Martina is a musician, composer, songwriter and performer with a longstanding background in teaching German and music in British primary schools. Martina also taught at the German Saturday School in Islington and led the singing circle there for many years. She brought up her own boys bilingually. Back then, the German Saturday School as well as a Steiner school were the cradle for many of the songs she created for learning German as a foreign and second language. ‘Hey hey hallo!’ has become the Saturday School’s anthem and is still being sung now by the children to kick off the morning sessions.
Martina developed the songs into an interactive musical programme which she tours worldwide. The tours are often organised by the Goethe-Institut. Martina is now also touring her new song programme about climate protection in schools (KS1-KS3) and nurseries in the UK and abroad. Find out more and listen here!
Martina’s songbooks & CDs
Martina’s songbooks & accompanying CDs for German as a foreign and second language were created in close collaboration with the Goethe Institut London. The first songbook and CD ‘Learn German with Songs‘ was published in 2005 and by popular demand the second volume ‘Learn more German with Songs’ (also known as “Spielerisch Deutsch lernen-Lieder und Reime) followed in 2008. Both songbooks/ CDs can be ordered via the Goethe Institut London as ‘Primary kit’ Learn German with Songs , including some goodies. They are also available digitally on Bandcamp.
All songbooks contain musical notation with chord symbols as well as worksheets and a section with “tips for teachers” on how to use the songs. The CDs include a fully sung version of the song, followed by a playback version. The resources are aimed at KS1 and KS2, but are adaptable for all ages. They are an ideal way for teachers to complement their primary language lessons.
Here are some audio samples from the songbooks, all of them available digitally, see links above:
Hey, hey hallo! (Hi! Hello!) (Learn German with Songs)
Hitzefrei! (“Heat-free!”, a song about getting time off school when it’s too hot) (Learn more German with Songs)
Das Wochenlied (The days of the week) (Learn German with Songs)
Der Tier-Tango (The animal-tango) (Learn more German with Songs)
Martina would love to visit your school and workshop these and other songs with your pupils.
You can follow up the sessions with accompanying audio files, lyrics, scores and tips for teachers. Please get in touch to discuss your requirements.