SEN Schools

Here you will find a variety of SEND projects. You can scroll through or click the link to a project in the list below to take you to that project page.

Demonstrate! Dance

Sail Away

Hello and welcome to the Sail Away, an at home activity for children and their families. Here you can find the films, songs, soundscapes and photos. You can watch the full film or one of the six short episodes.

Dip in and out when you have a moment. Or why not download the soundtracks to your phone or computer so you can play them when the moment takes you.

Three steps to the process:

Watch

Watch the film all the way through on your own and start to think how you and your child might play with it.

Create

Gather the things suggested in the film: paper, pencil, water, a sheet etc. Watch the film but this time pause to sing, make or move together.

Play and make stuff up

Now you’ve got your props and activities use the soundtracks on this page to inspire your playing, dancing and sound-making. Use them as soundtracks for your own sea stories, for playing with your paper puppets, and for making up your own songs

Experiment, improvise and play. Above all, have fun!

The Film is on YouTube and Vimeo.

YOUTUBE

VIMEO

Episode 1 – Sounds, sea & water

Things you might want to get ready beforehand: Paper, pencil, glue, stick and a bit of coloured paper. A bottle of water and a big-ish bowl to pour it into.

A creative idea: What sounds can you make with water?

Episode 2 – A whale’s tail & meditational soundscape

Things you might want to get ready beforehand: Paper, pencil, glue and a stick.

A creative idea: Why don’t you create a relaxing soundscape by make soothing sounds of the sea?

Episode 3 – Waves, props & moving

Things you might want to get ready beforehand: Paper, pencil, glue and a stick. A blue sheet and a yellow sheet.

A creative idea: Can you become the waves and sun by moving with your sheets?

Episode 4 – Boat & moving

Things you might want to get ready beforehand: Paper, pencil, glue and a stick.

A creative idea: Why don’t you take your boat for a dance with your body?

Episode 5 – Shadow puppets, stories, a song & moving

Things you might want to get ready beforehand: All your props from the first 3 episodes. A torch and room that can be made dark. Pots and pans for the storm.

A creative idea: Why don’t you create your own puppet story?

Episode 6 – Drawing & singing

Things you might want to get ready beforehand: Paper and coloured pencils or crayons.

A creative idea: How many waves can you make with your pencils and crayons? Why not make sounds as the pencil flows across the paper?

Here is the full track with all songs and soundscapes if you want to play all the way through.

Click here to download

Here are the tracks separately

Opening song: Sail Sail Sail

Click here to download

Meditational style soundscape

Click here to download

All at Sea song

Click here to download

Sounds of the sea

Click here to download

We’d love to listen to your recordings or see your shadow puppets. Do send sound files, films (only the shadow puppets) or photos of your creations to the contact box below and we can share them on this page for others to be inspired.

Musician, Luke Crookes. Artist Marc, Woodhead. Dancer, Sarah Williams. SEN Teacher, Owen Smith.

Sounds of the City

Sounds of the City was a five session project with The Museum of Docklands London and Beatrice Tate special school. Four school visits finishing with a museum visit.

Sounds of the City SEN session

Methodology

My goal is that the students go to the spaces in the museum and they feel really comfortable and safe, being held in the music and sounds we have created together. So they can be on the cobbles outside and really pretend to be the traffic on the street, they can go by the water and feel safe and really pretend to sail the ship off and come back etc. So they feel secure with the sounds and the story and what the spaces, building and objects are for. So they can see and experience the objects from the perspective of their story that grew from what they noticed in the films.

It’s not a performance and it’s not even a story, it’s not meant to be, it’s more like a journey with sounds so we can experience the museum and it’s objects and history. It’s come from the inside out rather than outside in. And as we’ve created it together lots of little unique things have emerged from the students and staff. For example xxxxx became much more engaged as we added a banker to the warehouse story. Xxxx was more empowered when she added whales to the ship scene. I think this engagement came from us all being quite present and immersed in our story making ideas in a very free way. At times it might not be exactly factually accurate but I think there is an energy and engagement that will help our experience of the essence of the collection of stories coming from the museums objects. Rather than going – this is this bit and that’s that- it’s more like, “what’s happening here? What could that be? What would that sound like? And out of that I think there’s a window where the students can enter into the story and history in their own way and with their own energy and imagination.

The sounds I’m making are being used to try to support the environment and imagination space. We’ve created lots of symbol to try and capture the essence of our sounds each week.

