Join us again for our junior prom event on the bowling green at Carisbrooke Castle!  Bring your students along for an opportunity to perform on the green with fantastic visibility for parents, friends and families to come along and watch on the raised areas around the green and bring a picnic.  This year our theme will focus on local stories, myths & legends as part of our Songs of Place project.

There are 6 songs in total to learn as follows for different Key Stages:

Key Stage 1 will need to learn 4 songs as follows -

Cheer for the Biosphere, March of the Rats, The Pied Piper and A Cockerel-headed Man (chorus only)

Key Stage 2 will need to learn 4 songs as follows -

Cheer for the Biosphere, A Cockerel-headed Man, Isabella di Fortibus and You Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet

Songs

Cheer for the Biosphere by Jo Downs KS1 & KS2

This is a ‘list’ song similar to the 12 Days of Christmas and we will learn actions for each item on the list to help us remember them as we go. This is a list of all the unique flora and fauna that are found only in the Island’s incredible Unesco biosphere regions.

The Pied Piper of Newtown by Pam Wedgwood KS1

This is a set of two songs telling the story of the Pied Piper of Newtown. There are some narrations that go with this which will be assigned in workshops alongside some optional recorder parts for schools that might want to try them out! Versions of the songs with vocals will be added to this page shortly.

March of the Rats

The Arrival of the pied piper

A Cockerel-headed Man by Jo Downs KS1 & KS2

This original song has been written about one of the famous pictures that make up the mosaic floor at Brading Roman Villa - Gallus the Cockerel-headed Man! This song has been written in the style of Victorian Music Hall as a nod to the time that the Villa was discovered.

You Ain’t Seen Nothin’ Yet by David Redston KS2

This upbeat musical theatre style opening song is a general song preparing the audience for all the stories they will hear during the event! Schools will be assigned verses and parts and everyone will sing the choruses together.

Isabella Di Fortibus by Jo Downs KS2

This is a Hamilton style rap written about Carisbrooke Castle’s most famous resident - Isabella Di Fortibus! Verses will be assigned to different schools to learn and everyone will perform the chorus.

The Biosphere Big Sing Songbook includes the following songs:

Suggested songs for Key Stage 1:

Cheer for the Biosphere (Jo Downs)

Blue Whale Blues (Portsmouth Music Hub)

Plastic Pollution (Portsmouth Music Hub)

Recycling Rumba (Portsmouth Music Hub)

Suggested songs for Key Stage 2 and 3:

Protect Our Island (2 part harmony options) (Jo Downs)

Nurdles (Portsmouth Music Hub)

Put it in the Bin (Portsmouth Music Hub)

Tidy Up The Beach (Portsmouth Music Hub)

One World (2 part harmony options) (Portsmouth Music Hub)

Endangered Species (2 part harmony options) (Jo Downs)

Isle of Wight National Landscapes

IOW music collaborated with the IOW AONB team (now IW National Lapdscapes) who were successful in bidding for the IOW Unesco Biosphere Reserve status. For this project they helped us to create a list of 10 things you can do to help your Biosphere which appears in the song “Protect Our Island”. These 10 things were extrapolated from the 17 UN Sustainability Development Goals

MARDI GRAS SONGWRITING PROJECT, SUMMER TERM 2024, MARDI GRAS VOCAL WORKSHOP, SUMMER TERM IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE NEW CARNIVAL COMPANY

We are continuing our collaboration with The New Carnival Company to create and write with young people a new anthem to perform at Mardi Gras linked to their theme for this year. 

Schools signed up will receive a free creative workshop from the hub in the summer term to learn the chorus and create their own musical theme to sing, stomp, chant or play before the parade heads off on the day in July 2024!

You can hear the chorus for the new theme here and have a look at the music below.