I'm John Gleadall - teaching for 40 years and finding that bespoke material that matches and challenges the ability profile of the children is a good way forward. 20 years in 'socially challenged' schools, 10 years in a more leafy area and 10 years in junior school - it's a good mix and has resulted in a wide variety of musical material for children.
I'm John Gleadall - teaching for 40 years and finding that bespoke material that matches and challenges the ability profile of the children is a good way forward. 20 years in 'socially challenged' schools, 10 years in a more leafy area and 10 years in junior school - it's a good mix and has resulted in a wide variety of musical material for children.
A light hearted tongue twisting Inn Keepers song telling Mary and Joseph that they are booked solid - it’s Christmas for goodness sake! Alternative piano parts and vocal score now included in 4/4 and 6/8 time - it swings a lot! Piano part is quite complex - I can compose for piano but scoring is a whole different skill! Get in touch if you need more.
Full demo here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1aY9FtXgQR0
Contact me at musicals4kidz@icloud.com
John Gleadall
YOU DIDN’T BOOK IT IN ADVANCE
AND NOW YOU HAVEN’T GOT A CHANCE
AND WE’VE GOT NO ROOM TODAY
YOU WOULD HAVE BEEN MUCH WISER
IF YOU LOOKED ON TRIP ADVISER
’COS WE’VE GOT NO ROOM TODAY
YOUR CHANCES ARE QUITE SLIM
’COS WE’RE FULL UP TO THE BRIM
SO YOU’D BETTER KEEP ON LOOKING
’COS WE’VE TAKEN EVERY BOOKING
YOU’VE REALLY GOT A MISSION
TAKE A LOOK AT HER CONDITION
AND WE’VE GOT NO ROOM TODAY!
YOU MUST BE OFF YOUR ROCKER
’COS WE’RE ABSOLUTELY CHOCKER
AND WE’VE GOT NO ROOM TODAY
YOU MIGHT THINK THAT IT’S SENSELESS
IT’S BECAUSE OF CAESAR’S CENSUS
BUT WE’VE GOT NO ROOM TODAY
YOU REALLY SHOULD BE GOING
CAUSE WE’RE FULL TO OVERFLOWING
NOW WE’RE ABSOLUTELY CRAMMED
EVERY ROOM IS SIMPLY JAMMED
AND YOU REALLY OUGHT TO KNOW
THAT WE’VE BEEN SLEEPING HEAD TO TOE
AND WE’VE GOT NO ROOM TODAY!
ARE YOU REALLY OFF YOUR HEAD,
WE’RE PUTTING SEVEN IN A BED
AND WE’VE GOT NO ROOM TODAY
NOW YOU’LL HAVE TO STAY OUTSIDE
BECAUSE WE’RE FULLY OCCUPIED
AND WE’VE GOT NO ROOM TODAY
YOU REALLY SHOULD REMEMBER
THIS IS BETHL’HEM IN DECEMBER
JUST CROSS US OF THE LIST COS
IT’S THIS BUSY EVERY CHRISTMAS
IF YOU REALLY WANT THE TRUTH
WE’RE EVEN SLEEPING ON THE ROOF
AND WE’VE GOT NO ROOM TODAY –
I REALLY MEAN IT
GOT NO ROOM TODAY!
A new song from ‘The Nativity Play’ (available on TES resources) which highlights the relationship between Joseph and Mary. This can be done as a boy girl duet or as a boy girl duet with all singing the chorus , or simply have all boys singing Joseph and all girls singing Mary.