The music drones that I play at the start and song are about arriving and making a space where we can become present together, see where the groups energy is and relax into our bodies and imagination.

The story has grown out of what the children have discovered and explored in the first three sessions.

Soundscape and song

Project song with makaton signs

Sounds of the city. What will we hear?

Sounds of the city. Where will we go?

Sounds of the city. What will we hear?

Sounds of the city Where will we go?

Listening

Name and hello song

The children chant

Who is in the city?

Who is in the city today?

Xxxxx in the city

Xxxxx in the city today.

Everybody says helloXxxxx how are you today

Session one. Mile End.

ARRIVAL

We have a track to play and interact with to signify the beginning of each session. It is layered in 3 sections that are flexible and can respond to the students needs in an improvisatory away.

Sections

Abstract sounds to arrive, settle and evoke an atmosphere. Making any sounds, students and staff.
City sounds begin to emerge and we begin to make sounds of cars, diggers, river thames, sirens; in a very improvisatory and sensitive way.
The group start to sing the song and use makaton signs “Sounds of the city, what will we hear? sounds of the city where will we go? Listening, is listening listening”

NAME SONG

As a group we sing our name song and students tell us their favourite thing to do or favourite city sound. (this will be composed with the group)

SOUNDS AND SYMBOLS

Each week we will develop new symbols made from the children’s sounds so we can build a graphic score and a set of signs to make sounds with. I will use my iPad connected to the big screen to draw a sound and we will develop them together. How do we draw the sound of a car.

SOUNDS OF THE CITY (this weeks theme is the local area)

I play the group certain sounds to see if they can guess what they are. The group can tell us their favourite sounds. We will imagine the type of sound and then make our sound and then draw it.

Students making their sounds

Xxxxxx likes the London bus and trains. xxxxxx chooses the sound of the purple train district line doors opening.
Xxxx likes to laugh and smile.
Xxxx like the ambulance sound saving people.
xxx likes the car vvvvvvvv.
xxx likes the traffic lights stop, get ready, go.
xxxxx likes the truck. Turn the key and the engine starts.
xxxxxx (we need to find out what he likes)

IMAGES & FILM

I will project pictures and films of the local area for us to explore.

What can you see, what might it sounds like. Can we draw it?

I created a film of the local area for us to watch in class and develop our ideas about local city sounds. The first half of the film is the local area. The second half of the film is pictures with a soundscape and song I’ve created to help the group arrive and leave each workshop, explore ideas and use to help us when we visit the Docklands museum to feel safe and comfortable in a new environment.

SCENARIO

From our theme we will create a little scenario to act out and move around the room to with sounds. This will be very experimental. I will record any sounds the children make and take them away to add to our soundscape.

END

To close the session we will replay the project sounds scape and song to finish in a calm restful way.

Examples of symbols for sound that we will create in our sessions

Untitled_Artwork 13 Untitled_Artwork 8 Untitled_Artwork 5

Our graphic scores library for sounds this week: walking pedestrians, car, van, bicycle bell, traffic lights, ambulance & police siren.

I have made our sounds symbols into single symbols so we can build a library of Sounds from the City over our 5 sessions. The symbols can be held up to create a soundscape improvisation each week and when we visit the Docklands Museum.

Untitled_Artwork 6 Untitled_Artwork 5 Untitled_Artwork 4 Untitled_Artwork 3 Untitled_Artwork 2 Untitled_Artwork

Session two.

The tube. DLR. building sites

ARRIVAL

Play abstract soundscape to settle group into the beginning of the session. Playing sounds explored and developed in last session. The soundscape starts in a very meditation style way and then develops into a city soundscape and then moves on into the song.

PROJECT SONG

Sounds of the city. What will we hear?

Sounds of the city. Where will we go?

Sounds of the city. What will we hear?

Sounds of the city Where will we go?

Listening

NAME SONG

In the first session we developed a name chant. We perform the chant to help everybody arrive in the imaginary city and get ready to explore our theme for this week

The children chant

Who is in the city?

Who is in the city today?

Xxxxx in the city

Xxxxx is in the city today.

Everybody says helloXxxxx how are you today

SOUNDS OF THE CITY

(this weeks theme is tubes, trains and cranes)

I play the group certain sounds to see if they can guess what they are. The group can tell us their favourite sounds. We will imagine the type of sound and then make our sound and then draw it.

