Hopscotch is a new pilot project from Music4U, the Humber Region Youth Music Action Zone, which will over the coming year focus on encouraging and revitalising Playground Songs & Singing Games in primary school playgrounds across the region.

Using brightly coloured resources including a distinctive ‘Song Stop’ sign as well as skipping ropes and balls, a trained community musician will act as song leader and will take the children through traditional and newly invented singing games together.

The Hopscotch project will then train and support the older children in primary schools to become ‘song leaders’ themselves so that they can carry on the tradition and play games and singing song with their peers and  the younger children in the schools.

Hopscotch aims to encourage enjoyment, singing experience, confidence, leadership, social skills and healthy exercise within children and helps schools benefit from a boost to playground and social activity and from new play ideas and musical resources.

The project is taking place is 16 different schools across the region and the first group of schools to take part include Hessle Penshurst Primary, Hessle; Boothferry Primary School, Goole and Bishop Wilton Primary, near Stamford Bridge. Each school will have five one-hour playground singing workshops with a group of up to 20 children and these sessions will take place during lunchtimes and after-school. Staff will be encouraged to join in so that understand the process and can then encourage the children to develop these activities in the future.

Music4U’s Project Co-ordinator for Hopscotch, Jo Glover, explained that by encouraging songs that are sung in today's playgrounds, making new ones of our own and introducing traditional rhymes and games collected in our region, Hopscotch will bring an exciting new dimension to out    of school singing and happy playgrounds. 

Mike Allen, a Music4U community musician who ran one of the first sessions as Hessle Penshurst Primary School in Hessle said: “Everybody enjoyed the games and the new leaders are eager to get going. The sight of 20 children and adults 'Jump Jim Joeing' was wonderful!”

For more information about the Hopscotch project visit the Early Years section at
www.humber-music4u.com

Press Contact: Melanie Paris
T: 01904 632220

Sam Sumerfield
E: press@humber-music4u.com

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_{Notes to Editors:}

<sub>1. Music4U is the Humber Region Youth Music Action Zone. Music4U is co-ordinated by the National Centre for Early Music working in partnership with the East Riding of Yorkshire, Hull, North East Lincolnshire and North Lincolnshire Councils. The Action Zones have been instigated and funded by Youth Music and are supported by Arts Council England, Yorkshire.
More info is available at www.humber-music4u.com

2. Youth Music is a UK-wide charity that funds and facilitates music making for young people up to the age of 18, particularly those living in areas of social and economic need. By 2010, Youth Music aims to have reached 3 million children and young people in a UK-wide strategy to support youth music making.
More info is available at www.youthmusic.org.uk.

3. Since the creation of the first Youth Music Action Zone in 2000, the concept has been rolled out over 24 regions across England and Wales, some of which are now in their sixth year of operation. With a remit to support music-making activities for some of the UK’s most disadvantaged young people, Youth Music Action Zones have gone on to reach over 230,000 children and young people, encouraging their talents, building their confidence and transforming the landscape of musical opportunity throughout the UK.  The music making supported is of the widest variety, from Hip Hop and DJing to Classical and Jazz.</sub>