Environment the Musical goes international
Environment the Musical (ETM) was written and produced in Ireland by Annette McNelis and a team of skilled musicians, singers and artists. Annette took inspiration from her native country and wanted to inspire others to look after the environment and the countryside around them. As a result she decided to develop her own environmental resource. The ETM pack contains the script, full lyrics and 4 CDs containing the songs, backing tracks, optional harmonies and incidental music. The song sheets are available as downloadable PDFs. You can read more about how she came to develop ETM in this blog post.
Ireland isn’t the only place to be
The first song in the musical, ‘The Place to Be’, is all about how Ireland is a great place to live. Lots of schools and groups in Ireland have been using the ETM pack for several years, and thousands of kids have learned the words and messages behind the songs. With ‘The Place to Be’, Annette wanted to tap into kids’ pride in where they live. This would help to encourage them to protect the environment in their everyday lives. It would also spread the message to their families and communities.
Global Appeal
However, Annette realised that Environment the Musical would work just as well as an environmental resource in other countries. She has written alternative lyrics to the song that means it can apply to any country or community. ‘Ireland’ becomes ‘our land’ and specific place names are left out. The song is now universal- just like our environment. These lyrics are available on the website here.
From Albania to the USA and in between
Interest in Environment the Musical from other countries continues to grow. Schools from the USA to Albania are using it, showing that environmental messages transcend borders, just like music. The importance of caring for our natural world is clear and schools can play a unique part in spreading the message. Annette developed the pack so that non-experts can use it, no matter where they are based. The simple song lyrics also make it a great learning aid for schools teaching English as a foreign language. ETM complements the Eco-Schools programme, no matter where you’re based. Teachers can use ETM alongside other resources to make learning fun, engaging and memorable.
If you’d like to find out more and see if the pack is right for your group, visit https://www.annettemcnelis.ie or contact Annette directly at 