A much loved school resource is now available for the next generation – a project that is being welcomed by Associate Minister of Education Jan Tinetti.

Kiwi Kidsongs were distributed to schools every year for almost 20 years until 2010 and now 50 of the classics including Fish and Chips and Individuality are available online.

“This is an extremely valued resource. I used Kiwi Kidsongs every day when I was teaching and the kids loved them because they could see themselves and their experiences in the very catchy songs,” Jan Tinetti said.

“Kiwi Kidsongs made classroom and family memories. Songs like these support teachers to provide effective and rich learning experiences in music for their students which helps to make sure every child gets a great education

“As the Prime Minister has said, we want New Zealand to be the best place in the world to be a child, and taking the very best of musical education from the past and sharing it with the next generation is another step towards this,” Jan Tinetti said.

Fifty Kiwi Kidsongs will be launched through the Ministry of Education’s Arts Online website from 28 October. The project is a collaboration with Music Education New Zealand Aotearoa (MENZA).

The newly released classic collection has been specifically curated to capture a strong New Zealand identity. About a third of the songs use te reo and reflect te ao Māori and many include Pacific cultures.

The songs will be available as video karaoke tracks, and each complete song is accompanied by teaching suggestions, a full musical score and a track without vocals. They are aimed at children from Years 1—8.

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