Last week we asked the group their favourite things to do and their favourite sounds. We then developed the sounds into practical performance sounds and graphic scores. This week we will play the children sounds and asked them how the sounds make them feel. The idea is that we begin to go into the imagination and the body through our feelings.Then we will play a film and see if they can find the sounds in the film.

IMAGES & FILM

We will watch a film I have made exploring the tube and DLR and local building sites including Canary Wharf in its building phase. The film will also include pictures and film from the DLR and London tube exhibits in the Docklands Museum. We will look at some historical knowledge about when things were developed and built.

SCENARIO

SOUNDSCAPE IMPROVISATION

Using the first weeks graphic symbols we will a improvise a soundscape. We will relax into the sounds and enjoy them with cued messages from me helping to go into our imagination we will choose percussion to add to our soundscape.

SOUNDS AND SYMBOLS

Using pencils and paper we will take the sounds we have found and made, and possibly the movements, and begin to draw them to add to our library of sounds of the city.

END

To close the session we will replay the project sounds scape and song to finish in a calm restful way. We will use ambient sounding percussion: eggs and ocean drums etc.

We improvised a building site story and percussion piece:

Sounds of the city building site story.

Everyone on the building site was making noise (all students play)

Everyone stopped.

Xxxx was the digger (drum)

On the floor there was mud everywhere

Xxxx was the mud sloshing (cabasa)

Everyone went slosh slosh slosh

The big red truck had its engine running (tambourine)

The crane moved around errrrrrrrr stop

Xxxx and Xxxx

At the back of the building site there was a big pile of rubble (ocean drum)

Xxxx

And in the middle of the building site there was a man (say man xxxxx)

In the sky it was cloudy so the eggs had a shake and everyone went shhhh shhhh shhhhh

Our graphic score sound library is growing. The building site: Digger, slush, truck, rubble, man.

Session three.

Docks, dockers and Indian goods.

Story, emotions and motion.

ARRIVAL

(Try the symbols from weeks one and two, on iPad. In film)

SONG WITH SIGNS

Sounds of the city. What will we hear?

Sounds of the city. Where will we go?

Sounds of the city. What will we hear?

Sounds of the city Where will we go?

Listening

IMAGES & FILM

We will watch the film I have made exploring the docks and the dockers and Indian trade (Kaycee loves India) We will look at some historical knowledge about when things were built and existed.

What can you see?

Can we show its energy?

Close your eyes and feel the energy.

Make the sound of the energy

Open your eyes and have another look.

As we watch the film the students can shout out anything they notice I will write it down. Later we will make sounds for the things we notice.

What can you see?

How do you think the people in the pictures are feeling?

Can you describe the things people are doing?

GUESS THE SOUND

I will pay pre recorded docks sounds

What sound is it?

FEELINGS

Feelings and mood sounds

Can we be the mood of the sounds?

Bell waiting to ring for dockers to get work that day.
Group happiness team work
Tired from all the lifting

(The idea is that we begin to go into the imagination and the body through our feelings)

MOTION

Lifting
Turning
Passing
Pushing
Pulling

CREATE A VOCAL SOUND

(FROM OUR LIST OF WORDS)

We go through our list of things we noticed about the docks, dockers and India, and make sounds.

Make a sound for your city object/activity

Record and play back.

PERCUSSION PLAYING

Choosing percussion for your sound

What would you like to choose from the percussion box for your docks and dockers sounds.

STORY TELLING & PERFORMING

A little improvised story dockers (‘in and out’ experiment)

Some children be the scenario
Some children make the sounds at the side
Swap over

Listen back to our story looking at the picture of the dockers

DISSOLVING

Dissolving floor exercise (lay down symbol)

Descends voice

Now try dropping something into the body

Normal

Lower

More relaxed

DANCING

BOLLYWOOD STYLE ON THE DOCKS

(dockers waiting for the ship and unloading) to the Bollywood dance music.

SOUNDS AND SYMBOLS

Using pencils and paper we will take the sounds we have found and made, and possibly the movements, and begin to draw them to add to our library of sounds of the city.

We will imagine the type of sound and then make our sound and then draw it.

We created: sugar, people at work lifting (dockers), shovelling (sugar and pepper), checking, wind, up up up up (lift machine).

WEEK ONE FILM

SOUNDSCAPE IMPROVISATION 1

traffic lights scenario. A sensory story for the traffic light scene massage story.

List of sounds, symbols & percussion.

WEEK TWO FILM

To prepare for museum visit.

