Download the Eurovision Scheme of Work PDF here: Eurovision scheme of work final (1)Download
I love Eurovision! My first contest was 1981 when I watched Bucks Fizz win with, “Making your mind up”. There was something magical about the different countries, flags, languages all coming together and everyone voting on their favourite song. What a fantastic event! Perhaps this was the birth of No Outsiders in me.
The aim of a No Outsiders ethos in a school is to ensure all children know they belong. We are all different and that is a good thing; we talk about our differences, and we respect those differences. It’s not about celebrating, rather it’s about engaging with and understanding each other. I work at Excelsior MAT as PD Lead and I also regularly train schools across the UK on developing their equality ethos using No Outsiders. Eurovision fits in perfectly to this No Outsiders ethos. There are 37 artists from different countries working together in an environment of respect and support: there are no outsiders here!
I knew right away when the UK announced they were hosting in 2023 that I would create some lesson plans to tie in No Outsiders and Eurovision. All schools will be looking for ways to use Eurovision in their teaching that week. But I didn’t want the lesson plans to just be, “Ooh here’s Bucks Fizz/ here’s Sandi Shaw;” I wanted to make the lesson plans useful, interesting and relevant to young people in schools today. No Outsiders lessons always link to oracy and encourage children to form opinions, reflect and debate. It’s ok to disagree, as long as we disagree respectfully and listen to other opinions.
There are 8 lesson pans here written for KS2 and KS3 pupils touching on different aspects of the contest. There are only four school days in Eurovision week because of the Coronation, so I wouldn’t expect schools to fit in all of these plans; they can pick and choose plans they feel best fit the needs of their pupils. Below is an overview of each lesson with National Curriculum links.
Lesson 1: What is No Outsiders and how is it related to Eurovision?
The plan uses an image of a stage backdrop asking for respectful behaviour from concert attendees at a recent Eurovision event to explore how the event can be related to our school No Outsiders / Equality ethos.
RSE KS2 / Respectful Relationships
- the importance of respecting others, even when they are very different from them (for example, physically, in character, personality or backgrounds), or make different choices or have different preferences or beliefs
- about different types of bullying (including cyberbullying), the impact of bullying, responsibilities of bystanders (primarily reporting bullying to an adult) and how to get help
- what a stereotype is, and how stereotypes can be unfair, negative or destructive
RSE KS3 / Respectful Relationships
- how stereotypes, in particular stereotypes based on sex, gender, race, religion, sexual orientation or disability, can cause damage (for example, how they might normalise non-consensual behaviour or encourage prejudice)
- that in school and in wider society they can expect to be treated with respect by others, and that in turn they should show due respect to others, including people in positions of authority and due tolerance of other people’s beliefs
- about different types of bullying (including cyberbullying), the impact of bullying, responsibilities of bystanders to report bullying and how and where to get help
Lesson 2: Who takes part in Eurovison, and where are they in Europe?
The obvious place to start is geography. This lesson could be extended to last all week as children research flags, country borders, plane and train journeys. What if Noa Kirel from Israel misses her plane? How are you going to plan her journey from Tel Aviv to Liverpool?
KS2 Geography:
- Children should develop their use of geographical knowledge, understanding and skills to enhance their locational and place knowledge.
- locate the world’s countries, using maps to focus on Europe (including the location of Russia) and North and South America, concentrating on their environmental regions, key physical and human characteristics, countries, and major cities.
Lesson 3: Has Eurovision achieved its aims?
Why was Eurovision invented and by whom? Is it just a song contest? What were the aims and what evidence can we use to judge whether those aims have been achieved. Why “United by Music”? Are we united? This lesson uses youtube footage and oracy skills to debate, challenge and summarise.
History KS2:
- Children should regularly address and sometimes devise historically valid questions about change, cause, similarity and difference, and significance. They should construct informed responses that involve thoughtful selection and organisation of relevant historical information. They should understand how our knowledge of the past is constructed from a range of sources.
History KS3
- understand historical concepts such as continuity and change, cause and consequence, similarity, difference and significance, and use them to make connections, draw contrasts, analyse trends, frame historically-valid questions and create their own structured accounts, including written narratives and analyses
Lesson 4: How do we demonstrate success at Eurovision?
