MUSICAL THEATRE CREATIVE LEARNING PROJECTS FOR SCHOOLS
All-inclusive opportunities for children in the latter stages of primary education (KS2) to experience and take part in a musical theatre production, performing alongside professional actors.
1. ARTIST-LED PERFORMANCE PROJECTS FOR UPPER PRIMARY SCHOOLS
Through a set of workshops, our team of three professional actors will prepare and perform a musical theatre production with a cast of up to 120 children.
Project Format
- A cast of up to 120 pupils
- Cast divided into 3 main character groups, suiting everyday school logistics for rehearsal
- Each group get their turn in the limelight with individual songs
- Each group also part of bigger ‘chorus’ scenes
- Professional actors perform with the children, linking scenes together with solo passages.
- Expertly devised choreography and actions
- Physical theatre techniques to minimise props and scenery
The Workshops
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Week 1: The C.P.D.
To kick-start the project we provide a training session for participating teachers on how to support the project in the classroom, tips on incorporating it into a given term’s work, and to confirm all the practical arrangements for the project.
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Week 1: The Introductory Workshop.
Led by 1 Charades music/drama specialist. This half-day workshop introduces the themes and characters and gets each group started with their songs. The children then use our resources website to learn all their songs off by heart in time for the staging day.
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Week 6: The Staging Day Workshop.
Led by 3 Charades specialists working simultaneously with different character groups within the cast. This full-day workshop focuses on staging the production once the children have memorised the songs, bringing movement and drama to the fore in preparation for the final performance.
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Week 8: The Performance Day Workshop.
Led by 3 Charades specialists performing alongside the children. The final full-day workshop – the big performance day – will include a tech run-through, a performance to the rest of the school, and an afternoon/evening performance for family and friends. Charades’ mobile theatre, incorporating professional lights, costumes and sound, truly captures the wonders of the stage in the school hall.
Online Resource Website
Throughout the project all children will have access to our online resource website for use in school or at home. The resources include:
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The Teacher’s Pack
A comprehensive set of project resources. From lyric sheets to lesson worksheets, from practical information to characterisation and drama games, the teacher’s pack is the main port of call for all class-teachers throughout the project.
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The Learning Album
A recording of all the songs from the show, sung by a female voice at the pitch the children will sing at and accompanied by just a piano. As many of the children will learn the songs aurally, this album allows for the melodies and words to be clearly heard without the full band backing as a distraction.
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The Listening Album
A ‘full cast’ recording of the entire show with male and female vocalists and a full band accompaniment. Initially an exciting way to enthuse the children in the show’s music, the full recording can also be used as the children get more familiar with the lyrics and melodies.
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The Performance Album
This is the recording that the show is performed to, and can be used in the latter stages of the project to practice singing and choreography after the Music Support Day Workshop.
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The Piano Score
This is the piano music, guitar chords and vocal score for the show. It is available to any class teacher who plays the piano or guitar, or indeed to any music-specialists involved in the project.
Our Shows
We have a selection of exciting and inspiring musical theatre productions, expertly written for our successful project format. Titles include: Burke & Hare, Treasure Island, Dracula & The Mould that Changed the World. For further information on shows currently available, please contact us.
Charades transformed 98 individuals into a professional musical production in 2 days. Cleverly written with catchy tunes. The teamwork was incredible, the performance was outstanding and the parents and audience were held spellbound throughout. Certainly had the hairs on the back of my neck standing on end! Can’t wait for the next show to be written.
Gill BaillieDepute Head Teacher at Law Primary School
The feedback from staff, our children and their families was excellent. We cannot wait to have Charades back working in our school. Staff were very well supported in teaching the pupils the songs and the resource materials provided were easy to use. Pupils were very motivated without exception. This is something that we as a school continually strive for but have never been able to achieve. The whole event was pulled together professionally with only a buzz of excitement. We have had many professional productions at our school but this was the first time that the pupils had actually been the stars in their own show –
Liz BartonHead Teacher at Strathesk Primary
King Loth has inspired our pupils beyond belief. The story and characters were well thought out and immediately captured the imagination of all our pupils, boys and girls alike. The lyrical melodies, although challenging, inspired our cast and they had no difficulty at all in learning any of the songs. Three weeks after the performance and they are still singing them. This musical has been carefully crafted by the composers to encompass, tragedy, comedy, love and hope in a most delightful and dramatic form. It has been, with no doubt, the best musical we have performed.
Anne TraillMusic specialist at Yester Primary School
The experience of putting together and performing The Legend of King Loth was an excellent and challenging opportunity for the children of P5 to work co-operatively with their peers across P6 and P7. We used our drama and singing skills as well as the inter personal language & communication skills needed. The children loved working with the Charades team, who brought their learning to life in the most amazing way! The feedback from parents was positive and all were moved by the children’s performance! We would love to be involved again. More please Charades! And thanks again –
Yvonne HartP5 Class Teacher at Longniddry Primary School
From start to finish this production was a fantastic experience, for all the participating pupils, which covered many aspects of the curriculum. A number of the class were initially very reluctant to take part. However this all changed once they heard the music and realised no one was going to be singled out and that everyone was going to be equal. Every pupil was highly motivated and focused, even the most reluctant learners. The children were inspired to find out about some of the history of Edinburgh through personal research into the lives of Burke and Hare and included in their information some brilliantly, gruesome models. Comments from parents and staff were highly complementary both of the production and the pupils’ performance. Some were even amazed their child was willing to take part. I would encourage any school to work with Charades, as it is a very rewarding experience for everyone concerned.
Sheila WilsonClass Teacher at Strathesk Primary
We were offered this project through Creative Scotland’s Youth Music Initiative via East Lothian Council. The team from Charades are highly talented and skilled musicians and I am most impressed by their abilities in working with such young people. They were able to engage and hold the interest of these young children, ages 9-11, and work with them to produce an excellent piece which was shared with parents and friends of the school. The team are very talented and the music is beautiful and, at times, haunting. The team provided super and appropriate costumes and the children absolutely loved ‘dressing up’. There is little enough in the way of funded professional support in primary schools and I sincerely hope that Charades continue their work and develop other pieces that may work well in the primary setting.
M.R. TremmelHead Teacher at Gullane Primary School
2. TEACHER-TRAINING SESSIONS
Our latest show The Mould that Changed the World is now available via our sister company, Charades Musicals. This new resource platform provides web-based learning for any school to put on one of our musicals without the need for visiting music/drama specialists, thus making the project far more affordable to schools. The website offers an extensive package of resources, centred around a ‘learning journey’ consisting of over 250 interactive videos for use in the classroom.
Our teacher-training sessions incorporate information on how a Charades Musicals project works, how to use the new resource platform, how to support the project in the classroom and some tips and tricks on drama and singing technique.
Access to The Mould that Changed the World online resources is currently free for a limited time – teachers can apply for free access via the project’s website.
Find out more about The Mould that Changed the World by watching this video.
For the latest information on our teacher training sessions surrounding The Mould that Changed the World project and how to use the exciting new Charades Musicals online platform, please download this pdf.