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Singing

See below for songs that we are learning in singing assemblies and in class. You can practise at home and share the songs with your families.

SPRING 2023
This term we are celebrating being ourselves -  just as we are - while being aware of and respectful of others. We are actively ANTI-bullying and ANTI-racist and want to celebrate diversity and difference. 

Ain't Gonna Let Nobody
This civil rights song appears in protest marches to this day, having appeared at anti-racism marches in 60s America. In assembly we are singing a hip hop version with beatboxing and two harmony parts. We also created our own versions of the lyrics by changing one or two words each time. What will you refuse to be held back by?

Good to be Me!
This song celebrates what it is to be ourselves. Can you learn the sign language and make it more accessible for others too?

SPRING 2020
Alas we are once more confined to our homes. But that's no reason to stop singing. Here's a link to Sing Up at HomeThis is an excellent resource, with loads of songs from different genres, perfectly suited for different age groups across the primary school. I recommend listening to the playlists, including a great one to get you moving and dancing. Once you've listened and chosen your favourite songs, you can click on 'lyrics' and learn the words. 

AUTUMN 2020 - Music Assemblies
This term we are remaining in class 'bubbles' for music assembly, rather than meeting in a big group in the hall. In each of these videos, you can sing along to a favourite song with Osnat and Michelle, and learn about different musical genres. To continue learning about different genres, make sure you check out the genre of the week page! Feel free to share these with your friends! 

Autumn 2 - Whole School Christmas Singing

Week 6 - Gospel

Week 5 - Jazz

Week 4 - Country Music


Week 3 - Blues Music

Week 2 - Folk Music

Week 1 - Welcome Back

SUMMER 2020
Osnat's singing assemblies with Melody Max and Singing Sam
Happy Birthday to Lionel Ritchie - time for some dancing!
Judy Garland and Jackie Wilson
Practise singing an octave jump and letting your voice rise higher and higher in pitch.
Curtis Mayfield and Prince


Hope
There are many songs about hope. In assembly this morning we listened to Hope by Natasha Bedingfield. The children chose their favourite lines and we discussed that:

  • A little hope goes a longs way
  • Light is often used as a symbol of hope
  • Hope helps us not to give up
We learnt to sing the new song for Voices Around The World - a project that the choir took part in last year. We are hoping to share recordings of us singing With This Hope in My Heart for the current project, so get practising with the track and lyrics below! Can your singing be 'lion strong'? Remember, hope lets you believe in change, but the change starts with YOU! Hope also helps us to be resiliant and patient... things we have been learning about recently. 
With This Hope in My Heart
With this hope in my heart
I will sail through the storm
Standing tall through my life
Help each other be strong
With this hope in my heart
I’ll be sharing your tears
Stand with you through the rain
Lion strong! Lion strong!

With this hope in my heart
I’ll be true to myself
And this change in my life
Will flow out to the world
With this hope in my heart
I believe things can change
And the change starts with me 
Lion strong! Lion strong!

Keep On The Sunny Side
This is a folk song that was made famous by the Carter Family. It's a song of hope and it's close neighbour, optimism. You can sing along with the tracks below. Do you prefer the fast version by the Carter Family, or the slower arrangement by The Whites? What or who helps you to keep on the sunny side of life?

Resilience
Our word of the week reminded Mrs Woolfenden of how brilliantly Y5 sang Shakira's Waka Waka at the Round Chapel singing festival in 2018. The message of 'pick yourself up, dust yourself off and back in the saddle' is exactly what resilience means. Musicians have to be resilient - practising and improving when it doesn't sound right the first time! Make sure you get dancing and singing (it also helps your mental health and resilience).

Waka Waka
 

Pick Yourself Up
We also had a listen to this song, with a similar message, as sung by the wonderful Nat King Cole. Which sentences about resilience can you get from this song? The second video is just a treat - some wonderful tap dancing to the same piece of music. I wonder how resilient you'd have to be to get THAT good at tap dancing! 

VE Day
It's Victory in Europe day this Friday, and this song made famous by Dame Vera Lynn seems especially apt at the moment. Unprecedented is our word of the week, meaning something never before known or experienced, without parallel. This was true of the Second World War and the unity in Europe that followed, and it's true of the current pandemic. We can't wait to meet again with all of our friends and family.

