Cool4school

Directions Website

Cool4school Funky, Fun, On-Line Songs, Rhythms, Dance & Movement for Schools
A streamable library of songs, a wi

14/10/2026

Halloween is nearly here. If you need a song to fuel your kids imagination, 'Ghosts' in the Cool4school Rhythm, Song & Dance platform is ever popular. Here are kids at a recent workshop in the USA. The wonderful Rainbow Elementary!! Singing, moving and acting!

04/10/2026

It's been surreal to see the footage coming from Bangkok with the flooding of parts of the city. Happy to say that people I know are safe and overall it has not been fatal to the population. But my thoughts are with the beautiful Thai people and the impact on their lives, short and longer term. The resilience and empathy towards each other is something that comes through in times of crisis (not always but... ). And that seems to be case here. So, Anna Gower, at St Andrews International School Bangkok International Day celebrations are this week. After a few days working online they are back at school and the show goes on. Their school have been learning the Cool4school song 'Togetherness.' She sent me this footage of an arrangement they have made for the music staff to play along, plus a track of the choir singing the track. Some of the kids came in on their rehearsal so sing-along. That the song has been embraced, reimagined and is a focal point of the celebrations is wonderful. And the message of 'Togetherness' has a poignance at this particular time.

Bangkok Days - I'm heading back to the UK after a few weeks in SE Asia. Two of the schools I have known the longest are ...
22/09/2026

Bangkok Days - I'm heading back to the UK after a few weeks in SE Asia. Two of the schools I have known the longest are British School (DBS) and Bromsgrove International School Thailand. They have both been long-term users of our Rhythm, Song & Dance, Cool4school. We always culminate the day with a concert to the parents in their amazing theatres. They either have chosen songs and taught them from C4S for each year group. Or, I teach them on the day. At Bromsgrove, I play with a live band made up of the music teaching staff and instrumental teachers. It's a blast. Parents at each school know they'll be dancing so now they are just up for it!

Because I'm so familar to the kids from the videos it's like they know me. Case in point. I made the dumb mistake of thinking I'd walk the 10 minutes from my hotel to the school (DBS). I'm dripping with sweat within 2 minutes. As I trudge towards reception I see a young kid with her mum with the biggest smile on her face waving. 'Hi, MARCEL!!" Okay, I look like I've just finished a marathon and I'm questioning my decision making, but that welcome, well.....

Thanks to the brilliant James Gower, Emily and Rachel Argo and to all of their department and sound people. I was so glad I got to hang out with Jonathan Ang who could not make FOBISIA this year for very good reason!

It's always a pleasure to visit Harrow International Bangkok, and working with the lovely Beth Bown. I do a session with...
13/09/2026

It's always a pleasure to visit Harrow International Bangkok, and working with the lovely Beth Bown.
I do a session with the big kids first. Meaning, my first workshop is with the parents! I love that. It's a great way of giving them a sense of the rich mix of musical opportunities and activities the music department provide their kids. Cool4school being one of them.
Then I do sessions with the actual kids. Great fun, great energy and engagement!! Then culminating the day with a session with the choir. How cool to hear them sing 'Togetherness' complete with harmonies. After all these years, I get to do a session with Robert Kilvington-Shaw whom I met first in Hong Kong at West Island School many years back. He was just starting out SE Asia. And look at him now!! Incredible the path we go down. Lovely to see Hannah as well. Thanks Beth, Kyle and one and all.

International Days: 'You are the first class in the world to do this song (Togetherness)!" That's quite a statement to m...
03/09/2026

International Days: 'You are the first class in the world to do this song (Togetherness)!" That's quite a statement to make to your students. But, Head of Primary Music and dear friend, Anna Gower was not exaggerating. I was watching the kids faces. 'Could this be true or is she bigging this up?" Anyway, of course I confirmed this is indeed true. St Andrews International School Bangkok's, Thailand is a lovely and apt place for me to hear the song in action, since Anna suggested it in the first place. What a great day and welcoming school. Hearing songs from Cool4school you've written sang back to you (Pirates, Body Rap) so well and with such joy is always a cool experience. Knowing that a new song 'Togetherness' will be used as the theme for their International Day means that the song is doing what it was set out to do. Thanks St Andrew's, to Anna and all your colleagues! www.cool4school.org.uk

