The work of the Nathan Timothy Foundation – The Songwriting Charity addresses the emotional health and wellbeing of children using songwriting and music technology as innovative engagement tools.

All of our 1 day workshops are unique, presenting children with opportunities to sing, write lyrics, perform and record their ideas both individually and as a team – evaluating their progress and actively supporting the progress of their friends every step of the way.

Recorded material is then available free for children to download and schools can use the songs for presentations, assemblies, special events or for use out in the wider community.

We work closely with participating schools so that we can tailor the workshops to the needs of the students and the school. Working in partnership with schools, students and the whole school community is really important to us.

We are the #1 charity in the world dedicated to the empowerment of youth through the art and craft of songwriting.

OUR PROGRAMMES

Anti-bullying songwriting workshop

Bully Beat has been designed to enthuse children about the process of lyric writing, singing, music arranging and contemporary production whilst promoting a serious anti-bullying message.

Children that take part in these workshops are not just taught how to sing and write a song together but they are also encouraged to express their thoughts on ‘bullying’ and its effects.

By listening to one another, respecting their friends and working together as a team the children create something that has an immediate and lasting impact on their peers, the school and the community.

Healthy schools - healthy choices

With a focus on healthy eating, well-being and the global food trade, this songwriting workshop has been designed to explore our favourite foods and how they might differ from the ones that keep us (and the world around us) healthy.

We explore issues that are affecting us everyday, such as food price, availability of fruit and vegetables, growing our own food, food miles, fair trade and avoiding waste.

With unhealthy eating and unhealthy lifestyles on a steady incline across the younger generation, we work with the children to define the risks and help and reinforce the work of schools to stay healthy and shop responsibly.

Learning through Transition

A workshop to help and support children in Year 6 as they move from Primary to Secondary School. The workshop is an open forum for discussion, lyric writing and musical expression around the theme.

During one day children will explore their feelings surrounding Transition, make new friends, rap, sing together, play instruments, create and record a song collaboratively. One school will act as the ‘host school’ and children will have the opportunity to work with other children from neighbouring Primary schools.

Throughout the day children will have the opportunity to make new friends from other schools and explore similarities in their expectations, fears and personal interests.

Recycling, rhythm & rhyme!

Funky Junk provides an opportunity to explore the world through the things we throw away, drawing on old newspapers for lyrics and rubbish for music making.

The morning session produces the lyrical content of our song, using stimulus from the morning’s newspaper headlines, cut and pasted into shape. This liberating take on literacy learning, calling on the words of others for inspiration, creates a melting pot of rich vocabulary and offers a unique creative stimulus.

In the afternoon we make our own instruments and record the beat and backing track. Then we gather together for the final chorus of the day to sing our lyrics over the beat, creating something brand new; from something ready for the bin!

Cross-curricular songwriting programme

The Encore Curriculum is our bespoke offering, working together with you and your staff to enliven and enrich your schools curriculum through songwriting.

Encore Curriculum is designed to provide a legacy that engenders the development of songwriting through peer support, teacher training and music technology implementation. The nuts and bolts of how we draw out this creativity are structures and tools that have been finely tuned over time and CPD will make up a significant part of the course.

Through inset, teacher partnership and a programme design linked to school development plans, we can provide holistic and exciting opportunities for children to learn in a uniquely creative and inspiring environment.

Olympic themed - feel the beat in your feet

Throughout the spring and summer of 2012, we will be running a series of the worlds first songwriting marathons, offering Sports Tracks to primary, secondary and special schools.

The key outcome of the Sports Tracks workshop is an original song for the school to sing for the 2012 Olympiad. We will spend the morning exploring the theme of facing life challenges through the metaphor of an aspiring champion.

We explore our feelings around competition, success, defeat, hope and team spirit, and finish the day with a game chosen by the children, which can be filmed on HD as the music video for the track.

This Provider Specialises in:

• Resourcing and installing music studios and providing training and technical support
• Songwriting and musical expression workshops for pupils with SEND
• Anti-Bullying songwriting workshops
• Teacher Inset training
• Summer school projects
• Encore Curriculum, songwriting and training workshops built around your needs

We have an excellent track record in installing music studios and helping schools get the most out of these solutions by providing training and tech support on a rolling basis.