This is actually a maths lesson on statistics hiding behind Eurovision scores. There is a huge amount of data available on finishing positions, scores for each year and for individual countries; how shall we present this data? What is the most effective way to demonstrate at a glance which country or which song is the most successful? A bar graph, a tally table, a line graph, a scatter graph… investigate and decide (tables of scores are provided here, or to link in IT pupils could find their own score data and present in a spread sheet)
Maths Year 4- statistics
- interpret and present discrete and continuous data using appropriate graphical methods, including bar charts and time graphs.
- solve comparison, sum and difference problems using information presented in bar charts, pictograms, tables and other graphs.
Maths Year 5 – statistics
- solve comparison, sum and difference problems using information presented in a line graph
- complete, read and interpret information in tables, including timetables.
- They begin to decide which representations of data are most appropriate and why.
Lesson 5 How has Eurovision reflected LGBTQ+ equality?
The first Eurovison male- female kiss was shown in 1959. How many years do you think it took to feature a proper full-on kiss by a same sex couple as part of the performance? There are many examples of ways Eurovison has increased LGBTQ+ visibility, but does it still matter in 2023?
RSE KS2:
Respectful relationships- the importance of respecting others, even when they are very different from them (for example, physically, in character, personality or backgrounds), or make different choices or have different preferences or beliefs
Families and people who care for me- that others’ families, either in school or in the wider world, sometimes look different from their family, but that they should respect those differences and know that other children’s families are also characterised by love and care
RSE KS3&4
Families– that there are different types of committed, stable relationships.
Respectful relationships– the legal rights and responsibilities regarding equality (particularly with reference to the protected characteristics as defined in the Equality Act 2010) and that everyone is unique and equal
Lesson 6: How significant is costume design to a performance?
In 1950s Eurovision, costumes were the same for every act; sombre and smart. Today some acts still wear suits but there are many ways to present your act on a Eurovision stage. This lesson considers the significance of costume design and asks pupils to design their own stage costumes for a given song.
Art KS2/ KS3: produce creative work, exploring their ideas and recording their experiences; evaluate and analyse creative works using the language of art, craft and design.
Lesson 7: How to present your artist to the audience?
Each song at Eurovision is given a short introductory film; this is called a postcard. The film has two aims; to introduce the act to the television audience, but also to give the stage crew time to change the set for the next act. What do you think should be included in a Eurovision post card? Pupils are asked to design their own postcard to introduce their class.
Art and design KS3 produce creative work, exploring their ideas and recording their experiences; evaluate and analyse creative works using the language of art, craft and design.
Lesson 6 Who will win Eurovision 2023?
There is no doubt we are united by music this week, but as Saturday dawns, there has to be one winner; who do you think is going to win? This lesson looks back at the last four winners to identify links and common themes. Can we pick a winner? This lesson is aimed for Friday afternoon the day before the contest when we will know who is in the final and we can come back on Monday morning and see who was right.
RSE KS2:
Respectful relationships– the importance of respecting others, even when they are very different from them (for example, physically, in character, personality or backgrounds), or make different choices or have different preferences or beliefs
RSE KS3 &4
Respectful relationships– that in school and in wider society they can expect to be treated with respect by others, and that in turn they should show due respect to others, including people in positions of authority and due tolerance of other people’s beliefs
I hope you enjoy delivering these lessons as much as I have enjoyed creating them.
Have a fabulous Eurovision, everyone!
Best wishes
Andrew Moffat www.no-outsiders.com
PD Lead, Excelsior MAT www.excelsiormat.org
Email Andrew Moffat for details of No Outsiders training.
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No Outsiders: an introduction (pre-learning)
If No Outsiders is new to your pupils, use this lesson as an opening to the week to be clear what we mean by the term. If your pupils already use No Outsiders as an ethos, the lesson is still useful as a recap and links in Eurovision to the work in school. No Outsiders is not specifically mentioned in every lesson in this resource, but there are links all through as the aim is to recognise difference and diversity and ensure that everyone knows they belong.
Lesson 1 Andrew Moffat / Excelsior MAT/ No Outsiders
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Aim: Make links between Eurovision and our No Outsiders / equality ethos |
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Enquiry Question: What do we mean by No Outsiders? |
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Starter: Look at this image of a stage backdrop that was shown before a Eurovision concert in Madrid, in April 2023. At the concert, many of the artists from the contest this year performed their songs. Before the concert started, this was shown. The language is Spanish; can you translate or work out any of the words? What do you think it is about?