30/08/2026

'When We Come Together, Respect the Places We've Come from'. In a time that seems to highlight the negatives of difference I'm delighted in schools they take care to celebrate them.
So, this track 'Togetherness' has just been added to the Cool4school library. I'm delighted to be launching it in Bangkok, Thailand this week at St Andrew's International. We're also adding a section on our website called 'Behind the Scenes' that provides an insight to the process of writing, filming, concerts, animation, videos, etc that teachers can show for a 5 or 10 minute respite. It's been inspired by the wonderful questions we get asked by kids about those involved with Cool4School. It will hopefully give an idea of jobs that are done in the performing arts industry. Of course, there will be the 'Outtakes' with us messing up!
www.cool4school.org.uk - Global Music, Rhythm, Song and Dance. "Cool4School is a way of helping to refresh your curriculum, inspire your students, and make your classroom the happiest place in the school".

26/08/2026

Summer often provides the space and time to write, record and film across projects. One of the projects is writing material and adding it to the Cool4school, Rhythm, Song & Dance library. International Day, celebrating the diverse mix of cultures in schools. Thank you for this suggestion Anna Gower. I'll be traveling far and wide over the next few months. Kids at some schools are really invested in Cool4School. They access us regularly, learning songs and dance moves via a screen. It's cool to show them what lies behind what they see. It may even inspire them to go down the creative route. In anticipation of seeing them in person I sometimes send on a video. I'm in the USA on business soon and will stop by a couple of loyal C4S users in Florida, the wonderful Rainbow Elementary Music and Forest City Elementary!! And, I launch this tune in Thailand at Anna's St Andrews International School Bangkok's, first. Big shout out to fabulous film-maker Steve French and Nicole and Joel!! www.cool4school.org.uk

16/08/2026

International Day. A Cool4school is on its way!

COOL4SCHOOL AROUND THE WORLD. This time Australia. I was delighted to be asked by Musical Futures International to open ...
28/06/2026

COOL4SCHOOL AROUND THE WORLD.
This time Australia. I was delighted to be asked by Musical Futures International to open their Big Gig Conference and run some Cool4school sessions in Melbourne.

Musical Futures International over 10 years have established an ever-growing community of motivated teachers who use their platform that provides practical, hands-on ways of teaching music using a range of resources.

Anna Gower, one of MFI Directors, successfully uses our Global Rhythm, Song and Dance resource within her music program at St Andrews International School Bangkok Thailand alongside MFI and other resources.
I opened the conference with the Body Rap and closed it with fun jam. Where I used the C4S track 2/3 clave body rhythm, Celebrate. I combined rhythm parts using percussion, teachers playing guitars, singing the 5 different Celebration words and movement. Great vibes!

06/06/2026

"Tapping into your inner child" It didn't take much to get the infant staff at Tanglin School, Singapore to tap into that side of themselves. I'm not sure how much fun you should have at CPD session!!
I met the wonderful Delphine Hastwell and Fiona Lucas at FOBISIA last year in Vietnam. Delphine organised 2 days of Cool4school, Rhythm, Song & Dance for the infants and juniors. It was a enjoyable interactive, high energy time.

Tanglin have been using Cool4School for a while. What Delphine found valuable in the sessions was me introducing the classes to different songs and rhythms in the library that she did not necessarily know. Also important was that non-specialist music teachers seeing their kids reaction and engagement to the content. In the CPD she was then able to encourage them to use music in their lessons.
What was informative for C4S was the Tanglin music staff showing me their own Cool4School playlist. How the content is used in their music program. The use of the latin rhythms, syncopation exercises, number games, call & response rhythms plus the African and Indian dance and warm up grooves. They mixed this up with using Sing Up, Charanga, Sparkyard, and a variety of other resources. Essentially, it re-enforced my understanding that teachers are looking to offer their students a rich mix of content and are not beholden to one thing.

Working with youngest kids I've always loved. No inhibitions, nothing to lose, no filters, crazy imagination. Just a reminder of why music is magical. When you have teachers who have that same level of playfulness it's a beautiful thing. Thank you Delphine and your wonderful colleagues. It was a trip!!!
www.cool4school.org.uk Free Trial

Address

Warlingham

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5pm
Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 5pm

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Cool4school posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Shortcuts

Share

Category