It’s that time of year again - cauliflowers are still fluffy but sometimes it’s nice to ring the changes. Here’s a different song written in four parts. Each year group sings their own verse and then they all sing the verses together - it’s a challenge but it works! Kidzmusicals@me.com

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. This is now an assembly song - I think it’s lovely! The demo is sung by the children who wrote it. Get in touch with me, John Gleadall, if you would like the backing track or have any queries: kidzmusicals@icloud.com

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

This is a new song to start off the year, the term, the week or the day. It tells us that every day is a new beginning and offers a chance to help children reflect on the fact that they have an important choice to make every single day - how will they behave today? Will they make to most of the chances offered to them. It's a 'seize the day' song! The chorus of this song should be sung in three parts. I would have year 6 on the first part, year 5 on the send part and years 3 and four on the third part. It's very simple and ends on a three part chord. There is a vocal demo, an accompaniment track, lyrics and a score. It's in a really good fun western style complete with 'yee haa' at the end!