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Main: Discuss the sign. The translation reads, “At this event sexist, homophobic, transphobic, plumofobos, lesbophobic, racist, classist, ageist, misogynistic or any other type of violence are not allowed. In addition we must all respect the bathrooms so that anyone can access and feel comfortable” What does this sign mean, what do all the words mean? Plumofobos is not a word we use in English and there is no literal translation. It comes from the word “Feather” and describes attitudes some members of the LGBTQ community have towards each other. There are many different ways of being LGBTQ; some are loud, colourful, confident, others less so. Some dress up, some do not. This word is about everyone being allowed to be the version of themselves that they want to be; there are different ways to be LGBTQ and everyone should be accepted. Why are bathrooms mentioned? Why do you think the organisers chose to display this sign so prominently? Does the language remind you of anything we have in the UK? What is the Equality Act 2010? What are British Values? What does this show about equality not just in the UK, but in Spain too… what does this suggest about attitudes towards equality around Europe and the world? (of course, you could argue that the very need for the sign suggests there are not good attitudes towards equality. If equality was understood and there was no racism, homophobia, why does this sign exist?) |
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Activity: Do we have signs like this at our school? Often schools have more positive signs that ask for desired behaviour rather than describing undesired behaviour. So instead of saying, “sexist behaviour is not allowed”, what would be another way of saying that? (All sexes are equal and respected here) Pupils design their own poster to display at the start of the Eurovision in Liverpool. Think about the message you want to be heard. You could be direct like the poster in Madrid. Do you think it works? What about language? (The author of this resource took that photo, but had to use google translate to understand it. Is that an example of inclusive practice?) |
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Plenary: Why is this about No Outsiders? How is this related to our school today? |
Lesson 2 Andrew Moffat / Excelsior MAT/ No Outsiders
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Aim To explore European Geography |
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Enquiry Question: Who takes part in Eurovision and where are they in Europe? |
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Curriculum links: Geography |
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Starter: How many countries take part in Eurovision? Answer- it changes every year as some countries drop out or re-join the contest. In 2023, 37 countries are participating. Can you name all of them? In groups on your table, write a list of the 37 countries you think are taking part this year. Remember a few of the participating countries are not geographically in Europe, but are part of the EBU (European Broadcasting Union) so can take part. One of the participating countries lies 8,725 miles from Europe! (Australia) There is a list of participating countries on the next page. Who got the most correct? |
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Main: Give pupils a blank map of Europe and a list of all the participating countries. Work in groups to place the correct country names on the correct country. Give pupils an atlas to check their answers. |
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Activity: Children answer the following questions: – The participating country furthest from Liverpool is… – The participating country closest to Liverpool (excluding UK) is… – The European counties not taking part in Eurovision 2023 are… – If an artist flies from Azerbaijan, they will cross the following countries: – Which European country shares borders with the most other countries? – Show three of the participating country’s flags. |
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Plenary: How many capital cities do we know? Get a European map on the board – as a class how many do we think we can name between us? How can we find out more? Extension: Children find and record flags for given countries, capital cities. Extension 2: The artists have missed their planes. Plan travel itinerary for a given artist for their capital city to Liverpool (remember to include how will they travel to Liverpool from the airport when they get to the UK- check timetables) |
Participating countries Eurovision 2023
Albania
Armenia
Australia
Austria
Azerbaijan
Belgium
Croatia
Cyprus
Czech Republic
Denmark
Estonia
Finland
France
Georgia
Germany
Greece
Iceland
Ireland
Israel
Italy
Latvia
Lithuania
Malta
Moldova
Netherlands
Norway
Poland
Portugal
Romania
San Marino
Serbia
Slovenia
Spain
Sweden
Switzerland
Ukraine
United Kingdom
Lesson 3 Andrew Moffat / Excelsior MAT/ No Outsiders
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Aim: To consider whether a proposal has achieved its aims |
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Enquiry Question: Has Eurovision achieved its aims? |
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Curriculum links: PHSE, RSE, Historical enquiry |
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Starter: What is Eurovision? When was it invented? Why do you think it was invented? Eurovision was invented in 1956. What world events were near 1956? What do you think the aim was at that time? Marcel Bezencon and Sergio Pugliese developed the original idea of the Eurovision song contest in 1956. Their aim was to unite a fractured Europe through cross-border television broadcasts. Did Marcel and Sergio achieve their aim? You could argue that millions of people in different countries watching a contest unites Europe. What evidence can we use to reach a conclusion? |
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Main: Watch this video, “Why Eurovision is much more than a song contest” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6_n0X6Hd3ug and discuss: – What is the film saying about Eurovison? – How do different countries use Eurovision for their own gain? Does this unite Europe? – Do you think the LGBTQ+ references unite Europe?
