Inspire-works is proud to announce the launch of the #BodyPercussion #RecoveryCurriculum; a toolkit of videos and online resources to improve the health & well-being of children and school staff upon return to school after the COVID-19 lockdown.
The resource is free of charge as it is supported by public funding by the Arts Council England COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund. The #BodyPercussion #RecoveryCurriculum also maps to Arts Award Discover & Arts Award Bronze.
The #BodyPercussion #RecoveryCurriculum uses evidence-based and peer-reviewed fun and engaging exercises inspired by the latest developments in neuroscience. They have been proven to reduce stress & anxiety, boost the immune system and improve creativity.
It includes video examples and supporting online resources that focus on body percussion exercises to help the children discuss and overcome the ‘losses’ raised in Professor Barry Carpenter’s Recovery Curriculum as potential issues for children returning to school. These include loss of routine, structure, friendship, opportunity and freedom. It also includes body percussion video examples to use with staff or colleagues.
“The forthcoming term may be a challenging time for both children and staff who may be anxious about returning to school after the COVID-19 lockdown. The mental health and well-being benefits of group music-making are well-known but with government restrictions stating group singing and sharing of instruments will be limited when schools return in September, schools may struggle to find appropriate resources to help improve the sense of well-being within their community. Therefore, we wanted to be able to share our experience of leading body percussion workshops which help to create a fun, positive and uplifting environment and can be safely socially distanced. We also wanted to share our training in using the arts to improve mental health. We are very grateful to the Arts Council England Emergency Response Fund grant which has enabled us to design and film these fun resources during the lockdown that can be used by any teacher, regardless of their musical ability, and with any size of group either in the classroom or via video tuition.”
The #BodyPercussion #RecoveryCurriculum includes:
30 x body percussion video examples, differentiated for 5-14 year olds, under themes of Rhythmic Relaxation exercises, Rhythmic Ice-Breakers, Rhythmic Declarations, Rhythmic Grooves and Rhythmic Reflections,
well-being conversation starters that are linked to each body percussion exercise that help bring to the surface what is difficult to express verbally,
creative assessment ideas to be able to demonstrate the effect and improvement of both the musical skills and well-being of the participants
guidance on how to use the #BodyPercussion #RecoveryCurriculum with Arts Award Discover and Arts Award Bronze qualifications,
links to other resources that use music to help improve the sense of well-being in a school environment,
body percussion video examples to be used with colleagues in staff meetings or team briefings to boost morale, reduce stress & anxiety and boost the immune system.
NOTES TO EDITORS:
Inspire-works
Founded in 2002, Inspire-works has a team of 20 highly experience workshop facilitators who facilitate world-music and dance workshops to over 65,000 participants each year. They are the current Guinness World Records holders for both the Largest Samba Band (1,675 participants at the Royal Albert Hall) and the Largest Drumming Lesson (1,827 participants at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park plus 10,000 online participants). They are three-times finalists in the Music Teacher Awards and their Online Learning Platform was winner of the Best Instrumental Resource in the Primary Music Magazine Awards 2019. Inspire-works are founding members of the UK National Arts Wellbeing Collective.
Mike Simpson
Inspire-works’ Co-founder and Musical Director, Mike Simpson, is also an examiner for Trinity College London, a Mental Health First Aider, an Associate of the Royal Society of Public Health, a trained Remo HealthRHYTHMS Facilitator and Rhythm2Recovery practitioner specialising in the use of rhythm to assist with social and emotional learning and recovery from trauma.
Supported using public funding by Arts Council England COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund