Notes from School

Following on from last week’s great chat about youth singing and self-confidence, today we now look at how music can help build self-confidence with professional and personal success. In the assembly hall today we are joined by Ella Writer, CEO of coaching company Bright Yellow who imparts some wisdom from her 10+ years experience in consulting for FTSE 250 companies. There’s a musical analysis of WHY music makes us feel a certain way plus a chat about finding your tribe. Before we get there,...

How can singing in a choir from a young age boost your self confidence? In this week’s assembly we have a special guest! Rachel Staunton is the co-founder and artistic director of London Youth Choir and she joins me on the podcast this week to talk about LYC and the amazing ways it helps support young singers in the London area. She gives tips for using song at all ages and how self-confidence can be built through choir singing. For this week’s song, it’s time for a Valentine’s Day theme as M...

It might be February but this week’s assembly is taking us to wedding season. After a big response of answers online, I have put together the Top 20 of hymns sung at weddings in the UK. Some of the tunes might be surprising, some of them absolute classics and some just big tunes from the school hall. Listen to the end to find out which three I had! For some reason I gave three of them Number 20 but hopefully you get what I mean… In the catchup this week, I announce some new shows with a Soho ...

Welcome back to the school hall for a trip back in time to 18th Century Scotland. This week’s assembly takes a historical twist as I dive into some classic Scottish folk tunes that would have been sung in schools across the UK. Discover the link between Loch Lomond, Charlie is my Darling, the Skye Boat Song and My Bonnie lies over the ocean. In the catchup, I talk about AI in schools and the sad music news from Cardiff University. Plus, do you go to see shows alone? I had some amazing c...

Welcome back to the school hall for this week’s assembly! Settle down and let’s have fingers on lips while I catch you up on my first gigs of the year, playing at a tech conference and going to the press night of the amazing Kinky Boots featuring my younger brother as the lead. In this week’s Q&A session I uncover a forgotten classic from the Alleluya! song book, teach you some tongue-twisters (give them a go!), recommend some NEW assembly bangers (Conkers, Spring Chicken etc) and di...

How does an online music teacher end up performing nostalgic school assembly songs around the UK at hundreds of shows? Join me, James B Partridge, as I recount my unexpected journey from virtual music lessons to viral TikTok success in the debut episode of "Notes from School." Discover how a simple suggestion to post on TikTok led to an exciting musical adventure that brought the joy of singalongs from the screen to the stage.In a light-hearted Q&A session, I dive into my DREAM festival g...

Sit up straight and get ready to sing! Introducing...Notes from School. A weekly assembly with James B Partridge (or Mr Partridge to the naughty Year 6s on the back benches!) where we take a deep dive into the songs and stories from your school days.I'd love to hear your favourite memories, song requests or questions. Send them in to notesfromschoolpodcast@gmail.com. Follow me at @jamesbpartridge. Don’t forget to follow and subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts. Give a little review. Unle...