Clean Air Prayer A mantra of a song to help us stay committed to better ways of living. Words and music by Bex Mather
BEFORE YOU BEGIN Find an old dusty book and a lamp or torch. Dim the lights, get the dust to fall from the book and shine a torch through the dust. Discuss the ways to describe this. Perhaps it’s beautiful? Explain the term dust motes. Find a photograph of an area of the world which experiences significant air pollution and discuss this and its causes with the group. There’s potential to discuss how what we are drawn to (beauty, a new gadget, a fresh item) can be appealing but also detrimental to our planet and/or to others living in the planet. WARM UP Clean Air Prayer tutorial is available here (melody) and here (harmony). TEACHING AND REHEARSING THE SONG The song is in 3 / 4 time. It could be useful to invite your group to physically embody a 3 /4 feel by stepping on the first beat of the bar, side to side, or making a 3 beat clapping exercise. The aim is for participants to feel the 3 /4 rhythm which will be particularly helpful for longer held notes or the rests in between ‘Dust, dust, no dust’ (Bar 7). In bar 6 and 14 singers need to hold the vowel sound until the end of the bar and then sound a very quick ‘st’. Some find it useful to ask singer to sing the ‘uh’ sound until the very last moment i.e. until they have to change the sound to make the next word to avoid messy and early ‘s’ sounds interrupting the vowel. You might choose to say ‘du-u-u-u-st, dust, no dust’ as an accurate rhythmic phrase before teaching within the melody. There is a note held over 3 bars (bar 22), you might want to focus on feeling and counting how long these should be held for and practising breathing. A common mistake is singing ‘no pollution’ so make sure they are singing ‘no DEVELOPMENT IDEAS - CROSS-CURRICULAR DEVELOPMENT There’s opportunity to explore global environmental issues including where there is poor air quality and why. There are opportunities to explore pollutants across curriculum areas. There’s opportunity to explore what our responsibilities are in terms of not contributing further to pollution and how we can reduce our impact. MUSICAL DEVELOPMENT As well as the embodiment of the rhythmic feel of the song there are opportunities to explore vowel sounds and blend in the sustained notes. There are opportunities to write more verses using the existing structure or indeed adding spoken sections over a melody sung on an ‘oo’ sound.
Commissioned by Sage Gateshead for the Big Sing 2021
CLEAN AIR PRAYER
Music and lyrics by Bex Mather Let me breath clean air (oh, let me breathe) No pollutants, no dust, dust, no dust. Let me show I care (I care) And do what I must, must, I must. Oh, let me breathe clean air It’s up to me and to you (to you) Dust motes in sunlight Won’t obscure the truth Let me see clear skies (oh, let me see) No smog and no haze, haze, no haze Let me take action (action) Own the part that I play, play, I play Oh, let me see clear skies It’s up to me and to you (to you) Flight trails in blue skies Won’t obscure the truth
Arctic Home The song of the polar bear! Words and music by Anna Corcoran Arctic Home Prayer activity pack Arctic Home sheet music Arctic Home lyrics
Arctic Home Melody - video tutorial Arctic Home Harmony - video tutorial Arctic Home - performance track Arctic Home - backing track
Arctic Home The song of the polar bear! Words and music by Anna Corcoran BEFORE YOU BEGIN Listen to the performance track with the score or lyrics to familiarize yourself. Identify any bits which might be challenging. It is nice to use the voice differently on each section. For the Oohs – light, legato, atmospheric. Towards the end of the verse increase the volume of the voice creating a crescendo and building momentum into the chorus. Verse 2 should have a dramatic feel. The choruses have a harmony line. It can help to rehearse the harmony line with a separate group in a separate rehearsal before trying both parts together. WARM UP Arctic Home tutorial is available here (melody) and here (harmony). TEACHING AND REHEARSING THE SONG Creating an atmospheric performance should stay at the forefront of this song’s preparation. Begin by encouraging the children to think of words that sound ‘cold’ and say them in an exaggerated whispering ‘frosty’ way...Icccceeee...snoww..freeeeezing. Try making the sound of cold wind blowing, by blowing gently through your lips while making an ooh shape. Listen to the performance track with your singers. Listen to it a second time with the lyrics and ask the group to sing along with any sections they begin to recognise. Take the opening ‘Ooh’ phrase and repeat it in a call and response pattern until the children are confident with both vocal parts. This will quickly help to identify the students who find it easier to sing the higher notes and would be good to allocate to the harmony line. Encourage use of their ‘head voice’ try ‘Yoohooo!’ as if they’ve just spotted their friend across a crowd. The first 2 lines are rhythmical and pronounced. To master the offbeat rhythm practice clapping the rhythm of ‘Six million miles’ and ‘Dive through the ice’. Think about how the body and face communicate the words as well as the voice. Ask the group ‘what are the magical lights that are filling the sky? What do they look like?’ Practice saying ‘magical’ in a way that sparkles...now trying to sing it with the same energy. In the choruses: What message is the Polar Bear trying to send? Is he worried? Is he hopeful? How do we show this with facial expressions? Keep mouths wide open creating an ‘Ah’ sound on ‘Lights’ and ‘Sky’...almost imagining ‘L’ahh’ghts and Sk‘aah’y At the end of chorus 2 the harmony line carries on the word ‘home’ while the main melody goes straight onto chorus 3
DEVELOPMENT IDEAS - CROSS-CURRICULAR DEVELOPMENT Discuss the Arctic. Where is it? What is it like? What animals live there? Each verse ends with ‘Magical lights’. Discuss the Northern Lights. Perhaps find some images of the northern lights to help the children visualize what they’re singing about. Discussing the effects of climate change on the arctic landscape. How will this effect the polar bear? Encourage the children to draw pictures of the Polar Bear. Create an image of an arctic scene. Create impressions of the northern lights using various mediums: paint, pens, chalk, crayons. MUSICAL DEVELOPMENT Developing skills for 2-part singing. Mastering tricky off-beat rhythms. Improving vocal range moving between different regions of their voice - Head voice, chest voice. PERFORMANCE IDEAS Potential for body actions during the choruses. ‘Can you hear’ put cupped hand up to your ear Find the signs for Breaking away / Land / Warmer / Every day / Hear me
Commissioned by Sage Gateshead for the Big Sing 2021
ARCTIC HOME
Music and lyrics by Anna Corcoran INTRO Ooh x 2 VERSE 1 Six million miles of frozen seas The Arctic holds all of my memories On top of the world, snowy owl flying high As magical lights cross the sky CHORUS Can you hear the ice breaking away? As the land gets warmer every day Can you hear me? Can you help me? To save my Arctic home VERSE 2 Dive! Through the ice catch a seal below My coat glistens white as the waters flow On top of the world, hunting day after day As magical lights guide the way CHORUS Can you hear the ice breaking away? As the land gets warmer every day Can you hear me? Can you help me? (To save my Arctic home) Can you hear the ice breaking away? As the land gets warmer every day Can you hear me? Can you help me? Can you hear me? Can you help me? To save my Arctic home To save my Arctic Home (Ooh) (Ooh) Arctic home (Ooh)
Eco Warriors Eco Warriors is an anthemic call to action to combat the climate crisis, asking what you are prepared to give up for the planet. Words and music by Sharon Durant. Eco Warriors activity pack Eco Warriors sheet music Eco Warriors lyrics
Eco Warriors Melody - video tutorial Eco Warriors Harmony - video tutorial Eco Warriors Body Percussion - video tutorial Eco Warriors - performance track Eco Warriors - backing track
