Inspiring, participatory, life-affirming, heart-warming songs for children.
Videos. Lyrics. Chords. Notation.
Created with love by Dr Liam Maloy, singer & songwriter of Johnny & the Raindrops.
Author of book on music for children 'Spinning the Child: Musical Constructions of Childhood through Records, Radio and Television' .
International award-nominated songs used in schools in USA, UK & around the world.
RSC Associate Artist (Music) - Shakespeare-through-music specialist.
Inspiring, participatory, life-affirming, heart-warming songs for children.
Videos. Lyrics. Chords. Notation.
Created with love by Dr Liam Maloy, singer & songwriter of Johnny & the Raindrops.
Author of book on music for children 'Spinning the Child: Musical Constructions of Childhood through Records, Radio and Television' .
International award-nominated songs used in schools in USA, UK & around the world.
RSC Associate Artist (Music) - Shakespeare-through-music specialist.
‘Home Again (Refugee Song)’ was written in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and to the news reports about millions of people escaping to other countries.
The song is sung by a mother to her child.
In just a few words, ‘Home Again’ asks the question – how can you return home when your home either does not exist anymore or is just a temporary stay in a new country?
The music is soothing. The gently pulsing rhythm is calming and meditative.
My hope is that you will find this song a useful way to raise the topic of population displacement with children. If you work with refugee children, I hope it will help them understand that, whatever they might have been through, there is always a possibility to build a new home in a new place.
The song has three main chords and can easily be transcribed to suit your children’s voices.
Catchy, upbeat, danceable, singable song for children to learn about shrinking bee populations, the danger of pesticides to bees, and the impact that losing bees will have on humans.
Lyric sheet included.
A rock’n’soul, riff-tastic, body-movin’, mind-expandin’ song that draws on one of Ken Robinson’s big themes - IMAGINATION!
Warning: This song contains useful information designed to fire the imagination of children.
As the great Ken Robinson told us, imagination is the key to creativity which is the key to creating new ways of living and of being.
This song gets kids to think big about who they might want to be and how they might want to live. Powerful stuff!
And, guess what?
The song is full of imaginative images that were sent to me by the fans of my band, Johnny and the Raindrops. I just linked them all together with some cool music.
There is also an eye-popping video that shows you (and the children) all of the things that were imagined. Search ‘Imagination’ on the Johnny and the Raindrops’ YouTube channel.
Enjoy!
The plot of Shakespeare’s ‘The Tempest’ in one song!
A great way to teach you and your class the basics of the play.
Introduces the main characters!
Covers the main parts of the plot.
Easy to sing for primary and secondary children at Key Stages 2 and 3.
Words and music by me, Liam Maloy, with a few words and phrases from the original text.
This song, and the others I have written for this play, have been used in school productions of ‘The Tempest’ in the East Midlands over the past 4 years.
The words are embedded in the video.
Here they are:
Please let me introduce myself. My name is Prospero.
So sit up in your seat and pay attention.
Open your ears. The hour’s now come to tell you of my woe.
There are many dirty deeds I have to mention.
I’ve been on this stinking island for twelve longs years,
With my lovely teenage daughter Miranda.
But I was once a ‘Prince of power’. It caused me tears.
In fact, I was the Duke of Milan.
So come fire and wind to boil the sea.
I’m whipping up a tempest to set me free.
And from my royal duties I started to rebel.
My personality opposed my position.
I loved reading in my library. I loved books and I learned spells.
And became a very powerful magician.
So my brother did the parties, kissed the babies, met the crowds.
All Milan seemed to love Antonio.
So he called the King of Naples and together they did vow,
That me and Miranda must go.
So come fire and wind to boil the sea.
I’m whipping up a tempest to set me free.
So they stuck us on this ship. A rotten carcass of a butt.
Full of rats but also clothes and books and food.
Then the storm’s mysterious forces seemed to pull us to this spot,
To begin these twelve long years of solitude.
We met a beast called Caliban. I owned him like a slave.
A thing most brutish. I taught him lots of facts.
He cooked and cleaned and fetched the wood. I kept him in a cave.
He was the son of a damned witch called Sycorax.
I also controlled Ariel. A spirit, ghost or sprite.
And he helped me do my magic on a whim.
When by chance my brother and the King came sailing into sight/
Stop this song! Let the tempest begin.
Ooooaaaahhhh!
So come fire and wind to boil the sea.
I’m whipping up a tempest to set me free.
So come fire and wind to boil the sea.
I’m whipping up a tempest to set me free.
So come fire and wind to boil the sea.
I’m whipping up a tempest to set me free.
So come fire and wind to boil the sea.
I’m whipping up a tempest to set me free.
Check out my simple catchy Xmas song ‘LITTLE SPIDERS’, perfect for young children to learn and sing.
It’s all about how spiders helped a widow and her poor family by spinning webs on Xmas night to make tinsel.
This folk tale is popular in the Ukraine, Poland, Germany and other countries in Eastern Europe.
Merry Christmas. Wesołych Świąt. щасливого Різдва. Fröhliche Weihnachten.
‘I Follow my Dreams’ is a simple song full of hope, optimism, resilience and determination.
