How to create your own Rio Carnival Samba Music in the Classroom. Here’s a practical Samba Classroom Activity for which you don’t need any prior music experience or any proper Samba instruments. We’ll show you how to create your own Rio Carnival classroom performance, and we’ve added a reference section at the end, describing the […]
The Cultural History of Brazilian Samba Music
11 January 2023
-The Slave trade, religion and the inter-mixing of African, native South American and Portuguese cultures are all key to the cultural history of samba music, and help to explain its evolution right up to the present day, including its status as the national music of Brazil. In this article we’ll look at: Samba and the […]
Fail Again, Fail Better – The National Plan for Music Education 2.0
25 July 2022
-The new National Plan for Music Education micromanages teachers, schools and Hubs, telling them to carry on doing the same as before, only better. “Try again. Fail again. Fail better.” Instead what’s needed is for schools to stop teaching classical musical instruments in whole class lessons and to focu on easy to play instruments and the music styles that the children actually want to play.
Drums for Schools – World Percussion Set
17 February 2022
-As well as hitting curriculum objectives, this percussion pack will help pupils enjoy the real sense of achievement that comes from making music as a group. In fact, I can see it delivering genuine benefits in terms of class cohesion, self-esteem and team-building skills.
The role of Music in Rio Carnival
3 February 2022
-In February, Carnival takes place in towns and cities all over Brazil. The Rio carnival, also known as ‘The Greatest Show on Earth’, is the biggest of these and is perhaps the world’s most popular Carnival, famous for breathtaking performances, samba music, costumes and its week-long party atmosphere. The Rio carnival was cancelled in 2021because […]
Children’s Mental Health and Wellbeing
2 February 2022
-This week is Children’s Mental Health week in the UK. This year the theme of the week is Growing Together. The aim is to encourage children (and adults) to grow together, and to be a part of the growth journey of those around them. Our children are entering their third year since the start of […]
Powerful drum classes send students’ self-esteem skyrocketing
31 January 2022
-When we talk about boosting kids’ self-esteem, you’ll be familiar with ideas such as practicing gratitude, keeping a journal, or going for a walk. But if you think back to when you were young, would those things really have resonated? If you’re anything like us, you were hungry for more exciting or rebellious activities. Activities that could […]
Revolutionising kids’ education to boost mental health from early age
31 January 2022
-Helping young minds blossom Now this is the kind of revamp to kids’ education we have all been crying out for. While focusing on how to teach teens about mental health and diversity, we seem to have created a huge blind spot – forgetting about preschoolers. With 50% of mental health problems already established by age 14, it’s […]
Black History Month Workshops
20 September 2021
-October is Black History Month and a great opportunity to develop children’s awareness in so many dimensions: cultural, historical, socio-economic . . . An African Drumming or African Dance day gives everyone an instant cultural immersion and a springboard for learning. And it gives everyone a massive togetherness boost and a fantastic social/emotional workout. African Story Telling, Ancestral Mask […]
Improving Children’s Wellbeing through Music
3 September 2021
-If the last 18 months has taught us anything, it is that human beings are resilient creatures. We have all been forced to adapt to so much change, deal with grief and loss, and endure many months of solitude with life in lockdown. As an adult, these challenges have been difficult. The one thing we […]