VOCAL UNION RESOURCES
This website was initially created to provide resources for the Vocal Union project. All materials on the site are freely available to people working in community music and education.
The site is currently hosted by BlueJam Arts.
New compositions and arrangements A-J
Most songs on this page are original compositions or arrangements of non-copyright material by Vocal Force and Vocal Union leaders. There are also pieces by associated composers and workshop leaders, and pieces written collaboratively with schools, workshops and music projects. All songs are free to use in an educational and community context. Feedback about strengths and weaknesses, performance ideas and new arrangements is vital, as we want this resource to be a living body of music.
Vocal Union strongly encourages the creation and performance of original music and is looking into ways to support and acknowledge this.
If you have any songs you would like to share please contact Jilly at:
jillyjarman@gmail.com
Ain't gonna let nobody - traditional arranged by Sharon Durant
Original arrangement of this North American protest song - tune, 3 backing harmonies and optional bassline- very popular.
Easy to teach tune and incorporate backing as appropriate. Acapella or easy chord accompaniment.
mp3 | score | lyrics
Ain't gonna let nobody - new arrangement by Sharon Durant
A hip-hop version with backing track
demo mp3 with backing track | score
All around the world - Jilly Jarman, Kate Stilitz
Lively pop song with piano accompaniment. No harmonies. Two versions of lyrics, one about rivers around the world, the other, suitable for KEY STAGE 1 as well, is about animals and birds around the world. Good with actions.
mp3 | score
An Adventure - Jilly Jarman, written for Stainton School, Penrith, Cumbria
Pop - easy harmonies and easy piano accompaniment. Short song in sections, about life at school.
score
The First Antarctic Party - Belinda Wright
A song about creatures in the Antarctic written for Caedmon. A versatile piece with plenty of scope for discussion, adding new creatures, changing it etc.
mp3 | score
Autumn Leaves are Falling - Karen Lester.
A mellow but gutsy 12-bar blues with optional harmony line. Great fun to learn and easy for young voices to sing.
mp3 | score
A Two Grand Wager - Carol Douglas and Brian Ralston
A fantastic song telling the true story of a wager between a workman and the Director of the Bank of England. Lots of scope for a dramatic performance as part of a play or movement piece.
KEY STAGE 2 & 3
mp3 | lyrics | backing track
Beep! Beep! - Bridget Cousins
A fun song delighting in driving a C3 - different strands weave together in a great way. Especially suitable for adults in warm-up and break-the-ice sessions
mp3 | score
Bell Weather Barking - Cath Sewell, Kirsten Taylor
One of three songs commissioned for the Kendal Brewery's MOTTO project. It uses the words to a Cumbrian folk song and works them into a playful pop song.
mp3 | score
Ball in the Beck - backing track by Dave Camlin, Alison Scott, Bassenthwaite School.
Lively song with percussion and sounds
backing track | words
The Big Ship Sails - Alan Penman and Alan Dunn
This is a great backing track for assembly singing or performance and because it is about the opening of the Manchester Ship Canal and a Victorian Singing Game, it fits well into the curriculum.
mp3backing track
The Blues are Here - Zoe, Megan and Martha, Yr 7 Kirkby Stephen Grammar School
12-bar blues with catchy, easy tune and lyrics. Great warm-up or to create dances to. Harmonies possible.
mp3 | score
Building Song - Dave Camlin, Alison Scott, Bassenthwaite School, Cumbria
Songs written by music teacher, David Gray for his school, Barton Hill Academy.
Great to get new material that is being performed by young people
Bienvenue | score
Hear Me Sing | score
Walking Along | score
I Hate Singing! score | lyrics | chords
Sing a Song | score
Echo Echo | score
Canta - Jilly Jarman and Pilar Marchori
Spanish piece with optional piano/guitar/accordion accompaniment. English and Spanish words. Good with movements, dance steps and counting games.
mp3 | score
Castles in the Sky - Jennifer Ellin
Lovely lyrical verse for head voice, with a catchy, rhythmic chorus which dips below C and can be sung with energy. Composed for BlueJam's performance at Songlines concert, Keswick.
KEY STAGE 2,3
mp3 | score | score (with easy keyboard accompaniment)
Christmas Lights - Skelton Primary School with Headteacher, Gary Newman
Lovely new carol for 2009 sung here with guitar accompaniment. Catchy melody and great words.
mp3 | lyrics | score
Christmas Joy - Jen Ellin with BYM Sing For Fun group, Kendal
A lively Christmas carol.
mp3 | lyrics
Cloth is Our Bread - Kirsten Taylor
Single line melody with vocal percussion - a modern treatment of a folk subject, written for primary schools in the Kendal area.
mp3 | score
Come play my game - Sharon Durant
Upbeat with a great groove. Witty song about playing computer games, going on Bebo etc. Main melody and counter melodies. Worth spending time to learn all the parts - great finale song for a concert.
