Author Archives: Rebecca Di Rollo

Tech Army, Assemble!

Group of nine people smiling, standing side by side in a professional manner, in front on a large windowed wall.

Tech Army, Assemble! We’ve never responded to an offer of help so quickly. Scottish Tech Army got in touch to say Drake Music Scotland had been chosen by one of their corporate partners for a day of volunteering. This isn’t your usual volunteering. A team of highly skilled tech folk swoop in and give you […]

Seeds of Inspiration

Keep an eye out for the postie if you’ve made an order with us recently. Figurenoters receiving stickers, magnets, and tune packs may notice a wee extra in their parcel. We’ve been gradually improving the environmental impact of our packaging, from compostable ‘plastic’ envelopes, to limiting the amount of paper included in each parcel. Our […]

“Loved it, really inspiring and lots of new ideas, thanks!”

That’s a wrap on the latest Figurenotes training course Figurenotes: Developing Your Practice with a fabulous group of musicians and educators. We had three weekly sessions, each progressing to a different topic. Here’s what we got up to. Week 1 – Figurenotes Rhythm Our first week was spent learning a little about each other and […]

Figurenotes on the Web – Exclusive Discount!

New improved software you can access from any internet enabled device. Our Figurenotes software has undergone a much needed makeover. You can now access your Figurenotes tunes from any device with an internet connection! You are no longer tied to one computer, and there is a boat load of cool new features to boot. Plus, […]

Figurenotes Journeys: J’s Story

Young boy in purple jumper playing piano using Figurenotes.

Learning is a journey, and we are here for it! Our new segment Figurenotes Journeys is all about highlighting the fantastic work you Figurenotes Champions are doing, and showing how Figurenotes can help anyone access music. Our first story comes from a Figurenotes expert and all round wonderful teacher, Jill Henderson. A Figurenotes Learning Journey […]

Could You Develop Our New Figurenotes Software?

We are looking for companies with experience in developing music software to help us take Figurenotes to the next level. An exciting opportunity has arisen to help us modernise our Figurenotes software as part of our programme: Figurenotes – Everyone Can Play! Drake Music Scotland welcomes bids from qualified organisations and individuals to transform our […]

Happy 10th Birthday Figurenotes Software

Ten years ago today, Drake Music Scotland unveiled the prototype Figurenotes software at their ‘I Can Play Music’ conference at Glasgow City Halls.  Drake Music Scotland look back at some of the highlights of this momentous day… The I Can Play Music Conference on 26 November 2010 at Glasgow City Halls was the biggest and […]

Emmeline McCracken – ELM Music Therapy

In our latest guest blog, Emmeline McCracken shows us how she uses Figurenotes in her work as a music therapist. Hello everyone, My name is Emmeline and I am a music therapist. I work for my own company, ELM Music Therapy, primarily with children who have profound and multiple learning difficulties and those with terminal […]

Music in Primary

How can Figurenotes help music sessions happen as Primary School returns? Educators all over the world are either in preparations or currently navigating the return of our young people to formal education. There are so many factors to consider, and when it comes to music it’s no different. Figurenotes have some great resources designed to […]

Resume the Routine

How can Figurenotes help as schools plan to return next week? Teachers, pupil support assistants and practitioners do incredible work all year round supporting our young people’s learning. We know that things will look very different when schools return next week, so at Figurenotes HQ we have been putting together some useful resources for delivering […]

Early Years Music Returns

How can Figurenotes help as we plan to return to our settings? Today the Scottish Government released guidance on returning to early years settings. Many practitioners in Scotland and all over the world will be wondering how music is going to fit in to the “new normal”. Here at Figurenotes HQ, we want to help […]

Got Rhythm? #FigurenotesChallenge

Rhythm is so intuitive with Figurenotes – the note is as long as it looks! So how does it all fit together? Our newest #FigurenotesChallenge aims to help you/your students understand the relationship between different rhythms through this gentle movement activity. This is the first in a series of videos designed to develop rhythmic skills […]

Somewhere Over The Rainbow Project #FigurenotesChallenge

On Thursday 30th April at 8pm, musicians all over Scotland are going to pick up their instruments and show their appreciation for our NHS and other frontline workers by having a great big play-along! This national event named the Over The Rainbow Project has been organised by MEPG (The Music Education Partnership Group) and will […]

Learn to Play Music at Home with Figurenotes! #StaySafe

Staying home comes with some challenges, but one HUGE positive is we can still make music. You might even have more time on your hands to practise! This is a great time to pick up that new instrument, learn a new piece, or finally nail that beast of a drum fill you have always dreamed […]

ThumbJam & Figurenotes

ThumbJam is undoubtedly one of the greatest apps of all time! This much has always been known amongst music botherers. With over 40 exclusive real instrument samples and hundreds of ready-to-load scales, the flexibility and sensitivity of the app allow for a level of musical expression equal to a traditional instrument. Perfect for beginners and […]

Really relaxed and informative day! Lovely environment to create, think and share.

As we wrap up our final Music Teachers Toolbox Training Day of 2019, one of our favourite things to do here at Figurenotes HQ is to read the lovely feedback we receive from our participants! It was wonderful! The facility is amazing in terms of the equipment and all the staff were kind and inspiring!  […]

SAME Conference 2019

“I’ve been using Figurenotes with ASN pupil since earlier this year & love it. Was great to hear a bit more from Drake Music Scotland at #sameconf23. Will now expand my use of this excellent resource with pupils to stop ASN being a barrier to learning & participating in music.” It’s statements like this one […]

Figurenotes Collect @ Craigmarloch

Figurenotes Collect @ Craigmarloch School The final leg of Figurenotes Collect is over! This collecting exercise culminated in visiting Craigmarloch School in Inverclyde. Craigmarloch is an exceptional facility born of the amalgamation of the former Lilybank and Glenbank Schools. The school is one of three in the New Port Glasgow Community Campus, working closely with […]

Figurenotes Collect @ Teens+

As some of you may already know, we are in the process of applying to update the current Figurenotes Software. A part of the application requires us to estimate our reach i.e how many people are using Figurenotes. With this in mind, we have launched our new project Figurenotes Collect! We are delighted to announce […]

“Could we have more please!!!”

“Great course, thank you! So many ideas for new functional musical activities.” “Could we have more please!!!” What a day! Big thanks to everyone that came along to our Music Teachers Toolbox training event on Saturday at Drake Music Scotland. We could not be more delighted by the feedback from our participants. Quotes like these really […]

Music Teachers Toolbox

Hello Figurenoters! We are thrilled to announce the programme for our upcoming Music Teachers Toolbox on Saturday 23rd March 2019. First Figurenotes & BBC Ten Pieces  This time around, we will be focusing on Creative Sessions involving Early Years/Primary/ASN and how best to support your participants brand new to Figurenotes in a variety of engaging […]

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