Words from last week put in film

SOUNDSCAPE IMPROVISATION 2 DLR & tube soundscape

List of sounds, symbols & percussion.

SOUNDSCAPE IMPROVISATION 3 building site improv story (building site could become a much more physical movement type story)

List of sounds, symbols & percussion.

NAME SONG

In the first session we developed a name song which is a chant. We all think the chant helping everybody to arrive in the imaginary city and get ready to explore our theme for this week.

The children chant

Who is in the city?

Xxxx is in the city?

Xxxx is in the city today?

Xxxx in the city

Xxxx is in the city today.

Everybody says hello Xxxx how are you today

ENDING THE SESSION

To close the session we will replay the project sounds scape and song to finish in a calm restful way. We will use ambient sounding percussion: eggs and ocean drums etc.

Sing the song and then the children all rested their heads on the table and close their eyes. I walk around the table playing very long, slow, quiet bassoon tones. Bring the session to a calm end. Some calm breathing to finish.

Session four. Our sound story is emerging.

We will use this week to run through all our ideas. Next week we will go to the docklands museum to bring our story to life.

We have lots of symbols for the sounds we have discovered, and lots of props and sensory things to help go on our journey.

Here is our film which is a shortened amalgamation of all three films from each session. The class can use this as a film to get ready for our sound and sensory story enactment at the museum next week.

Here are the four scenes that will take us around the museum exploring the objects that relate to our discoveries in the school sessions.

Traffic and street

ONE STUDENT SAYS	ALL STUDENTS RESPOND	Sensory prop	Massage
“The people are rushing”	Feet rushing on floor		Pat
“The van”	Van.	Steering wheel	Tap knees.
“The bike sounds its bell”	Everyone dings	Bell	Two quick squeezes.
	Car.		Tap chest
“Bus 277 & D7 go past”	brrrrrrrrr
“The traffic stops at the light”	Stop -get ready – go.	Lights	Press. tap, swipe across.
“The ambulance goes past”	Everyone goes o o o o waving their ribbons	Ribbon	Swirls on body

Ships and Docks

ONE STUDENT SAYS	ALL STUDENTS RESPOND	Sensory prop	Massage
“Ship ahoy!	Ship ahoy	Rope to moor
“The sails blow in the wind”	shhhhhh	Sheets
“The ship sails on the waves”	shoo shoooo	Sticks and flags
“Ships whale!” Jada.	Ahhhhhhh	Whale toy
“The sugar comes from the West Indies”	ch k ch k ch k ch k	Sugar
“The pepper comes from East India”	pepper dance Bollywood	Pepper & coloured scarf.
“hook the sugar”
“Carry the sugar”	oooooooo aahhhhh uuughhh	Sack
“Up the lift into the warehouse”	up up up up up	Rope
“Shovelling the sugar and spices”	Choo Choo Choo chooo	Spade
“Check the goods”	check check ch ch check	Clip board, pen, book

Tube DLR

ONE STUDENT SAYS	ALL STUDENTS RESPOND	Sensory prop	Movement
			Movement
“Digging tunnels to build the tube”	K k k k k k (digging holes building the tube)	Black cloth	Dig action
“Bank” (arrive)	Bbbbbb “Mind the gap”		Stretch over
“Mind the doors” (DLR)	(realky high) b b b b b b- Ch ch- chccccccc		Body closing
“Mile End”	Bbbb “Mind the gap”		Stretch over
“Mind the doors” (DLR)	(realky high) b b b b b b- Ch ch- chccccccc		Body closing
“Mind the doors” (Tube)	de da		Open body
“Please touch in and out”	Beep beep	Oyster cards	Body dancing

Sounds of the city building site story.

Everyone on the building made lots of noise (all students play)	Nuts and bolts
Everyone stopped.
Xxxx drives the digger (drum).	Drum	Digger.
On the floor there is mud everywhere Xxxx is the mud sloshing (cabasa) Everyone went slosh slosh slosh.	Cabasa	Water mud.
The big red truck had its engine running (tambourine) The crane moved around errrrrrrrr stop Xxxx and Xxxx.	Tambourine	A toy truck/crane.
At the back of the building site there is a big pile of rubble (ocean drum)	Ocean drum	Rubble. Sand.
And in the middle of the building site there is a man (say man xxxxx).		Builder jacket.
The sky is cloudy.	Eggs shake and everyone sounds “shhhh shhhh shhhhh”