Eco Warriors Eco Warriors is an anthemic call to action to combat the climate crisis, asking what you are prepared to give up for the planet. Words and music by Sharon Durant. BEFORE YOU BEGIN Listen to the performance track with the score or lyrics to familiarize yourself with the different sections and where you think any tricky corners are Think about your group and how best to use their skills in this song: do you have some keen rappers who could take solos? Are there any confident singers who could sing the Voice 2 harmony? Pay particular attention to the rap as this is rhythmical with a lot of words. Note where the gaps are for breathing! WARM UP Eco Warriors tutorial is available here (melody), here (harmony) and here (percussion). TEACHING AND REHEARSING THE SONG Let the singers listen to the chorus of the song a couple of times and allow them to join in if they can. Notice who is comfortable on the higher harmony and who favours the lower melody. Now play them the chorus from the melody teaching track and get everyone to sing that. Pay attention to the final couple of phrases ‘everyone must play their part ....’ and make sure that is secure. At this point, you could add in the higher chorus harmony with singers that you took note of at the beginning of the session. Note that the harmony phrase is longer than the melody because it comes in first, so your group needs to make sure they get enough breath before they start. The verse melody is relatively simple and quite conversational, but the group may need help finishing phrases all together. Get them to watch you for when to come off the note. Also ask them to think about what they are singing. How can they be more persuasive in their performance? Think about body language and facial expressions. You could show them videos of PS22 Chorus from America who are great at expressing themselves in the songs they are singing. When learning the rap, break it into small sections and teach it through call and response, repeating each line a few times until the group are really tight. Encourage them to over-articulate their words so they are very clear. It can be helpful to make up actions to remind singers of the words of the rap. Ask the children for ideas.
DEVELOPMENT IDEAS - CROSS-CURRICULAR DEVELOPMENT The theme of the song has obvious links with geography and citizenship topics which can be developed. It is a call to action, so have discussions about what changes each person can make in and outside of school to help the planet – there are plenty of suggestions in the song which you can add to. Do some research on the protest marches that have been occurring, including which chants and rhymes participants have put on their banners and signs. Design and make your own in music and art. MUSICAL DEVELOPMENT The track starts with some drumming, inspired by the Japanese Taiko drummers. In this style, the moves are very dramatic and choreographed. Perhaps you have some students who could play the simple drum part at the beginning of the song but do it in a Taiko way. As the verses have a very simple melody and structure, try writing new ones to add to the song. Verse 2 says the first task is to spread the message, so what do you think the next steps are after that? PERFORMANCE IDEAS The performing of this song could be made very dramatic. Think about how you might use lighting, pictures and staging to make this message even more powerful. Perhaps there are moves or actions you can also add.
Commissioned by Sage Gateshead for the Big Sing 2021
ECO WARRIORS
Music and lyrics by Sharon Durant INTRO
Eco x8
CHORUS (Eco) Eco warriors x3 Everyone must play their part One small change can be the start VERSE 1
It may feel overwhelming A global problem to overcome But each person makes a diff’rence When we join up to work as one (to be)
CHORUS (Eco) Eco warriors x3 Everyone must play their part One small change can be the start RAP
What would you give up to save our planet? Flights abroad? A meat-based diet? Taking the car just to drive down the road? Using the washer for only half a load? Leaving the lights on? Wasting lots of water? Heating the house as much as you wanna? Fast fashion and single-use plastic? The time has come for some drastic action
VERSE 2
First task is to spread the message There’s no time to relax We must fight this climate crisis Stand up! Now it’s time to act (and be)
CHORUS (Eco) Eco warriors x3 Everyone must play their part One small change can be the start CHORUS (Eco) Eco warriors (Eco) Eco warriors (Eco) Eco warriors
No more coal. No more oil Keep that carbon in the soil Climate change is not a lie Do not let our planet die 1, 2, 3, 4, climate chaos at our door 5, 6, 7, 8, planet Earth is at stake
Everyone must play their part One small change can be the start OUTRO
Eco Eco Eco Eco
Whose planet? Whose future? Whose planet? Whose future?
Eco Eco Eco Eco
Our planet Our future Our planet ECO WARRIORS!
