A rock’n’soul, riff-tastic, body-movin’, mind-expandin’ song that draws on one of Ken Robinson’s big themes - IMAGINATION! Warning: This song contains useful information designed to fire the imagination of children. As the great Ken Robinson told us, imagination is the key to creativity which is the key to creating new ways of living and of being. This song gets kids to think big about who they might want to be and how they might want to live. Powerful stuff! And, guess what? The song is full of imaginative images that were sent to me by the fans of my band, Johnny and the Raindrops. I just linked them all together with some cool music. There is also an eye-popping video that shows you (and the children) all of the things that were imagined. Search ‘Imagination’ on the Johnny and the Raindrops’ YouTube channel. Enjoy!

This resource contains 20 original songs and pieces of music for a school production of Shakespeare’s The Tempest. Created for a production performed across Nottinghamshire schools in 2017. The script was adapted by Martha Toogood. It is included here with cues as to where the songs and music fit with the text. A link to a video is included for reference. The original productions were peformed by Year 8, 9 and 10s. Title song ‘Whipping up a Tempest’ tells the whole story of TheTempest in 12 verse and 8 minutes! Available as a separate resource in my TES shop. The resource includes a medley of some of the songs to play as the audience leave the hall. The songs are relatively simple, memorable and accessible for this age group. The title song ‘Whipping up a Tempest’ is based on Johnny Cash. The others are equally ‘pop’. Vocal versions are included as guides for rehearsals. Instrumental versions are to be sung over in the production. In our prodcutions we used a vocal version of one of Ariel’s songs. Both instrumental and vocal versions are included here for choice. MP3 versions are included in this resource for size and ease of downloading. Full requency WAV versions are available after purchase and will be sent separately through a file transfer app. I (Liam Maloy) am available for guidance. Get in touch for advice and tips on how this can work for you and your children. Feel free to check out my other ‘Shakespeare in Schools’ music and songs for Macbeth.

‘Whipping up a Tempest’ is an original song - a sea shanty - written for schools productions of Shakespeare’s The Tempest. This single song tells the entire plot of the play and introduces the main characters. Children can sing the verses in small groups and the chorus as a whole class. This resource contains a vocal version as a guide, an instrumental for the production, a lyric sheet and a link to a video of children singing the song. ‘Whipping up a Tempest’ is my main song from the production. This and the other 19 songs and pieces of music are available as a single resource in my TES shop. Feel free to explore my other ‘Shakespeare in Schools’ resources for Macbeth and other plays.

Song and resources to help learn about Macbeth. This song focuses on the battle scenes, mostly the final one from which it uses quotes. As well as the other music-related tasks on the lesson plan, children will write their own rhyming couplets for the ‘All Hail Macbeth!’ song. Vocal examples and instrumental version included. Lyrics and worksheets also included. Music-based games and activities as above to warm up and break the ice. This workshop allows children to explore basic aspects of song writing whilst applying them to group compositions. Sessions can be focused around specific themes and scenes as required by the school in preparation for the performance. Children will explore the sounds of the words and the basics of how they are put together in songs. Children require no formal musical skills to participate in this workshop. Some enthusiasm for words, poems, music and songs is preferable. Children will create an underscore and sound effects for a scene using percussion instruments. Using pre-recorded backing tracks, children will contribute to the composition of words and melodies of a song based on one of the themes and scenes of Macbeth in small groups and as a whole class. The children will explore the need for lyric-writing devices such as rhyme, meter, alliteration and assonance whilst building a basic understanding of song structure, melody and harmony, the rhythm and sound of the words, and the use of metaphor. As individual vocalists, small or whole groups, children will record their song using the microphone.

Fun, simple original fun song to help children learn a little about ‘Macbeth’. Perfect for Halloween! Make up some actions! Stir the cauldron! Be a witch - weird and strange! Contains some of Shakespeare’s original words. This pack contains: -mp3 of the vocal version -mp3 of an instrumental sing-along version -the lyric sheet -the chords -a lesson plan -a link to the video Check out my other Macbeth and ‘Shakespeare in Schools’ resources.