1. Living in Coventry

This embraces different musical styles from an ‘Irish’ style waltz through LiC riffs and a 2020:2021 chant to rapping the places in Coventry over a djembe accompaniment.

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The choir greets the audience, as if inside a circus tent, with a really bright and cheery, waltzy, 3 beats-in-a-bar welcome to the Cultural Cantata. Singing needs to be instantly strong and warm; loud and rhythmic for the C’mon section; accurate for the Living in Coventry riffs with carefully placed high pitched choral ‘oohs’.
 
Teach/learn the song in sections:
Figure A     Waltz    KS1    Irish tinged folk dance (sing twice).
              B     C’mon    KS1    chant/clap (cumulative rhythms: 1:2:3:4).
              C     Living in Coventry/Ooh!
              D     Living in Coventry/Godiva.
              E     Living in Coventry/Ooh!/Stop your messing around.
              F     2021 refrain KS1; Living history counter melody. [REPEAT]
              G     Back in history.
              H     Cov place names + djembes.
 
The LiC riffs demand good tuning and the high ‘oohs’ should be sung with a gesture (index finger of one hand pointing upwards).
 
Use untuned percussion to shake/tap the two beats between the 2020/21 refrain.
G  Extension of Living history melody and city places chant.
H  Djembes.
 
 ♫     Listen to other songs by the Specials.
          Which of their songs can you hear in this  arrangement?  
          [Ghost Town and Message to you Rudy]
💡     Identify different areas of the city on a map of Coventry.

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