Are you a primary school teacher looking for resources for singing or teaching the Tudors? Check out these free 6-week catch-singing programmes with supporting slides and singing videos.
Over the course of the last year I’ve had tremendous fun singing rounds and catches with children and teenagers from 5-18 in both schools and youth groups. Now I’ve created two resources to support primary school teachers to use rounds and catches in the classroom (even if you’re not a music specialist!).
Both programmes use catches or rounds: i.e. songs where you learn one melody and then create harmony by having groups start at different times. This is a fun and simple way of singing together in harmony which is easy to learn and keep a whole class involved.
‘Class X Class Club’ is a singing programme designed for key stage one (age 5-7). Adapting the early modern idea of of ‘catch clubs’— where friends would come together to sing in harmony for fun—this is a 6-week set of 45 minute lessons aimed to get your class singing in simple harmony and creating your own songs. (Tailor it to your class by swapping ‘Class X’ for your class name!)
‘Singing the Tudors’ is designed to help you integrate singing and music when you’re teaching the Tudors as a history topic. As ubiquitous songs, rounds and catches capture many aspects of Tudor life, as well as providing an opportunity to develop skills in singing in harmony, and inspiration for musical composition and song-writing. Aimed at key stage 2 (age 7-11), each hour-long session explores a different theme through a combination of looking at primary sources (images, text, maps – simplified where necessary), listening to and singing Tudor music, and responding creatively or reflectively. Topics include:
Singing as Tudor Recreation
Henry VIII and Tudor Warfare
Tudor Life in the Countryside
Tudor Life in the City
Song in the Church (Pre- Reformation)
Singing the Reformation
Both sets of resources provide a fully designed programme with weekly PowerPoints, warm-ups, singing videos, learning outcomes (aligned to the Model Music Curriculum and/or National Curriculum for History) , a curriculum plan, and tips for adapting the programme to your class. Sing-along videos will teach the songs to your class and support singing in harmony by giving them colour coded singers to follow on screen (though scores are also provided for those who like these). A playlist of learning videos and scores will also enable you to easily adapt the activities for shorter sessions, fewer weeks, or to integrate these songs into other existing activities.
To find out more and to get your freely downloadable resources visit use these links:
- Get Resources for ‘Class X Class Club’
- Preview the Playlist for ‘Class X Class Club’
- Get Resources for ‘Singing the Tudors’
- Preview the Playlist for ‘Singing the Tudors’
(Many thanks to Charlotte Law-Higgs from North Tyneside Music Education Hub for her advice on making these resources suitable for primary years, and to Eimear Hurley and Michael Winter for their support and enthusiasm with the singing videos).