Drawing on our experiences with live performance, music and education the Three Stones team were instrumental in the creation of the Rastamouse Rocksteady Reggae School; an Early Years and Key Stage One music education programme. The project is designed for children aged four to six years old and delivers key aspects of the National Music Curriculum with formats that can be tailored to individual needs.
Inspired by the original Rastamouse stories of Michael De Souza and Genevieve Webster, the CBeebies television programme, and incorporating the uplifting music of Andrew Kingslow; the Rocksteady music project puts a variety of instruments into the hands of children to provide a thoroughly cross-curricular experience that excites and engages young mind of all abilities as part of timetabled lessons.
Embraced by children, parents and most importantly by the teachers delivering this unique experience the Rocksteady school project is proof of the depth and quality of penetration that the Rastamouse brand enjoys.
Developed with music practitioner Sally Greaves with the support of The Rastamouse Company, the team at EMI and the Tri-borough Music Hub of Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, Hammersmith & Fulham and Westminster City; the Rocksteady programme has been piloted and evaluated in a number of London schools and boroughs since April 2012.
During 2013 Rocksteady Reggae School worked with BBC Learning on a number of unique events to bring elements of the Rastamouse music to children all around the UK. Musical workshops using ukuleles, bongos, egg shakers, wooden spoons, voice and movement provided structured activities to enable engagement at various levels and most importantly create a fun, energetic atmosphere.
With the pilot phase concluded; in Autumn 2015 Rastamouse confirmed the first routine school placements with the Tri-borough Music Hub working across three London Boroughs.
The most important thing about the Rocksteady project is getting children involved in performance, but in addition interactive musical readings by the show’s co-creator Michael De Souza provide a stage show experience which reinforces elements of the music workshops.
