Opera North Education – website. 

Put together a group workshop of about half an hour with different leaders for different activities. We’ll start with this on Thursday.

·         Introduction

·         Ice breaker

·         Name game or song

·         Warm up games - body and voice

·         Activity that includes movement

·         Activity that uses rhythm

·         Activity that uses singing together

·         Discuss devising activities: from word to story to song
write down your ideas for us to talk about them in session.

In the session:

 

2) Consider storytelling as a start for creative exploration, writing and composing with children. In two groups, pick a story from the website I introduced last week http://www.storymuseum.org.uk/1001stories/

Think of at least two ways of dramatising some of the content – one should be more based on movement and physical response (Freeze Frames, or consider the Living Postcard exercise by Artis Education), one should be about writing and devising dialogue and maybe a short song in response to the story. I would like you prepare a short session and try out both ways of working with the other group and me on Thursday.

In the Session:
"The Freedom Song".
Text: There was once a proud hunter. One day the hunter was walking through a forest when he saw, perched high in a tree, a bird with a beautiful golden beak, green wings and a red tail. “What a beautiful bird,” he thought. “I'll leave it alone.” As he carried on walking the bird sang out to him. The song sounded to the hunter like it was mocking him. “Na-na, na-na-na.” (Clap-clap-clap). The hunter didn't like it. The song reminded him of the playground teasing he had experienced as a boy. He looked up at the bird. “I don't like that song. Don't sing it again or you will be sorry.” But the bird didn't seem to mind. It pushed back its wings, stuck out its beak and sang, “Na-na, na-na-na.”  The hunter put an arrow into his bow and shot at the bird. The arrow went straight through the bird's heart and he fell, lifeless to the ground. “That will show him,” said the hunter. He put the dead bird in his sack and continued on his way. But from his bag came first a vibration and then a muffled sound, the very same song the bird had sang, “Na-na, na-na-na.” The hunter took the sack home, got out the bird and plucked out all its feathers. But then, in a shivering voice he heard that song again, “Na-na, na-na-na.” Furious with the bird, the hunter took a sharp knife and chopped the bird up into a hundred pieces and threw them in a pot of boiling water. “That will show him,” he said out loud. But then, in a bubbling gurgling voice he heard the song again, “Na-na, na-na- na.”  The hunter was wild with rage. He took the pot, the bones, the feathers - everything to do with this bird - out into the garden. He dug a deep hole and buried the lot. But the soil had barely been patted down when he heard the song, mocking him again. “Na-na, na-na-na.” He dug the bird up, threw all the pieces into a box. He took the box down to the river, tied a great big stone around it and pushed it into the river. At last, the bird was silenced and the hunter went home to bed.But during the night, at the bottom of the river, the box started to sway in the currents and finally it broke free. It floated to the surface, the lid burst open and one hundred birds, each with a golden beak, green wings and a red tail, flew silently out into the night. The next day, the hunter got up, had his breakfast, then set off hunting. But as he slipped quietly through the forest he saw a golden light. He followed it into a clearing and looked up. There in the trees were a hundred birds with golden beaks. Each one of the birds pushed back their wings, stuck out their beaks and sang, “Na- na, na-na-na.” The hunter sighed. “You are the Freedom Bird and that is your song.” And from that day on, in that place, the hunter and the Freedom Bird have lived happily side by side.  
Workshop layout:
Use the story map and put a sentence to each picture. Read the story out (Katie)
Split participants into two groups and then on paper do mind maps of appearance/characteristics. One group do the freedom bird and one group do the hunter (Alesha and Lauren)
Then replace the words to frerre jaques – each group do a verse each – one verse for the freedom bird and one verse for the hunter, sing it in the round. (Josie and Josephine)
Then freeze frames. Could demonstrate what one is. Tell them about levels, make it interesting, show freeze-frames to rest of the group. (Carly and Daisy) 

Then, continue working the campus scenario we wrote the opening song for and work on a structure for a short piece, starting with the song we already have (we got given worksheets to help us with this). We have worked with devising from a story and from scratch (folded paper). Please also discuss starting with a visual stimulus (a picture/a photo) and with music and plan for a few activities to show on Thursday. Also look at the Living Postcards activity from artis education last week. If there is time left, listen to Caroline's singing workshop (audio link in the module room) and listen to the remainder in your private study time. Also, do some internet and library research re arts teaching in KS2.

Starting acitivity - the map we made  . . . Making it and writing details
Second activity - fire in the engine makes the wheels go round 
Third activity - sound scape ( music stimulus)
Fourth acitivity - walking round the room and making images of campus places
Fifth acitivty - objects (visual stimulus)