Te Kotahitanga
Manu Reo o Aotearoa

Resources for teachers

Resources for teachers


This collection is still under development. Please contact us if you would like further suggestions, or to include items.



Waiata

The new Aotearoa Songbook, a collection of waiata with lyric videos, sheet music, chord charts and audio tracks

A fun sing along, instructional, Māori Performing Arts series - Maori Television

Collection of waiata by the late Jenny Shearer, with support from the Ministry of Education, with curriculum notes, music, animated video, translations and chords - tekotare.org

Waiata With Chords (MENZA)

Hei Waiata (TKI)

Te Ika a Māui - Menza



NZ Sign Language

NZ Sign Singing


Across the Pacific

Kalani Mai Okalani - YouTube


Music theory 

musictheory.net - Free website for learning to read sheet music


Singing games

National Youth Choirs of Scotland singing games video resources from Early Childhood to Intermediate: https://www.nycos.co.uk/learn/video-resources/ 

https://www.musicalfuturesonline.org/resource-type/find-your-voice/  


Warm-ups for singing

  • Warm-ups help the singers relax and loosen up the muscles in the body – tight muscles could cause the singers to use their voice incorrectly.

  • Introduce a new song by doing an aerobic type warm-up to a recording or accompaniment of the song. 

  • Use warm-ups to put the group at ease and increase the sense of community.

  • Warm-ups can stretch and increase the vocal range and encourage listening, familiarising students' ears with musical jumps and scales.

Seven ways to warm-up your vocal cords - BBC Teach

Physical warm-ups

Breathing exercises

Preparing to sing

Head voice - high to low notes

Vowel warm-ups

Consonant warm-ups and tongue twisters

Flexible fast warm-ups

Beautiful blend warm-ups


Teaching videos

How to Deliver a Music Singing Assembly - J and C Academy

Lesson ideas from the Australian National Youth Orchestra's teacher mentoring programme rhymes-and-songs


Research on the benefits of singing in the classroom

The importance of singing with your class 

musicalfutures.org - why it's more important than ever to include singing in the classroom

tlri.org.nz - Dianna Reynolds' research into wellbeing through singing in a Christchurch school 

https://www.structural-learning.com/post/singing-in-schools  

https://theeducationhub.org.nz/music-education-in-schools/  

educationalleaders.govt.nz - Chris Wargent's report into singing in Auckland Schools 

Singing Communities by Te Oti Rakena

Is Yours a Singing School by Celia Stewart

The Benefits of Using Music in the Classroom - Cinnamon's Classroom (cinnamonsclassroom.com)



International Resources

Can Sing - free songs including rounds, call and response songs, and folksongs with backing tracks and sheet music

Free songs for changing and limited-range voices

Rise Up and Sing 

National Youth Choir of Scotland - free resources

Sing Up - UK - runs the free Sing-Up Day event

Snape Maltings' Friday Afternoons (free sheet music for choirs) 

Katherine Ruhle Compositions - includes some free rounds and songs

Bethsnotes - large catalogue of free Kodaly songs with sheet music and videos

Song Book - Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra (tso.com.au) - Folk songs with free sheet music, educational resources, and orchestral backing tracks