Cratchit’s Christmas Carol is a modern take of the famous CHARLES DICKENS novella. This version is inspired by Dickens and a certain talent show host with high waisted trousers. Please check out the songs and the script via the website link. Written with teenagers in mind. ALL SONGS CAN BE HEARD HERE: https://musicals4all.com/cratchets-christmas-carol/ Password: Bowker Act One – One hour – 13 songs ‘Squeezer’ Scrooge, TV talent guru and showbiz entrepreneur is hassled by the NHS choir who are seeking a Christmas No. 1. He kicks them out whilst resolving to steal their catchy tune. He instructs his intern, the talented but diffident ‘Crotchet’, to rework the song. Squeezer is then accosted by Rob and Squidge hilariously seeking accommodation for the homeless – they get the brush off. Enter Squeezer’s Nephew, I.T. techie Archie and his girlfriend Erin, a social worker. They invite him to Christmas lunch. Scrooge reckons that they are trying to get into his will. Meanwhile Cratchit is spending time reworking the NHS song. Squeezer Scrooge listens to the ‘official’ lyrics to the NHS rip off – loves it and authorises it for release. He calls for the first auditionee to be sent in for his new talent show. Enter his old partner Marley (dead seven years ago) who he supplanted to run the company. Marley warns him that he will meet three ghosts…. Ghosts of Christmas Past arrive. Imagine The Supremes meet Bananarama. They take Squeezer on a tour of his past misdemeanours, his school, his first place of work, his first girlfriend (Ruby), his first love (cash) and his cruel exploitation of no hopers with ‘a dream’. Act One ends with all cast members reviewing his past. Will Squeezer repent? Act 2 – 50 minutes – 10 songs Squeezer reflects on his past– and decides he’s OK. Enter Christmas Present – a lot like Ariana Grande… They visit The Cratchit family, highlighting the plight of Tiny Tina who is being treated by the NHS Doctor – expensive private treatment is out of the question. They then visit Archie and Erin’s Christmas Karaoke Party where they are lampooning Scrooge. Christmas future takes Scrooge to a car boot sale where many of his possessions are on sale. He also sees his old girlfriend who cherishes the memory of what he was Back in the audition room Squeezer resolves to change his ways. He gets a Santa Suit. He meets the NHS choir and bestows the royalties that are rightfully theirs, he gives Cratchit the performing rights to his songs, he creates a Red Nose endowment, pays for Tiny Tina’s treatment and makes his peace with Archie, Erin and Ruby Epilogue – as snow falls he sings an uplifting version of Cratchit’s Christmas Carol with Tiny Tina. This show really works. If you need a Christmas show or a way of getting pupils to consider DICKENS or the Christmas Carol novel please take the time to listen to the songs and read the script.

This is a concert version of ‘The Highwayman’ poem by Alfred Noyes. Music by John Gleadall Please go here for more information: https://musicals4all.com/the-highwayman/ In the UK copyright permission should be obtained from the society of authors. A full score is currently in production. The backing track is available on request. https://musicals4all.com/contact/ I played this music to Alfred Noyes daughter - she enjoyed it very much. I was delighted!

This is Humpty Dumpty’s recitation set to a rather modern backing style. This would fit in with any module of working involving ‘Alice’ by Lewis Carroll. I’ve set all of the ‘Alice’ poems to music so let me know if there’s anything you are looking for.

The Mock Turtle’s Song from Alice In Wonderland, set to an unexpected tune - not a quadrille at all - but then the turtle was a mock turtle, so nothing is as expected! It’s a very infectious melody and this piece would fit in with any study or presentation of Lewis Carroll’s work. I’ve set all of his ‘Alice’ poems to music, so if you need anything just ask!

Lewis Carroll’s Jabberwocky, set to music. Can be used to augment any drama or performing work, or as an introduction to any work on Alice. I’ve set all of Lewis Carroll’s poems to music, in as bizarre a way as possible - if you need music to any of his other work , let me know. It would be a great Performing Arts project for the pupils to devise their own presentation of the stories using the songs as a framework.

Here is the whole of ‘The Walrus and The Carpenter’ set to a bluesy jazzy piano style. This would make a great dance/drama/vocal centrepiece to any performing arts evening. It’s 8 minutes long so you could involve whole teams of performers. I’ve set 17 Lewis Carroll poems to music - watch out for others as I post them. If you need anything in particular, let me know - I think I’ve done all the poems in Alice and Through The Looking Glass.

I asked the children to write their Christmas list - the stuff they really wanted this Christmas. I then asked them to pretend that they were one of the migrants displaced by war in the middle East - or they were a child in Paris (November 2015) and their Mum or big brother, or any close family member was involved in the terrorist attack. I then asked them to write another Christmas list. Suddenly the iPads and other consumer products were missing from the list. Here's what we came up with: Christmas is a window on a world of love and peace An annual reminder we want war and hate to cease We’d like to have a future of happiness and love We’d like to show the world the meaning of Christmas Christmas Christmas Christmas Open up the window and we’re sure that you will see The world is full of children who are just like you and me We only want a future and we can show the way We want the Christmas feeling everyday Christmas - A time of love and peace Christmas - A time for war to cease Christmas - Why can’t we live this way Christmas - Live Christmas everyday Just look through the window and we’re sure you will agree The greatest gift at Christmas is a loving family So families come together, unite in every land And we will make the people understand Christmas - A time of love and peace Christmas - A time for war to cease Christmas - Why can’t we live this way Christmas - Live Christmas everyday

A song written as a songwriting project with year 5 children. Every child in year five wrote a couple of lines using a vocabulary and ideas bank we created through discussion. Then every child sang their own (or somebody else’s ) short phrase. I edited and glued it all together with accompaniment. You could add your own lyrics - if you would like to change the structure by adding another verse or middle 8 let me know and I will change the music for you. This is now an assembly song at my school - I think it’s lovely! The demo is sung by the children who wrote it. Get in touch with me, John Gleadall, if you have any queries: kidzmusicals@icloud.com

Rising sevens asked for a song about poetry for their class assembly. We discovered that there is a worldwide dearth of poetry numbers so we made one up using the poetic "vocab - u - lary " (listen to the demo) they are learning about. You could do what we did and make up your own lyrics? If anybody really needs a score then let me know and I'll make one. kidsmusicals@icloud.com musicals4kidz