Vocal demo at :https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QH7X02zhmUI&t=5s
A gentle piano accompaniment to heartfelt lyrics - see below:
Joseph (boys)
When you were lonely
I stood by your side
When you were frightened
I helped you decide
I watched you suffer
I hurt when you cried
I knew the truth
So I made you my bride ( And)
All
the baby’s a miracle
A sweet mystery
And we will help him show the way
Yes the baby’s a miracle
A new History
Begins from this moment today
Mary (girls)
Why I was chosen
I can’t say I know
Why you stayed with me
When I thought you’d go
We’re on this journey
My Heart is aglow
To know you are with me
Just to know we can show (that)…
kidzmusicals@icloud.com
Featuring ‘The Button Box’ family. From the same author and composer of ‘The Button Box’ this is Complete Nativity Play with songs suitable for year 2 up to year 5. The parts range from VERY easy parts to more challenging parts, catering for the full ability range. The show comes complete with script, backing tracks and demo tracks. If you want to hack it about to suit your children, please do - the children are more important than the script.
Go to the You Tube link for a vocal demo of all the songs:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U_8CBVWJf74
If you would like any key changes or extra bits - just get in touch, everything is possible. If you would like a school visit please ask .
Lots of speaking parts (literally dozens) so you can do this with a whole phase or a whole year group.
The ‘Stable Song’ can also be accompanied by ukulele.
Exciting eastern style dancing plus a variety of choral singing - written by a teacher to suit the demands of busy teachers.
Six brand new songs with an optional Megamix at the end. Please feedback your views - I’m thinking of putting a completely new finale song in instead of the megamix - would this be too much to learn? I don’t think so…
The price includes performance royalties - and you can make a DVD or CD if you want to - just let me know please.
John Gleadall kidzmusicals@icloud.com
Year three asked for a song about poetry for their class assembly.
We discovered that there is a worldwide dearth of poetry numbers so we made one up using the poetic
"vocab - u - lary " (listen to the demo) they are learning about.
You could do what we did and make up your own lyrics?
If anybody really needs a score then let me know and I'll make one.
kidsmusicals@icloud.com
musicals4kidz
I asked the children to write their Christmas list - the stuff they really wanted this Christmas.
I then asked them to pretend that they were one of the migrants displaced by war in the middle East - or they were a child in Paris (November 2015) and their Mum or big brother, or any close family member was involved in the terrorist attack.
I then asked them to write another Christmas list. Suddenly the iPads and other consumer products were missing from the list.
Here's what we came up with:
Christmas is a window on a world of love and peace
An annual reminder we want war and hate to cease
We’d like to have a future of happiness and love
We’d like to show the world the meaning of
Christmas
Christmas
Christmas
Christmas
Open up the window and we’re sure that you will see
The world is full of children who are just like you and me
We only want a future and we can show the way
We want the Christmas feeling everyday
Christmas - A time of love and peace
Christmas - A time for war to cease
Christmas - Why can’t we live this way
Christmas - Live Christmas everyday
Just look through the window and we’re sure you will agree
The greatest gift at Christmas is a loving family
So families come together, unite in every land
And we will make the people understand
Christmas - A time of love and peace
Christmas - A time for war to cease
Christmas - Why can’t we live this way
Christmas - Live Christmas everyday
A dialogue in song between the Innkeeper and Mary and Joseph. There is a very simple one finger ukulele part (chord windows shown on the score). If anyone requests it I'll post a video on You Tube showing how to play it.
The main feature is the grumpy Innkeeper who counterpoints the gentle melody with sharp ripostes - until the end of the song - but you know how it ends......
Ask for more information if required.
This song is from 'Nanny's Nativity'
John Gleadall kidzmusicals@icloud.com
Here is the whole of ‘The Walrus and The Carpenter’ set to a bluesy jazzy piano style. This would make a great dance/drama/vocal centrepiece to any performing arts evening. It’s 8 minutes long so you could involve whole teams of performers.
I’ve set 17 Lewis Carroll poems to music - watch out for others as I post them. If you need anything in particular, let me know - I think I’ve done all the poems in Alice and Through The Looking Glass.
A new really good fun song for the Harvest festival written in a Gospel style. This song has proved very popular so I’ve added parts for different year groups. There are now parts for each year group. Check out the audio demo and backing track. If you like this song please comment.
Also please check out ‘Harvest Hoe Down’ which is in a country style complete with line dance! kidzmusicals@icloud.com
plus! REGGAE REGGAE HARVEST! See the You Tube link to this new song.
