Pre-visit information
THE ROCKTOPUS EXPERIENCE!
Everything you need to know before our visit
Our Requirements
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- A large, uncluttered space for the workshops (the same space for the duration of our visit)
- A room for us to work in during lunch break (if possible)
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Preparing your package
Below you’ll find answers to common questions before a Rocktopus Experience workshop and hopefully this will be enough to get you on the path to creating your bespoke package for our visit. Do get in touch if you have any more questions.
After reading the following Q&A’s we hope that you will have everything you need to fill out the timetable above and send it over to us. You can also send through any questions or extra information which you’d like us to know. Once we’ve looked at the timetable, we will come back to you with any questions and we should then be all set for the day.
If you would like to arrange a time to talk on the phone, we are more than happy to make time for you. Just let us know when you’re free to talk and we will book in a call.
Q&A
Q. How many sessions can we do in a day?
A. In mainstream schools we run 4 hour long sessions throughout the day. You will see that there are 7 available slots on the above timetable. This doesn't mean you have to fill them all but we've found from experience that some classes in special schools prefer shorter half hour long workshops. Please keep the total amount of workshop time to a maximum of 4 hours over the day.
Q. How many children do you work with per session?
A. In a music making session we work with a maximum of 30 children. In all other sessions we can work with between 10 and 70 children.
Q. Which activities should we choose for our children?
A. On the timetable you’ll see that the last column asks you which kind of session you’d like. Songwriting, music making, musical/sensory, or other. Here’s a little more info to help you decide.
Songwriting:
Simple level
For children who are perhaps less verbal or non verbal, we can create our ‘name song’. In this activity, we get all the children’s names and find out something which they like and something which they don’t like. This can come from the child or their carer. We then turn all of this information into lyrics for our song which we sing and perform to the children. The children love hearing their names in the song as they wave to us (perhaps with help), and enjoy having us look at them and show that we know something about them as we sing. This song can be recorded and given to you to use as a daily activity in class.
Advanced Level
In this session children will choose the chords from our chord cards, and come up with ideas for lyrics for whatever song theme you'd like them to work with. We can give as much or little input as is needed to make this possible. We then help the children to create dance/movement routines for each part of the song which they can perform as we play. These can be as simple or complex as needed. There is then the opportunity to make a music video of the session at the end with children moving to the music.
Music making
Children work with simple percussive and tuned instruments to engage with the band. We will lead some inclusive drum circle type activities at whatever level of need is appropriate.
Musical/sensory
This is more of a performance or sensory experience for children. We can introduce our instruments and start at very quiet levels gently showing different rhythms and sounds. Over the session we can increase the volume and intensity in line with the children’s sensory needs. It’s a way of bringing a live music experience to children for whom it might usually be too intense. We are able to respond to the children and teachers and make it as energetic as is appropriate for the group.
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Q. Can we make music videos?
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A. The process of making music videos involves the children appearing in front of the band, responding to the music in some way (dance or movement) and being filmed by the camera which sits on a tripod in front of them. If any of your more able groups are likely to be able to access this experience and you'd like us to make a music video at the end of their session, please add this info to the timetable. These sessions need to be at least 45 minutes long.
Some special schools opt out of making music videos and choose to film the children with their ipads instead.
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Arriving, leaving and location
We will arrive with you at around 8am. We will need to have a short conversation with the person responsible for booking us upon or shortly after our arrival. We will stay on site until we've finished editing the videos. We aim to leave before 5:30pm. Before each workshop it's really helpful to have a recap of the specific needs ot the class and individuals within that class. This allows us to be extra sensitive and make sure we pitch what we're doing correctly.
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Lunchtime
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Our equipment can't be moved at lunchtime although only takes up a 5m x 2m space in the hall. Schools which have very lengthy lunchtime periods occasionally schools opt for packed lunches in classrooms to avoid eating in to workshop time. If your school offers meals to visitors please let us know. We always enjoy sampling the local cuisine!
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Music videos
If you decide to make music videos, these videos will be private, unlisted and unavailable to the public. They are hosted by Vimeo and can only be accessed via our website on a password protected page. This allows children to share their experience and creativity with their parents at home and makes it easy for teachers to use the videos in class.
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Filming Permissions
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Please ensure that all teachers are familiar with the children in their class who can't be filmed and we will ensure they are not in the final video. These children can still access 95% of the workshop content. Some schools give parents the opportunity to make an exception to their stance on filming children for this exciting, confidence building opportunity.
Teacher Involvement
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Our workshops are an excellent opportunity to deepen the bond between teachers and children. We aim to get everyone involved in the process and find that having teachers and TAs present enhances the experience for the children.
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Local Press
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This can be a great opportunity to shout about the amazing things your school is doing in the local press. We are more than happy to pose for photos and provide quotes if you want to contact a local paper.
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Please feel free to get in touch if you have any questions or if there is anything you need to communicate to us.
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