As festive concerts come to an end, we wish all of our Figurenotes community a restful and happy holiday season. Figurenotes HQ is shutting up shop, but we will still be around to answer queries.
Simply drop us an email at figurenotes@drakemusicscotland.org
You can also check out our Linktree for all things Figurenotes.
Physical orders will be posted out again from the 6th January.
The Figurenotes Team
We know that the Christmas build-up requires careful planning, especially for musicians. With this in mind, we want to let you know the last posting dates, office closures, and other festive news from Figurenotes HQ.
Please order by noon on Tuesday 17th of December to receive UK orders before Christmas. This only applies to physical products, such as Figurenotes stickers and magnets. All digital products, such as subscriptions to Notate and the Hub, go through automatically for instant access.
Our offices are closing over the Christmas period. Our last office day will be Friday 20th December, returning Tuesday 7th January.
We hope all your festive concerts go well and you manage to follow it up with a lovely Christmas break.
The festive cheer has well and truly taken over at Figurenotes HQ. We’ve been planning some Christmas Figurenotes activities for Drake Music Scotland musicians and thought we’d share the joy with you all. If you’re planning Christmas parties and events at your school or music setting then read on for some festive Figurenotes fun.
String up a garland, tree, or just some festive hooks (candy canes repurposed?)
Download this template for Figurenotes baubles or make your own. Inspired by Sorcha Pringle, we made some tactile ones using different textures for different notes. These work brilliantly for musicians with visual impairment.
Create a tune using the baubles
Play it!
You can also use these large print outs to pin the bauble on the Christmas Tree or hang them from Rudolph’s antlers.
Get a traybake cake with icing that you can stick things to.
Source a selection of sweets or icing in Figurenotes colours (and shapes, if you’re feeling clever). Smarties, Skittles, Quality Streets – the list is endless.
Cut the traybake into bars. Stick your sweets to the top to create a tune.
Perform it before you eat it.
Take a look on the Figurenotes Accessible Music Hub for some Christmas bangers. Use Figurenotes guitars for the simplest way to play the chords. You can create a Figurenotes band in no time! Our suggestions are:
Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree
Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer
Our rhythm canon is back with a festive twist. These rhythms are set over two bars and can be mixed up to create a fun game. A great introduction to syncopation.
I’m sure many of you played a version of this at school. There are lots of ways to make this musical and accessible.
Set out 4 corners/areas of the room and assign them to something. For example, a Christmas tune, a rhythm, a colour.
People must listen for the game leader to play a tune, a rhythm, a note, or whatever you’ve chosen. They then must get to the assigned corner/area as quickly as they can. This develops listening skills and focuses the ear so well.
To make this more accessible for people with limited movement or classrooms with limited space, you can use torches shone on a wall, for example. Call and response also works well, be it playing, clapping, or singing. Let your imagination run wild.
Snow is falling, all around me (we are in Scotland, after all). The children have indeed been playing (mostly Jingle Bells) and having fun.
As we get the school Christmas concerts done and before the frostbite from carol singing starts to set in, we thought we’d better let you know the last order dates for Figurenotes Christmas delivery.
Our last order date will be Friday 15th December. Please get your order in by noon, so we have time to process and post your items before Royal Mail’s last recommended posting dates. If you order after this date then your parcel may not be processed until January.
Figurenotes HQ is part of Drake Music Scotland, Scotland’s leading arts organisation working to enable disabled musicians at every level from education to industry. We all take a well-deserved break over the Christmas period and our office closes to allow staff time to recharge. We will be closed from Wed 20th, reopening in the new year.
If you have any questions, please email Figurenotes@DrakeMusicScotland.org.
We’re feeling particularly festive this year. Everyone is in need of a big bucketful of joy after such a tough period and we’re hoping the Christmas break will deliver! Stock up on your mince pies, get out your fluffiest slippers, and enjoy not listening to Jingle Bells being played 30 times a day. Relax and enjoy the break.
But before you do…
Make sure your Figurenotes orders are in by 16th December for UK delivery before Christmas and the start of next term.
Our office will close for Christmas at the end of 17th December; reopening 5th January 2022. Orders for physical resources will not be processed between these dates. Digital resources, such as the Figurenotes software, will continue to be processed automatically.
So if you’re after the Festive Figurenotes pack for your Christmas carol singalong party or some Figurenotes Magnets for a stocking filler (via Santa, obviously) then head to the online shop now.
Royal Mail have warned that delays are likely to happen due to coronavirus, so we can’t guarantee delivery by Christmas. However, we are following their recommended last postage dates, so all should be well. The earlier you order, the better.
We’ve got some really exciting stuff coming in the new year. Our little elves have been working away in the background producing some exciting new resources that will be a game-changer for so many Figurenoters. We can’t wait to tell you about them! Watch this space…
If you want to stay in the loop about the launch in early 2022, make sure you’ve subscribed to our mailing list.
December is upon us and the festive season seems to be in full swing here in Scotland! You’ve probably been preparing for concerts and end of term performances before a well-earned break. Before you get cracking with the Christmas cheer, we thought we’d better give you a few bits of housekeeping news.
In order to get your parcels in time for Christmas or the new school term, you must get your UK orders to us by Monday 17th December, 2018. It isn’t too late to grab your Festive Figurenotes pack, or magnets as a stocking filler. We use Royal Mail to post orders, so we cannot guarantee delivery by Christmas, but this is in line with their recommendations.
Our office will be closed over the Christmas break, from Friday 21st December to Monday 7th January. No orders will be processed during this time. However, Software and Resource Base subscriptions ordered through the online shop will be sent by email, so you’ll get immediate access when you pay online.
As you may have seen when we advertised the role, a new face will be starting at Figurenotes HQ after Christmas. Please use the email address figurenotes@drakemusicscotland.org for all queries and contact.
Have a lovely Christmas and a very happy New Year, from all of us at Figurenotes HQ and Drake Music Scotland