We'll Meet Again
We'll meet again
Don't know where
Don't know when
But I know we'll meet again some sunny day

Keep smiling through
Just like you always do
'Till the blue skies drive the dark clouds far away

So will you please say hello
To the folks that I know
Tell them I won't be long
They'll be happy to know
That as you saw me go
I was singing this song

We'll meet again
Don't know where
Don't know when
But I know we'll meet again some sunny day


Patience and Gardening!
With patience as our word of the week and the nation waiting for some normality to return to life, plus the amazing planting going on at Queensbridge, this sweet song by Pete Seeger and Arlo Guthrie seemed apt to start the week...

Garden Song
Inch by inch, row by row
Gonna make this garden grow
All it takes is a rake and a hoe
And a piece of fertile ground
Inch by inch, row by row
Someone bless these seeds I sow
Someone warm them from below
Till the rain comes tumbling down

Pulling weeds and picking stones
Man is made of dreams and bones
Feel the need to grow my own
Cause the time is close at hand
Grain for grain, sun and rain
Find my way in nature's chain
Tune my body and my brain
To the music from the land

Plant your rows straight and long
Temper them with prayer and song
Mother Earth will make you strong
If you give her love and care
Old crow watching hungrily
From his perch in yonder tree
In my garden I'm as free
As that feathered thief up there

CHORUS

Wiggle Jiggle
We enjoyed this funky warm up to start the day!

Earth Day
What Kind of World Are We Trying to Make
Enjoy singing along with the Queensbridge Junior Choir and children all over the world in this song to make you think about the environment on Earth Day!
Verse 1
I look around the world
It seems we’re in a race
Why does it have to be
Such a complicated place
I listen to the news
You know it makes me sad
Those crazy politicians
Driving people mad
They take away the trees
They take away the land
Destroying all the forests
It’s hard to understand
They’re drilling for more oil
Every single day
We turn it into plastic
And throw it all away
What kind of world are we trying to make?
What kind of World are we trying to make?

Chorus
Is this the way we want everything to be
Is this the future that we really, really want to see
Or can we learn to dance a different kind of dance today

Give ourselves a chance …Find ourselves a better way

Verse 2
All these smoky chimneys
They’re messing up the air
The climate keeps on changing
Does anybody care
The beauty of our planet
It’s just a distant dream
They’re poisoning the rivers
They’re poisoning the streams
The Piper plays his tune
And we all dance along
There is no real rhythm
There is no real song
We need some different music
And learn to dance again
We’re lost out in the wilderness
Sleep walking ‘til the end
What kind of world are we trying to make?
What kind of World are we trying to make?

Chorus

Outro
We’re gonna find a better way to …day (x3)
We’re gonna find a better way!

Autism Awareness Week
It's Good to be Me
We are all special in our own way. This week we are celebrating everyone's personal characteristics and achievements and learning about famous people with ASD. Everyone in our school can enjoy this catchy song. Can you copy the Makaton signs as you sing along?
1, 2, 3, Good to be me, 1, 2, 3! (x2)
1, 2, 3, it's good to be me and I want the world to know it's good to be me. (x2)
I'm a special person
And there's only one of me
And no one else is prouder of 
The person that is me
(repeat)

The Amazing Song
Here's a great song suggestion from Miss Begum to celebrate everyone's amazingness. The second link is a shorter version with karaoke lyrics. Enjoy!

SOS From the Kids
We are preparing this song to raise awareness of climate change and to sing at the Queensbridge Climate Emergency launch day on 6th March. You can practise the lyrics and sing along here:
This is an SOS from the kids
All the grown ups take note of this
We’re finding our voice, calling you out
You can’t leave the world in fire and drought
This is an SOS from the kids

Please change the story
Re-write the plot
This beautiful earth
Can not be lost
Stop hurting our planet
Like you don’t care
There’s only one world
For us to share

This is an SOS from the kids
All the grown ups take note of this
Wake up and see that you must make a change
The riches you seek will all be washed away
This is an SOS from the kids

Chorus

Don’t listen to the fat cats, they only want their cream
Always needing oil for feeding their machines
We must care about the animals; care about the trees
I'll need help from you, you'll get help from me!

