Resources

Online Resources

Our ongoing research project on our Music for Autism workshops in SEN schools has produced a set of on-line resources for teachers.

Free to access on our Google Drive Shared Folder

We also offer three sets of on line videos, Songs for the Special School; and two series of online workshop videos.

Free for schools to access on our YouTube channel

Songs for the Special School

These thirteen songs are a series aimed at youngsters with a wide range of need and age. They can be used in the classroom to help structure music lessons, but also at home to enjoy with families. The songs take us through a format for a lesson with:- a starting song; action songs; themed, sensory based songs; instrument songs; relaxing songs; and ending songs.

There are different versions of some of the songs, with spaces left for students’ ideas and choice on the alternate versions, with spaces left for individual names in many cases.

Although intended for Special Schools, everyone is welcome to use these songs in any appropriate setting where people enjoy experiencing and participating in music.

You can download the songs from this link.

You can listen to the songs on Soundcloud from this link

STARTING SONG

• Let’s Get Ready  Students can sing, sign and listen to the music and words of the song; introducing us to the start of the music session.

ACTION SONGS

• Clap your Hands  An action song with a range of different actions and movements to do together. The same action song, but with gaps for individual students’ names to individualise the song.
• Clap your Hands  (individual)  The same action song, but with gaps for individual students’ names to individualise the song.
• Clap your Hands (own ideas)  The same action song, but with the middle section left blank for students’ own ideas and names.
• All Day Long  An action song with simple movements including; swaying, rocking, stretching, rubbing – aimed at students with a higher level of need.
• Everybody’s Dancing An action song to get up and dance/move/sing to.
• Everybody’s Dancing (own ideas) The same song but with spaces for students’ ideas.

THEMED/SENSORY SONGS

• The Weather Song A themed song, including a verse for each type of weather.  This can be used as a sensory song, with different sensory activities for each type of weather. Students can sing and sign with the vocals, but there is also space after each verse for students to sing and sign on their own.
• Getting About  A themed song, including a verse for different types of transport – driving in a car, flying in a plane, riding on a bike and sailing on a boat. This can be used as a sensory song, with different sensory activities for each type of transport. Students can sing and sign along to the song.
• Getting About (own ideas)  The same transport themed song, but with spaces for the students’ own ideas.
• Lots of Things  A themed ‘doing things’ song, looking at specific activities at school and home.  This can be used as a sensory song, with different sensory activities for each type of activity. Students can sing and sign along with the vocals of the song, but there is also space for students to sing and sign on their own.
• Lots of Things (own ideas)  The same ‘doing things’ song, but this time with spaces for students to choose the activities at school and home.

INSTRUMENT SONGS

• Let’s Hear you Play An instrument song that encourages students to play, listen to and feel sounds. There are opportunities to play together, individually and to wait for your turn.
• Let’s Hear you Play (own choice) The same instrument song that encourages students to play, listen to and feel instruments and sounds of their choice. There are opportunities to play together, individually and wait your turn.
• It Goes Like This!  An instrument song focussing on choosing instruments, tempo and dynamics.

RELAXING SONGS

• Listening Quietly A relaxing song to calm down with.
• Stroking Time A gentle song aimed at students with a higher level of need. Giving opportunities for students to be stroked on their shoulders, head, neck, hands, fingers, arms, legs, feet, toes, cheek and face.

FINISHING SONGS

• Time to Stop A gentle end to the music session.
• Ending Song An upbeat end to the music session.

Composed by Steve Harper
Performed by Steve Harper and Michael Groth
Produced by Michael Groth
Funded by Orchestra of St John’s

Steve and Jo’s Music workshops

• Pitch with Steve

• Pitch with Jo

• Rhythm and Tempo with Steve

• Rhythm and Tempo with Jo

• Dynamics with Steve

• Dynamics with Jo

• Texture and Timbre with Steve

• Texture and Timbre with Jo

• A Trip Round the World with Steve

• A Trip Round the World with Jo

Note to teachers/parents/carers:

The workshops are between 30 and 35 minutes long and can be used as one off sessions or preferably worked through in order. They are aimed at students attending Special Schools, predominantly middle ability; however we hope that there will be something for everyone! We also hope that there will be ideas here that Special School staff can build and expand on in subsequent lessons at school.

Steve and Jo’s Early Years workshops

• • • In the Woods with Jo

Useful resources: This session will mostly be focused on animals and involves plenty of actions; so if you have any animal puppets, toys or instruments, do bring them along! Green material to represent frogs or trees could also be useful.

• • • • On the Farm with Steve

Useful resources: We are particularly looking at farm animal sounds, so it would be great to have a range of toy animals/pictures to refer to. Animals we’ll be referring to include – a duck, dog, cat, sheep, cow, hen, pig, hare, hedgehog and kestrel. We will also be doing a counting song, so it would great if you could make/draw animals we could count; specifically – 1 brown cow, 2 red hens, 3 pink pigs, 4 white sheep and 5 yellow chicks!

• • • • • The Sea with Jo

Useful resources: It would be great to have some shakers/home-made shakers – aiming for anything that sounds like the sea! Sea coloured scarves/material of some kind would also be useful.

• • • • • Tidying up the Beach with Steve

Useful resources: As The Sea with Jo, but we are tidying up, so a clean bin we can collect the rubbish in (and make some sounds with) would also be good; along with some clean rubbish to collect – like crisp packets, paper, bottles etc.

Note to teachers/parents/carers:

The workshops are between 15 and 20 minutes long. They are aimed at young children with a range of need and their parents/carers/teachers. We hope that there may be ideas here that can be expanded on afterwards! It would be great if you could bring along some percussion (or makeshift percussion) instruments to each workshop.