Our Earth A catchy song about standing together to help make a positive impact regarding climate change. Words and music by Paige Temperley. Our Earth activity pack Our Earth sheet music Our Earth lyrics
Our Earth - video tutorial Our Earth - performance track Our Earth - backing track
Our Earth A catchy song about standing together to help make a positive impact regarding climate change. Words and music by Paige Temperley. BEFORE YOU BEGIN Play the track to the group with the lyrics displayed. Ask the group how it makes them feel and why? Ask them to summarise what the song is about. As a teacher, identify any tricky bits in the song. WARM UP Our Earth tutorial is available here. TEACHING AND REHEARSING THE SONG Split the song into sections, verse, chorus, whoa section. Make the children aware of these parts, to give a sense of accomplishment when they’ve finished a section. Start with the chorus as it repeats four times throughout the song, so you’ve already learned a really big part of it already! The verse will most likely be the hardest part lyrically for the children to remember. Ask them to create actions to represent the words. There are some rests in the song, see if you can get the children to physically represent these, to help them leave the space. For example, coming out of the 1st chorus we have the words ‘let our generation have our say’ then we leave a gap for the end of the bar and have a 1 beat rest at the beginning of the next bar before the 2nd verse starts. You could mark it ‘let our generation have our say’ 2, 3, 4 on their fingers then do one stomp or clap into ‘for the last one hundred and fifty years’ etc. Break down words into syllables to help with rhythm. Be aware and point out that the last ‘whoa section’ has one less set of ‘whoa’s than the previous whoa section. DEVELOPMENT IDEAS - CROSS-CURRICULAR DEVELOPMENT This song could be used in science lessons. The verses delve a little deeper into how climate change in effecting our planet, you could take small groups who could pick a line from a verse each and research a little further. You could also create ‘protest banners’ in art sessions around climate change and stage your own protest with your banners and song to sing.
MUSICAL DEVELOPMENT This song looks at harmony in the chorus. Teach each part separately sing a line and ask the group to repeat - look at the starting note and pitch the difference between the tune and the harmony. Sing and hold those two starting notes together before beginning the full part. Physically separate the harmony and tune groups and allocate a member of staff to sing a part with each group, if possible. Take note that the second last chorus drops in texture. Maybe get the group to use body percussion along to that part, it could be as simple as a stamp, clap, stamp clamp rhythm or could be further developed. The chords are specifically designed to be accessible, maybe try out C, G, and F chords in a class ukulele setting. PERFORMANCE IDEAS Add some actions! Maybe some arm waving in the whoa section! On last chorus welcome adlibbing.
OUR EARTH
Music and lyrics by Paige Temperley VERSE 1 Seas are rising, the ice caps slowly melt Animals adjust here to the cards that they’ve been dealt Polar bears they just need a place to rest But the changing climate is putting them to the test CHORUS This is our Earth. This is our world So, let’s make it last for every boy and every girl This is our time. This is our place So, let’s stand together and make a lasting change Let our generation have our say VERSE 2 For the last one hundred and fifty years Burning fossil fuels sent harmful gas into our air Meanwhile people out there are chopping down our trees Warming up the earth just like an invisible fleece CHORUS This is our Earth. This is our world So, let’s make it last for every boy and every girl This is our time. This is our place So let’s stand together and make a lasting change Let our generation have our say BRIDGE Singing: Wo-o-o-o-o-oh, Wo-o-o-o-oh x4 This is our Earth. This is our world So, let’s make it last for every boy and every girl This is our time. This is our place So, let’s stand together and make a lasting change This is our Earth. This is our world So, let’s make it last for every boy and every girl This is our time. This is our place So, let’s stand together and make a lasting change Let out generation have our say Singing: Wo-o-o-o-o-oh, Wo-o-o-o-oh x3 Let our generation have our say
The Big Sing: Sing for The Earth Show is here! Join Phil, Sharon and the fabulous Big Sing Band virtually and perform all the songs you’ve learnt, along with them! Watch the video here
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