Gaspard the Fox

Product Information

The RSNO National Schools Concert Programme introduces thousands of primary school pupils across Scotland to classical music each year through a series of live concerts, in-school workshops, accompanying learning resources, and CPD sessions for teachers. With a variety of in-person and digital opportunities for young learners, primary and secondary schools, and teachers, this year’s activity builds on last year’s successful National Schools Concert Programme, ensuring that everyone can take part. Nobody is born into this world with racist, ageist or homophobic beliefs, we learn them, so children’s books are the perfect place to instil early messages of kindness and humanity. “

Brought to life by Jonathan Dove’s wonderful composition, Gaspard’s latest adventure is the perfect introduction to classical music for primary school pupils in P3 – P6.Ensuring that pupils can benefit from the positive holistic impact on learning and engagement that musical education can bring. James Mayhew lives in the Suffolk countryside, surrounded by wild animals and nature, with big skies, full of light - perfect for artists. Aside from the Gaspard the Fox series, his other titles for independent Welsh publisher Graffeg are: The Knight Who Took All Day (adapted as a work for narrator and orchestra by Bernard Hughes) and illustrations for the M ouse and Mole series (by Joyce Dunbar), animated for television with the voices of Alan Bennett and Richard Briers.

Providing opportunities for children to deepen their understanding of culture in Scotland and the wider world. Book Two will be published in August and I’m already working on a third. Fred is yet to make an appearance, but you’ve just given me an idea 😉 I don’t like feeling I’m being preached at, so I hope the themes in the Gaspard books are almost homeopathic … just there, running throughout. Everything I write for the BBC is written to be read aloud on the radio and so, quite unconsciously, I think I selected words for this book that are pleasurable to say and many adults have said how much they enjoy reading it to children. It is perhaps a bit challenging in places for a very young child to read for themselves; Peter the Cat, for example, uses quite sophisticated language – but I think that is a good thing and I’m grateful to my wonderful publisher, Graffeg, for allowing me ‘Lepidoptery’! I learned a lot of vocabulary reading for myself when I was younger. You feel empowered as a child with exactly the right word for something. This year, the programme is going digital! Join us for Gaspard’s Foxtrot– a digital concert experience featuring the popular children’s book character, Gaspard the Fox. Narrated by author Zeb Soanes and presented by animateur Lucy Drever, the orchestral tale follows Gaspard accidentally boarding a bus to London and exploring the sights, sounds and smells of the city before trying to find his way home.Is the programme also appropriate for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND)? Join us for the musical version of the much-loved modern classics, narrated by the author with beautiful live illustrations. Charlotte’s Web comes instantly to mind from my childhood reading; where a spider saves a pig from being killed by weaving inspirational messages into her web above the pig-sty. It’s a beautiful story. Lucy Drever will host two live sessions online in advance of the concert! Expect fun and games, links to the resources, what to expect from the concert and some special RSNO guests.