This song is by John Gleadall and is from ‘Nanny’s Nativity’ (also available on TES resources) but it works just as well as a stand alone song - as it incorporates ‘Twinkle Twinkle’ you can get the very youngest children to join in. Get in touch if you would like instrumental parts : kidzmusicals@icloud.com
A really catchy new Christmas song from John Gleadall, with an infectious tune and beat - you’ll be sick of it by the end of term! Easy to learn and sticks in the brain. Just listen through to the demo and imagine the actions. This song is from ‘Nanny’s Nativity’ - also available on TES resources. If you would like the score or backing track just get in touch - I can provide scores for any instruments you have available: kidzmusicals@icloud.com
A wonderful new Christmas song by John Gleadall. A reworking of ‘Away in a Manger’ in a Gospel style with a great contrapuntal chorus with three melodies coming together to finish the song. This is a challenge - but totally worthwhile, the end result is superb! There is a short musical interlude in the middle, ready for an appropriate reading as a voice over. I’ve done this from year 3 to full church choirs. This is from ‘The Nativity Play’ - also available on TES resources.: kidzmusicals@icloud.com
A simple band arrangement which makes “Twinkle Twinkle” swing. Each section of the band is featured. Check out the demo track - there is also an accompaniment track for those with no bass and drums. If you need more parts or a midi file to drop into Sib. just get in touch kidzmusicals@icloud.com
It's that time of year and here's an easy arrangement for a bizarre collection of instruments.(The ones available in my junior school!) It's in C - dead easy in the verse and something more challenging for the more advanced children in the middle eight. If you need any other instruments JUST GET IN TOUCH. There's a demo track and a backing track of just bass and drums.
It would be lovely to get some feedback if you download this arrangement.
kidzmusicals@icloud.com
I couldn't find a vocal score for this so I transcribed it from the movie. The kids just LOVE this - pretty tricky but a great concert piece. Get in touch if you want individual parts or MIDI file.
It’s that time of year again - cauliflowers are still fluffy but sometimes it’s nice to ring the changes. Here’s a different song written in four parts. Each year group sings their own verse and then they all sing the verses together - it’s a challenge but it works! Kidzmusicals@me.com
A musical version of the classic Oscar Wilde story .
A junior school class go on a residential visit to a castle - a haunted castle…… Luckily they are able to sort the ghost’s problems whist learning about his various descendants through a series of 12 really good songs/dances written by the composer of ‘The Button Box’. just get in touch at: kidzmusicals@icloud.com.
More resources on my website: https://musicals4all.com/m4k/
Here’s the old spiritual ‘Dem Bones Dem Dry Bones’. Lyrics and backing track provided - provide your own apostrophes though! Handy song if you’re ‘doing’ the skeleton.
kidzmusicals@icloud.com
Choral arrangement of I'll Think Of You - the children just LOVE this! Check out the video link - there are also tutorial videos on how to do the Epic Patty Cake Clapping,
It would be nice to get some feedback if you download this arrangement.
Here’s a song written for junior schools to sing after a long holiday or any enforced break.
The resources include the lyrics, vocal demo track, vocal score with chords and backing track. If you want anything else such as a different key or parts for instruments just let me know - unusually I have time on my hands!
Written in a jazz gospel style with parts for all year groups and lots of opportunities for clapping waving, smiling high fives (real or distanced!) - even the teachers get a mention.
If you want to celebrate getting back to school, whether it’s after a holiday or a global pandemic - here’s your song!
Totally free - but if you want to support me in writing more material please check out my other stuff!
Get the kids singing at home!
There are two You Tube videos - one with a demo vocal and a 1940’s ‘karaoke’ version.
Just make an Anderson shelter with a couple of chairs and a duvet and have an air raid sing song whilst your Woolton pie bakes in the oven.
Ideal if you are tackling WW2 in your curriculum - also good if you want to get the youngsters sing at home - preferably with the whole family!
Get in touch if you need more stuff - I have a whole career’s worth in the cupboard doing nothing!