Songbook of the Earth is an excting project that Manchester Camerata and the Bridgewater Hall Community Education Trust are delivering over the 2009/10 season. Inspired by Mahler's Das Lied von der Erde, we will be working with 14 primary schools across Greater Manchester, The Wirral and Chester to create a brand new song cycle inspired by the Earth, its environments and communities, which will then be performed live on the Bridgewater Hall stage, accompanied by Manchester Camerata, on 19th April 2010. All the songs will then be published in a Songbook at the end of the project.

Working with poet Terry Caffrey, composer Kate Pearson, and musicians from Manchester Camerata, each school will have three workshops over the year, where they will devise lyrics, and compose the music to set them to, before performing their new songs at the Bridgewater Hall.

In addition to working directly with 14 schools, we would like to extend the opportunity to be involved in the project to other schools. By registering as an online school, you will have access to supporting materials to enable you to deliver a mini-version of the project in your school. This is ideal for teachers who are comfortable leading and delivering music with their classes. Videos of our workshops will help you to devise your own lyrics with your pupils, and then set these to music, creating your own songs.

To sign up as an online school, please send an email to Charlotte Spencer at cspencer@manchestercamerata.com including the name of the lead teacher, the school name, the year group you intend to work with, a phone number and your email address. We will then send you a username and password to enable you to access the online resources.