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
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.
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