Chorus

This is an SOS from the kids

You can do better than this

Mama Don't Allow
Skiffle-tastic! This morning we learnt a bit about Skiffle music, and we enjoyed singing and playing along to the skiffle classic. Some children even had a go at playing the washboard, a 'tea-chest' bass (made from a broom, a cardboard box and some string) and the metal dustbin from the staff room! Can you make any instruments at home and play some skiffle with your family?


Fatou Yo
We started learning this song from Senegal (West Africa) this morning. It's apparently about a girl called Fatou inviting friends to dance. Enjoy singing along!

Get Up, Stand Up
We have started thinking more carefully about how songs sound different and are categorised into different genres. This morning (15th Jan), we listened and sang along with this Reggae classic from Jamaica by Bob Marley. Make sure you get up and stand up on each chorus, if you aren't already dancing!

Thank Your Lucky Stars
This song reminds us to be grateful for everything we have. And as a pupil in Y1 said "This is a caring song. It's about looking after each other." Enjoy. 

Diwali - Festival of Lights
We have been learning a song to teach us about the Hindu festival of Diwali, which takes place in Autumn. You may have heard a few fireworks recently as Hindu's have been celebrating all over London. 
Diwali is a celebration
A festival of light
It happens when there’s a new moon
On a dark autumnal night

And everyone makes a diwa
A lamp to shine so bright
Diwali is a Hindu festival
Of music, dance and lots of light.

Light shall win over darkness
Light shall win over darkness
Celebrate new beginnings
Light a diwa for Diwali,
Diwali
Festival of lights (no more darkness)

Diwali,
Diwali
Festival of lights (celebrate new beginnings)

Diwali is a time for family
And stories about light
Bright colours on brand new saris
And fireworks sparkling bright

The goddess of wealth is Lakshmi
She seeks the brightest light
If you can shine extra brightly
She might just visit you tonight

Chorus

Sensational Singing Leaders
The singing is improving all of the time in singing assembly. Now we are ready to start leading some songs! 

September 2019
Time for some Autumn and Harvest Songs. We enjoyed singing In The Autumn with the video of Queensbridge singing it last year! (scroll down).
We've also been learning The Applepicker's Reel - an American folk song.
Here are 2 versions to sing along with. Is anyone celebrating Apple Day?

Hey, ho, makes you feel so fine
Looking out across the orchard in the bright sunshine.
Hey, ho, it makes you feel so free
Standing in the top of an apple tree.

It’s up in the morning before the sun
I don't get home until the day is done;
My pick-sack's heavy and my shoulder's sore
But I'll be back tomorrow to pick some more.

Start at the bottom and you pick 'em from the ground
And you pick the tree clean all the way around;
Then you set up your ladder and you climb up high
And you're staring through the leaves at the clear blue sky.

There’s a three-legged ladder, wobbly as hell
Climbing to the top---whoops!---I almost fell.
Got a twenty-pound sack hanging from my neck
And there's three more apples that I can't quite get.

Hey, ho, it makes you feel so down
Picking up windfalls, crawling on the ground.
Hey, ho, it makes you feel so free
Standing in the top of an apple tree.

Hey, ho, you lose your mind
If you sing this song about a hundred times;
Hey, ho, it makes you feel so free
Standing in the top of an apple tree.

Tall Trees, warm fire, strong winds, deep water... We've been learning this Native American song and taking turns to lead it. Sing along with this very calming version:

In this version they sing the words in a different order. Does it matter? Do you like the Heya chorus part?

We've also been trying to sing some Japanese, with this lovely song about playing under the Chestnut tree:

Number Crunchers are on the loose! Do you know your odds and evens? Here we are practising them in assembly:

I'm a number cruncher and my name is Bod
I like numbers when they're odd
All odd numbers taste just fine and they end in 1, 3, 5, 7, 9!

I'm a number cruncher and my name is Steven
I like numbers when they're even
All even numbers taste just great and they end in naught, 2, 4, 6, 8!

June 2019

We've been having so much fun in Y2-3 singing assembly, especially with some of the songs that Y2 will be singing at the Round Chapel later this month. Sing along here, or watch the vids for some inspiration. 

I Wish I knew


I wish I knew how It would feel to be free I wish I could break All the chains holding me I wish I could say All the things that I should to say Say 'em loud say 'em clear For the whole round world to hear I wish I could share All the love that's in my heart Remove all the bars That keep us apart I wish you could know What it means to be me Then you'd see and agree Everyone should be free I wish I could give All I'm longin' to give I wish I could live Like I'm longin' to live I wish I could do All the things that I can do Though I'm way overdue I'd be starting anew.

