Education On Fire - Sharing creative and inspiring learning in our schools 051: Why 18,000 schools are using ‘Out of the Ark Music’
Out of the Ark Music was born out of a passionate belief that children deserve the very best.
Good songs leave a lasting impression and contain huge potential to make a difference to our lives. The importance of music and the arts cannot be emphasised enough and, though often overlooked, they are a vital part of our children’s education.
Our goal is…
- To enhance and expand children’s enjoyment of music and the world around them by producing songs that are thought provoking, relevant and most of all great fun to sing.
- To produce top quality materials to give today’s children music which excites them and to which they can readily relate.
- To teach about music using traditional methods i.e. by providing strong melodies, interesting song structures and clever rhymes and combining these with modern musical arrangements.
- To preserve the best of our musical and literary heritage whilst embracing modern styles and instrumentation.
- To write good positive songs that re-enforce self-worth and significance and that are appropriate to children’s experience.
- To convey truth and teach about Christian values and faith.
- To make all our resources completely teacher-friendly and to support our customers through excellent customer service.
I interview Antony Copus – Head of Education Development about their history and new projects being developed.
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History
In 1989 Mark and Helen Johnson were asked to write a short nativity musical by the headteacher of the primary school where Helen was teaching. ‘Off To Bethlehem’ was a huge success and within months Mark and Helen were given the opportunity of leaving their jobs to explore and develop their gift in writing music. It was with a deep breath and a big step of faith that Mark and Helen went on to set up their own publishing and production company as a vehicle for distributing their songs to primary schools.
What began with only a tiny desk under the stairs, has grown over 25 years to become a thriving business, which now supplies over 18,000 primary schools and prep schools (not to mention nurseries, churches, theatre groups, etc!) across the UK and countless others around the world. With publishing offices and a warehouse in Middlesex, a recording studio in Sussex and with an associate office in Australia, ‘Out Of The Ark’ is reaching out to the corners of the earth with good, positive songs, that everyone will enjoy.
https://twitter.com/singoutoftheark