This carol is written for KS2 and tells the story of the humble shepherds who were chosen to be the first witnesses of the Christmas miracle in the shape of the newborn Baby Jesus. The verses reflect the pastoral nature of the shepherd’s existence with the choruses being the explosions of sounds the shepherds might have heard on that first Christmas night. The two choruses have the same harmony and sound really effective when sung at the same time as a finale to the carol. Hope you like this carol and you find it useful in your Christmas Celebrations.

A simple, gentle carol for Juniors/KS2 telling of the birth of a tiny King in very humble circumstances with a plea that the world will remember his message so we find Christmas Day this year ‘a world of peace devoid of fear’ and ‘no-one hungry or wracked with tears.’ The carol is in unison for the first verse and chorus but then there are simple harmony parts for the second verse and chorus which really enhance the special mood created by this pretty and gentle song. NB The song is available in F and Eb maj to suit the needs of your group/choir

Written as an additional solo opportunity to add to the amazing ‘Edith’s Wartime Scrapbook’ written by Mick Riddell and published by ‘Edgy Productions’. (I highly recommend this as an end of term production.) The song works as a stand alone song too for KS2 to tie in with a topic on ‘War.’ Extension activities include creating a piece using a melodic ostinato and writing topical songs and raps.

The sung chorus and first verse of a thought provoking song/rap written for a year 6 class to tie in with their topic on W.W.2. The children were amazing creating and performing their own verses and this paved the way for many other musical activities. The activity would be suitable for the whole of K.S.2.

This song with sound effects was written for a reception class to perform after their walk into their local town. The children created actions and selected sound sources to accompany the song then composed a piece of music in Rondo form painting a musical picture of their journey. The song would be suitable for the whole of K.S.1 and could be the starting point for many other activities.

A fun song with an echo re-telling the traditional Red Riding Hood Story written for a Year 2 class and their dance/gymnastic/mime assembly. Extension activities include creating music for the main characters in the story and composing using graphic notation and exploring major and minor keys.

A fun song written for a nursery class to perform at their harvest festival assembly. The children stamped their feet and played claves to accompany the song. The song provided a starting point for many other activities and would be a good resource for the whole of KS1.

A fun harvest song written for a Year 1 class (but suitable for the whole of KS1) when the teacher wanted to explore the processed food angle in a Harvest Assembly. This fun and unusual harvest song explains how we can all enjoy the fruits of the harvest all the year round. The humorous nature of the lyrics and accompaniment fills the children with glee and the song could be the starting point for many related musical activities. Also available from my website.

A fun song written for a Year 1 class (but suitable for K.S.1) linked to their topic on ‘Light and Dark.’ The song explores louds and softs in music leading to the children creating their own Day and Night music and many other musical activities around the topic. Why not create a dance using black and yellow scarves or strips of crepe paper.

A fun song/rap written for a Nursery class to be performed with actions, props, claves and instruments linking with their topic on ‘Chinese New Year’. We performed this at an assembly with a blue cloth river, animal masks and instruments and the parents loved it. It would be suitable for the whole of KS1 and could be a stimulus for a whole host of activities from the use of ordinal numbers, to dance, to mask making as well as all the obvious musical activities.

A fun song written for a Reception class to be performed with actions and instruments to enhance their assembly about ‘Chinese New Year.’ but it would be suitable for the whole of KS1. The actions are contained in the lyrics of the song and tuned percussion were used to create melodic ostinati. The children really loved creating a fan dance to the backing track in between the two verses.

A fun song written for a Year 1 class to add another dimension to their topic on ‘Buildings.’ After learning the song and substituting other number patterns in the chorus as a Maths activity the children selected sound sources to create different building materials and built walls of sound exploring crescendo and diminuendo. Hope you have fun with this song.

A fun song to be performed with sound effects on musical instruments written for a Reception class. Written to conclude the ‘Billy Goats Gruff’ story in Kaye Umansky’s ‘Three Singing Pigs’ book. The song would be a great addition to a topic on Traditional Tales or Animals.

A fun topical song written for a Year 2 class to conclude their assembly on the Romans. The song provides plenty of opportunity to include actions and follow up activities. Why not ask your children to create their own Roman Army Marching Music or using the lyrics to the song as inspiration they could create music for a chariot race and the Roman Baths? Get out the claves and create different rhythmic patterns to accompany your own Roman Rap.The possibilities are endless with this great Primary School Music Resource.

An original re-telling of the Nativity Story giving the children the opportunity to play classroom percussion instruments as well. In the story the 'teachers' ask the children which instruments would best paint a musical picture of the characters in the story. As the instruments are selected and played the characters take centre stage and the story unfolds. The children, teachers and parents from Sacred Heart School in Ware and St Joseph's in Hertford really loved the performances.

A delightful Nativity Play with a modern day twist. An enlightened Parish Priest determined to make parishioners focus on the real meaning of Christmas hands each family a box of Christmas Crackers as they leave Midnight Mass. These are the 'Nativity Crackers' and each riddle and gift reveals something about the Christmas Story. As the crackers are pulled and the message dawns on the family, they freeze frame and we are transported back in time to the events of the first Christmas Story. The children, staff and parents of two Hertfordshire schools loved this play. The songs in a variety of styles offer much scope for actions, dance and solos and the script can be adapted to suit your needs.

Everything you need to produce a thought provoking Advent service for Junior Children. Each class owns a circle of light ( four purple candles in a wreath each with a theme.) The children then write their own bidding prayers, reflections or poems to accompany their own circle of light. I chose a mixture of old and new carols and songs to bring the sometimes 'tired' traditional carol service up to date and make it really relevant to the children in their Advent Journey. The service can be adapted to suit your own needs. This one was written to be performed in St Joseph's Church in Hertford. Hope this helps you create a really meaningful service in amongst the secular build up to Christmas.

Written in 2013 this simple service explores a variety of Advent themes using the imagery of lit purple candles. Each child is involved by singing, reading, processing and writing reflections. Parents declared this was the most moving Advent Service they had ever been to.

Written in 2012 and performed by St Joseph's R.C. School in Hertford, Advent themes are explored by spelling out the word Advent. Each child plays a part by singing, reading, listening or writing original reflections whilst hopefully examining their own Advent journey. A combination of musical styles makes this a heart-warming and thought provoking service.

Written in 2011 and performed by the juniors in two separate schools. This is a thought provoking service with rhyme, readings and reflections including a mixture of old and new carols to help us all prepare our hearts for Christmas. This is not a passive service as each class takes a theme and creates art work to depict this theme, sings or dances to their theme and writes their own reflections to make every child feel a part of the event and hopefully reflect on their own actions during Advent.