London Medley
Composed by Hubert Gregg, Noel Coward & Lord Kitchener


Maybe It’s Because I’m a Londoner: Maybe it's because I'm a Londoner That I love London so Maybe it's because I'm a Londoner That I think of her wherever I go I get a funny feeling inside of me Just walking up and down Maybe it's because I'm a Londoner That I love London town (x2) London Pride: London Pride has been handed down to us London Pride is a flower that's free London Pride means our own dear town to us And our pride it forever will be (x2) London Is The Place For Me: London is the place for me London – this lovely city You can go to Spain or America India, Asia or Australia But you must come back to London city INSTRUMENTAL We have to get ourselves ready quick Soon we will celebrate the Olympics We will smile and welcome everyone ‘Cos we intend to have plenty fun London is the place for me London is the place for me London – this lovely city You can go to Spain or America India, Asia or Australia But you must come back to London city London is the place for me …............. London, London x 6 (Divide)

February 2019
Queensbridge Y2 and 3 sounded AMAZING this morning. We had a good time singing this sea shanty to get us into the holiday mood. John Kanakanaka too-rai-ay!

We have also been revisiting some of the songs that Y3 learnt for the Hackney Music Festival last summer, such as the wonderful Tingalayo:

January 2019

It's been so lovely to get back to singing together this term. We've started with a Van Morrison song, performed by many different performers such as Boney M, Art Garfunkel and Miriam Makeba. Enjoy!

I Shall Sing
  
I shall sing, sing my song, be it right, be it wrong.
In the night, in the day, any-how, any-way I shall sing:

La la la la la la la la        la la la la la la la
La la la la la la la la        la la la la la la la la la la la

With my heart, with my soul. 
For the young, for the old.
When I’m high, when I’m low,
When I’m first, when I’m slow I shall sing:

La la la la la la la la        la la la la la la la
La la la la la la la la        la la la la la la la la la la la

November 2018

Wake Up, Shake Up! We've been loving this song to wake us all up for singing assembly...


Wake up, wake up, give yourselves a shake up.
Get your body moving.
Reach up, jump up, give your friends a thumbs up...
It's another new day!

Get your feet dancing to the beat.
Keep your body moving.
Raise a shout (HEY!), let your feelings out...
It's another new day!

October 2018
October - the perfect time for some Halloween tunes!

Dem Bones


September 2018

In The Autumn


Lyrics:
In the autumn, leaves start a-falling,
It's not long 'til winter's a-calling,
Make the most of each sunny day
And hope those rain-clouds stay away! 


Let's Go Fly A Kite: (Don't forget to watch the whole film!)

Lyrics:
With tuppence for paper and strings
You can have your own set of wings
With your feet on the ground
You're a bird in a flight
With your fist holding tight
To the string of your kite
Oh, oh, oh!
Let's go fly a kite
Up to the highest height!
Let's go fly a kite and send it soaring
Up through the atmosphere
Up where the air is clear
Oh, let's go fly a kite!
When you send it flyin' up there
All at once you're lighter than air
You can dance on the breeze
Over 'ouses and trees
With your first 'olding tight 
To the string of your kite
Repeat chorus

We Are Going to be Friends:

Wonderful World, Beautiful People

Lyrics:
Eh-yeah, wonderful world, beautiful people 
You and your friends, things could be pretty 
But underneath this there is a secret 
That nobody can reveal
Take a look at the world 
And the state that it's in today 
I am sure you'll agree 
We all could make it a better way 
With our love put together 
Everybody learn to love each other 
Instead of fussing and fighting 
Cheating, backbiting 
Scandalizing and hating
Baby, we could have a wonderful world, beautiful people 
You and your friends things could be pretty 
But underneath this there is a secret 
That nobody can reveal, yeah now
Man and woman, girl and boy 
Let us try to give a helping hand 
This I know and I'm sure 
That with love we all could understand 
This is our world, can't you see 
Everybody wants to live and be free 
Instead of fussing and fighting 
Cheating, backbiting 
Scandalizing and hating, yeah
We could have a wonderful world, beautiful people 
You and your friends things could be pretty 
But underneath this there is a secret 
That nobody can reveal, mmh yeah, yeah

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