Planet Birdsong delivers locally adapted workshops in schools and other settings, lasting anything from an hour to several days, for any age group. They can be delivered live or online.

Possible workshop modules include:

• Birdsong and Music workshops with The Conference of Birds or our custom Birdsong studio.
• Physics and birdsong workshops which can be adapted to the UK National curriculum for primary or secondary students
• Workshops engaging participants in classrooms and in the field with Bioacoustic Games.
• Activities surrounding bioacoustic recording and data collection using a parabolic reflector.
• Educational bird walks with expert ornithologists.
• Creating songs using slowed-down birdsong, suitable for larger groups such as entire classes or community choirs.

School workshops can include whole school and whole class activities, activities for small groups, or a combination of these. We have worked with James de Winter, who leads the secondary Physics PGCE course at the University of Cambridge, to align our work with the UK national curriculum. We can adapt workshops to suit special needs. We assume the full involvement of class teachers and group leaders, and leave behind the tools for them to follow up our activities, including powerpoint lesson plans where appropriate.

​ Click here to watch videos of some of our educational activities.

"Thanks for an amazing few days, for all the work you put into it and all the people you inspired to go on forays to the outside world with a new dimension"
- Rosalind Forbes Adam, the Woodmeadow Trust.

"This birdsong inspired education work is truly groundbreaking.…. combines cutting edge technology and exciting creative expression with first class musical and ornithological knowledge and expertise."
- Jan Dungey, Waveney and Blyth Arts, Suffolk

"We started and ended the day all together, learning about sonographs (used to show the highs, lows and lengths of different notes) and how birdsong is made up of repeated patterns. This included drawing our own sonographs and creating lyrics to birdsong!

Next we were split into smaller groups and got the chance to walk through the grounds, and — with the help of Peter Cowdrey, the founder of Planet Birdsong, we quickly learnt to distinguish between the different birds we could hear. This included the great tit, wren, blackbird, robin, chaffinch, chiffchaff, wood pigeon and more. We also saw a greater spotted woodpecker feeding its young in their nest, high up in a tree.

In my opinion, the best part of the day was the opportunity to ‘sing like a bird’. This concept might appear strange, but it was the most unique and eye-opening experience I have ever had. Birdsong is far too quick and high pitched for a human to sing, so Planet Birdsong have slowed down recordings of birds, to a quarter or even an eighth of their original speed. Then all you need to do is copy the sounds you hear. After a few practices, this is recorded and sped up again, and you really can sing like a bird!

The day was a great success all round and I am sure that none of us will ever think of birdsong as meaningless twitter again!"
- Phoebe Peppé, U4, Kilgraston School, Perthshire

---

"The team got them involved really quickly, and gave us great material for incorporating into maths, geography and science. The children loved taking the birdsong they'd recorded outside and putting it into Raven, Audacity and Thumbjam. It was really enjoyable and interesting.

The children learned three or four birds they'll be able to identify now and they will definitely continue with an interest in birds."
- Sam Jones, Hopton Primary School.


"The children greatly enjoyed it, and are proud of the results of the work. Many were pleased to share the video with their families via the school website. I feel that your work really inspired the children, especially in the area of music. Thank you again for all you have done for our school."
- Richard Williams, Holbrook Primary.

---

"We are extremely fortunate to have participated in this project"
- Tamsin Young, teacher, Garboldisham Primary.

---

"a fantastic event...gave the children an understanding of the complex rhythms of birdsong and helped them to appreciate so many different aspects of music. A brilliant and stimulating educational idea!"
- Simon Kingsley-Pallant, Dunhurst School.

---

"It was great to combine ICT and birdsong. An exciting opportunity for the children."
- Class teacher, East Meon Primary.

---

"I listen to birdsong differently now. It was fantastic."
- Pupil, aged 11.

---

"We learned so much about birds that we didn't know before."
- Pupil, aged 10.