Foundscapes and soundscapes^©

This is a brand new work commissioned by Choir of the Year in partnership with Sing Up. Choir of the Year is the UK’s largest singing competition and celebrates the best singing groups of all ages and music styles. Choir of the Year has involved more than 2,000 choirs over its 25-year history and given inspiration to millions. For more information click here.

Words and Music by Barry Russell

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Song Lyrics View: Normal

Foundscapes and soundscapes is a graphic score which means that it uses signs, symbols, pictures, shapes and colours to suggest possible sounds, pitch, rhythms and textures. The score suggests aural landscapes in which imaginations are free to wander and voices free to experiment with sounds which are then shaped and ordered to produce a performance piece.

BBC Radio 3 Choir of the Year joined forces with Sing Up to commission the work from composer Barry Russell for its ‘Taking the Stage’ project last autumn, where eleven choirs came together to perform to audiences at the Choir of the Year Finals in Liverpool and London.

Recordings of eleven very different versions of Foundscapes and soundscapes created by the choirs can be downloaded here (On the Audio Clips page) and show just how creative you can be with the score. Notes for singing leaders are available to help you get started but the nature of the score means that children can come up with all the ideas and sounds themselves and even direct the performance.

“I thought the graphic score was great. It was fun composing and making actions and it was exciting and creative.”

“I really enjoyed doing Foundscapes and soundscapes because we got to find new ways of making sounds, not only by using our mouths.”

View all lyrics in whiteboard mode

Song Information

Year group 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, Reception

Subject English, Music, Science

Key stage KS1, KS2, KS2/KS3

Style Other

Lyrics/Song Sheets

Foundscapes and soundscapes (illustrated score)

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Teaching Song Guides

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Song Writer Biography

Barry Russell

Barry has worked as a secondary school teacher, and a ‘Musician in the Community’ Senior Lecturer and Artist in residence. He is a pianist/performer with the Cornelius Cardew Ensemble, 50p worth of the Pound Shop Boys and works Europe wide as a freelance composer/animateur. Barry has also written a book of composition projects for GCSE - ‘The GCSE Composition Course’.

‘Town and Country’ written by Barry for the Proms 2001, saw children from Cumbria and Stockport performing alongside the BBC Philharmonic. In addition to his work for the BBC Philharmonic, he has directed education and community projects for the Northern Sinfonia, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Britten Sinfonia, Manchester Camerata and NOEL, as well as four tutor residencies for the COMA Summer School. Barry has worked with musicians from some of these orchestras to help develop their animateur skills for education and community work. His ‘Supermarket Symphony’ involving community groups and 20 members of the BBC Philharmonic was premiered to great acclaim in May 2003.

In May 2004, Barry was one of 12 UK professionals working in the field of music education/community, to be invited to a British Council Conference on good practice and innovation in orchestra/opera education at the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam.

Audio and copyright information

Copyright information

All copyright music in the Sing Up programme is used by permission. The songwriters and/or copyright holders have been remunerated under due licensing arrangements. Find out more about copyright by visiting the UK Music and Sound Rights websites.