Watch this video of Greece and Cyprus giving each other 12 points (12 points is the maximum points a country can give) each year https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fkl0vLHnz_c – Who decides which country 12 points go to? (televote) – What do you think this video shows about what can happen at Eurovision? – Some people might ague Greece and Cyprus will always vote for each other because of political voting; what is meant by ‘political voting’? Is there another explanation for Greece and Cyprus often giving each other maximum points? (perhaps culturally they like the same kind of music?)
Last year, who won Eurovision? Why do you think Ukraine won? Was it because of their song? Watch this video of Ukraine winning. Look at the points; did they win by a small or a big margin? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oPdG2-QvWuo Why do you think they all bring the Ukraine flag on stage? When the singer says, “Thank you for supporting Ukraine,” what do you think he is talking about? (is he talking about his song?) Does this win demonstrate Eurovision uniting Europe? |
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Activity: Under the heading, “Eurovision uniting Europe”, work in pairs to record arguments for and against. Class feedback: Have Marcel and Sergio achieved their aims in 2023? |
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Plenary: watch this short video made by Eurovision 2023. Does this video make you change your mind? How would Marcela and Sergio feel if they could see this video? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pxI7KVLDvzg What can we learn from this film? Why is it about no outsiders? Extension: You could argue that the exclusion of Russia and Belarus this year suggests there are outsiders at the contest. Why are these countries excluded? Do you agree that is the right action to take? Remember there is no right or wrong answer to this question, but when we discuss challenging subjects, we listen to different point of view and we respond and behave respectfully; that is what living in a democracy is about. What are the other British Values that we follow at our school. |
Lesson 4 Andrew Moffat / Excelsior MAT/ No Outsiders
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Aim: Interpret and present data |
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Enquiry Question: How do we demonstrate success at Eurovision? |
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Curriculum links: maths |
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Starter: Which country do you think has most Eurovision wins? Ireland has won 7 times, Sweden has won 6 times and UK has won 5 times. However, Ireland’s last win was almost 30 years ago in 1996 and the last time UK won was in 1997. Sweden has won twice in the last 10 contests (2012 and 2015). How can we judge the success of a country at Eurovision? If a country has never won but has come second ten times, are they more successful than a country that has won once? |
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Main: How can we present data to find the most successful country at Eurovision currently? Show examples of line graphs, scatter graphs, bar graphs, tally charts. What other methods do we know, what are the advantages for using each? How could we present a graph to show the last ten winners? Would we be better to create a graph showing results for individual countries? We could present one graph showing Sweden’s performance over the last ten contests and another showing UK final positions over the last ten contests. Is there another way to do this? How about a table showing overall winners for all the contests? (27 different countries have won Eurovision since 1956). Model different ways of presenting data and then ask children to choose their data and method. |
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Activity: Ask children to work in pairs, consider and present a graph to demonstrate success at Eurovision. Below are some stats you might want to give out, or children could use IT skills to find their own stats; each Eurovision has its own Wikipedia page with full break down of results. Note: one of the countries mentioned in the winners table no longer exists (Yugoslavia). How can a country no longer exist? |
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Plenary: Children feedback what they have found out, present findings and conclusions. Which is the best method of data handling to show results? |
Eurovision stats – finishing positions in the final, last 10 years
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UK |
Sweden |
Ukraine |
Italy |
Netherlands |
Israel |
Azerbaijan |
Norway |
Finland |
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2012 |
25 |
1 |
15 |
9 |
– |
– |
4 |
26 |
– |
|
2013 |
19 |
14 |
3 |
7 |
9 |
– |
2 |
4 |
24 |
|
2014 |
17 |
3 |
6 |
21 |
2 |
– |
22 |
8 |
11 |
|
2015 |
24 |