mp3 | piano backing | score
Dalston Lamp - lovely new folk song by Cumbrian composer Carol Douglas
vocals and fiddle by Carolyn Francis
mp3 | lyrics
Dial up the Sun - Beccy Owen
Driving Song - Elizabeth Corney
An up-beat song with funky piano accompaniment
score
Do anything but throw it away - Sharon Durant & Eleanor Mooney
Medium-swing jazz piece with piano accompaniment
score
Fire! - Ems Featherstone, Alison Scott, Penrith Singing Squad
A great song to sing with energy with three interlocking parts
KEY STAGE 2 & 3
mp3 | score
Fraser The Penguin - by Hannah Reid
A fun, simple song with piano accompaniment
KEY STAGE 1
score
Gathered Together - by Alison Scott and Emily Hallewell
A haunting melody to sing round the campfire, with drums and percussion and descriptive movements
KEY STAGE 2 & 3
score
Give it right - Em Whitfield
Soulful upbeat song with 3 parts and piano/guitar chords
KEY STAGE 2, 3 & 4
score
Give Us Some Time Out - Carol Douglas
Northern songwriter Carol teamed up with Australian Brian Ralston to record this song. Great opportunities for performance here.
KEY STAGE 2 to adult
lyrics | mp3 |backing track
Good Morning Everybody - J Jarman - for Beaconside Schools
Written for Singing Communities 2005.
Greeting song which allows high and low sounds and play acting. Jazzy.
KEY STAGE 1 & 2
score
Halloween Scream - Jen Ellin & Kendal BYM 'Sing For Fun' group
Written for their performance at Kendal Brewery, October 09. Great fun - and works either acapella or with guitar or piano accompaniment.
KEY STAGE 2 & 3
score (in Dminor) | lyrics | mp3 (in Eb minor)
Hallowe'en Round - Dave Camlin, Dave Roberts, Hannah Reid
Has a bit of beatboxing in this arrangement
KEY STAGE 2 & 3
score | mp3
Hello/Bonjour - Bridget Cousins
A lovely French/English greeting song written for children at Bramfield Primary School who are learning to speak French - with circle game.
score | mp3 | actions
Here I Am! - James Ramage
Fun song-game for taking the register or going home time. Easy call and response with simple guitar accompaniment. Written for the Reception and Year One class at Warcop School.
score | mp3
Hummingbird - Jilly Jarman
Lyrical song which includes a round at the beginning and end. Piano accompaniment.
KEY STAGE 2 & 3
score
The Hygiene Gang - Alan Penman & Alan Dunn
Good performance song.
KEY STAGE 2.
mp3 | mp3backing
Hymn to St Bega - Alison Scott, Bassenthwaite School, Cumbria
A lovely, haunting, medieval inspired song. The drone makes it sound quite eerie.
KEY STAGE 1 & 2
score | words
I Heard a Bird Sing in the Dark of December - Dave Camlin
A Waltz: a round sung acapella.
KEY STAGE 2 & upwards
mp3
I Like To Drive My C3 - Bridget Cousins
A four-part humorous warm-up song written for a teachers' group.
KEY STAGE 3 & upwards
score
Intonent Hodie - Jilly Jarman
New tune to this 13th century Latin Carol. All words in English apart from a drone line
Sung here by North Lakes School Choir at Penrith Joint Carol Concert conducted by Martyn Soulsby
score | mp3
I Saw Three Ships - Rachel Allgood
Arrangement with motifs of this favourite carol.
score
I SING: Mouthful (Bex Mather, Katherine Zeserson, Sharon Durant, Dave Camlin)
A versatile and beautiful acapella piece with many parts - useful for adult choirs.
mp3 | scores: I Sing 3/4 round | I Sing Full Score | I Sing (short)
It's Chilly in the Arctic - Belinda Wright
Fun song written to the tune of the Hokey-cokey!
KEY STAGE 1 & 2
mp3 | score | notes
I Walked To The End Of The Road - Keith Morris
A fantastic and popular round published in the highly successful Big Sing book series (Sage Gateshead)
mp3 | score
Iyana Sing For Water - Sharon Durant and Bex Mather
A great new 5-part song. 'Iyana' is 'rain' in Xhosa
score
Joyeux Noel - Jilly Jarman
Carol with words in French, Spanish and Ibo - about crossing borders.
Solo line verses, and chorus and bridge with harmonies. Introduction 3-part wind arrangement. Jazz/indie.
School orchestra score available from jillyjarman@mac.com
KEY STAGE 2 & UPWARDS
mp3 (sung By North Lakes School Choir, Penrith) | score
Sing Up, the Music Manifesto National Singing Programme, produced by Youth Music with AMV-BBDO, Faber Music and The Sage Gateshead supported by Government.
Vocal Union is part-funded through Sing Up and is part of its national singing programme.