It’s a perfect song for children to listen to (and hopefully sing, when it’s safe to do so) in the new year
Follow your dreams no matter what life throws at you.
‘I’m never going to let them get away’, sings the narrator of the song.
‘When troubles come along, I’m going to face them day after day’.
The song stresses the need to follow your dreams, not someone else’s:
‘I know what’s good for me’, sings the spirited and assertive protagonist.
So, as the song says, open up your arms and embrace your dreams.
Hold them in your heart where they belong.
Everybody’s body is different. It’s true! Celebrate your difference with this lively, fun song all about the bits of the body. Grab your knees - give them a squeeze! Touch your chin - give me a grin! That’s the idea. This is a great song to get children moving and doing actions.
Raise the energy levels!
Ask the children if that are any parts of the body that do not have a name.
See if they can make their own body rhymes (knees/squeeze. chin/grin, etc).
‘When I’m Older’ is all about hoping, wishing, growing up and having birthdays.
Ultimately, it’s about looking to the future with optimism.
It’s a list song that details what the narrator wants to happen ‘when I’m older’.
It works just as well for the child as it does for the adult.
What do the children in your life want to do when they are older?
It starts sensible: ‘I’m gonna reach up and turn on the light’.
It gets a bit wilder as it goes on: ‘I’m gonna go to work with my robot friends. Take a trip ‘round the Moon again. Climb up Big Ben’.
The music is upbeat, danceable, mid-‘60s Motown.
This rocking and rolling Halloween song will get you singing, dancing and doing the actions! Perfect for schools! Nothing scary here. Just some cool witches ready to turn you into a frog, or a bat or a worm. Watch out! Here are the words so get singing.
I wish I was a witch. I wish I was a witch.
With a big tall hat and a cute black cat.
And a big broomstick. I wish I was a witch.
One swish of my cloak is gonna make you croak.
When I wave my wand you’ll be in my pond.
When I tap on a log you’ll turn into a frog.
I wish I was a witch …
We got spells and potions. We’ve got two-for-one promotions.
We got a cauldron too to make a thick green stew
And when you drink some of that you’ll turn into a bat
We got a bad reputation, but witches are a wonderful creation.
Sisters gotta stick together. If men laugh we say ‘whatever’
I’m gonna make you squirm. Turn you into a worm.
I wish I was a witch. I wish I was a witch. I wish I was a witch.
Simple song to help learn the colours of the rainbow.
The lyric sheet is included as part of the resource.
The song is simple enough for young children to perform.
Get them to make rainbow arches with their arms during the chorus.
Great song to help learn the names of the days of the week.
The song also explains the origins of the names of the days (in English).
One of them is named after THOR!
The last part of the song is a test to see if children can remember the seven days.
They start dropping off and the children have to fill them in by shouting them out.
Lyrics are embedded in the video.
Lyrics sheet is included
Clap your Vampire hands and stomp your Monster feet to ‘Let’s have Fun this Halloween’, my new rockin’ and rollin’, jumpin’ and jivin’ new Halloween song and sing-along video.
Every line is a spooky new dance move!
Fun, interactive song for young children.
The lyrics encourage participation, e.g. howling like a Werewolf, flying like a Witch, crawling like a spider, etc. Feel free to make up your own actions for other spooky characters!
Enjoy this bouncy sing-along song with a wistful twist.
Perfect for New Year Celebrations all around the world, Chinese New Year (1 Feb) for example.
Helps children to think back and remember the things that happened last year.
… and to look forward to the future.
It’s got a very easy sing-along chorus.
Make up your own dance moves!
The words are on the screen.
Time is a notoriously difficult concept for children to grasp.
This simple and fun song will help them to learn about quarter past, half past, quarter to and o'clock.
Words are included on the sheet.
A fun and interactive song that can be played whilst children tidy up the classroom.
With a call and response section and a funky danceable rhythm, this song is well designed for class participation.
A fun and interactive song for practicing counting from 1 to 10 in English, French, Spanish and Hindi/Punjabi. The tune could be used to practice any language (Welsh for instance!).
‘Joey Chrome’s Guide to the Solar System’.
This song is a great way to learn the names of the eight planets (Pluto is a dwarf planet I’ve been told) and get a little information about each one.
This learning journey is guided by your very own friendly little alien, Joey Chrome.
The resources contains an mp3 download, the words and the chords sheet
Catchy Halloween song.
Perfect for children of all ages.
Sing along with the call-and-response choruses!
Do the actions: hop like a frog, flap like a bat, squirm like a worm!
Lyrics included.
This version has backing vocals included.
The full version (with lead vocal) is available as a free mp3 download elsewhere on TES. There is also a version with no backing vocals.
Poignant and melancholic. Uplifting and touching.
‘Bat with a Broken Wing’ is not only a great Halloween song to listen to or to sing with children. It also aims to highlight issues of disability in a sensitive and empowering way. Ultimately, it’s a song about the power of friendship.
Not all damaged little animals get better or win the race of life against all the odds, no matter what most children’s book and films might tell you.
Have a listen to what happens to this broken bat and friends.
It’s the ‘Fairytale of New York’ of Halloween!
This pack contains an mp3 of the song, an mp3 of the instrumental version of the song, a lyrics sheet and a link to the video on YouTube.