1 |
– |
3 |
– |
9 |
12 |
8 |
– |
|
2016 |
24 |
5 |
1 |
16 |
11 |
14 |
17 |
– |
– |
|
2017 |
15 |
5 |
24 |
6 |
11 |
23 |
14 |
10 |
– |
|
2018 |
24 |
7 |
17 |
5 |
18 |
1 |
– |
15 |
25 |
|
2019 |
26 |
5 |
– |
2 |
1 |
23 |
8 |
6 |
– |
|
2021 |
26 |
14 |
5 |
1 |
23 |
17 |
20 |
18 |
6 |
|
2022 |
2 |
4 |
1 |
6 |
11 |
– |
16 |
10 |
21 |
|
France |
Spain |
Greece |
Serbia |
Denmark |
Austria |
Germany |
Belgium |
Iceland |
|
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2012 |
22 |
10 |
17 |
3 |
23 |
– |
8 |
– |
20 |
|
2013 |
23 |
25 |
6 |
– |
1 |
– |
21 |
12 |
17 |
|
2014 |
26 |
10 |
20 |
– |
9 |
1 |
18 |
– |
15 |
|
2015 |
25 |
21 |
19 |
10 |
– |
26 |
27 |
4 |
– |
|
2016 |
6 |
22 |
– |
18 |
– |
13 |
26 |
10 |
– |
|
2017 |
12 |
6 |
19 |
– |
20 |
16 |
25 |
4 |
– |
|
2018 |
13 |
23 |
– |
19 |
9 |
3 |
4 |
– |
– |
|
2019 |
16 |
22 |
21 |
18 |
12 |
– |
25 |
– |
10 |
|
2021 |
2 |
24 |
10 |
15 |
– |
– |
25 |
19 |
4 |
|
2022 |
24 |
3 |
8 |
5 |
– |
– |
25 |
19 |
23 |
Number of points for winning songs 2000- 2022
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year |
country |
Number of points |
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2000 |
Denmark |
195 |
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2001 |
Estonia |
198 |
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2002 |
Latvia |
176 |
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2003 |
Turkey |
167 |
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2004 |
Ukraine |
280 |
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2005 |
Greece |
230 |
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2006 |
Finland |
292 |
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2007 |
Serbia |
268 |
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2008 |
Russia |
272 |
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2009 |
Norway |
387 |
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2010 |
Germany |
246 |
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2011 |
Azerbaijan |
221 |
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2012 |
Sweden |
372 |
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2013 |
Denmark |
167 |
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2014 |
Austria |
290 |
|
2015 |
Sweden |
365 |
|
2016 |
Ukraine |
534 |
|
2017 |
Portugal |
758 |
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2018 |
Israel |
529 |
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2019 |
Netherlands |
498 |
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2021 |
Italy |
524 |
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2022 |
Ukraine |
631 |
Number of wins by each country
|
Ireland |
7 |
|
Sweden |
6 |
|
UK |
5 |
|
France |
5 |
|
Netherlands |
5 |
|
Luxembourg |
5 |
|
Israel |
4 |
|
Italy |
3 |
|
Ukraine |
3 |
|
Denmark |
3 |
|
Norway |
3 |
|
Germany |
2 |
|
Spain |
2 |
|
Switzerland |
2 |
|
Austria |
2 |
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Russia, Belgium, Monaco, Turkey, Azerbaijan, Greece, Estonia, Latvia, Serbia, Yugoslavia, Finland, Portugal |
1 |
Lesson 5 Andrew Moffat/ Excelsior MAT/ No Outsiders
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Aim: consider LGBTQ+ equality at Eurovision |
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Enquiry Question: How has Eurovision reflected LGBTQ+ equality? |
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Curriculum links: history, PSHE, music |
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Starter: What is LGBTQ+ equality? – check understanding and ask children to give examples of meanings for each letter. Do we have LGBTQ+ equality in the UK and around the world today? |
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Main: Watch these performances and for each one discuss the following questions: Dana International – “Diva” (Israel1998) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sL0Va5maRaI Dana International was the first transgender person to appear at Eurovision. What does transgender mean? She won the contest; why do you think this was significant at the time?
Sestre “Samo Ljubezen” (Slovenia 2002) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pr9Pr3GRBA4 Sestre were the first drag queens to perform a song at Eurovison. What is a drag queen? How is a drag queen different to a trans person? The first time a drag queen appeared at Eurovision was in 1986 where Ketil Stokkan from Norway perfomed with The Great Garlic Girls, a famous Norwegian drag group https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3eJZNv_T_J8 But 2002 was the first time a drag queen performed as the singer. At the time some people protested in Slovenia against the song representing their country at Eurovision; why do you think that happened? Would that happen today?
DQ- “Drama Queen” (Denmark 2007) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T_gQOqKJ9ck DQ performed at Eurovision in 2007. What do you notice about DQ’s performance in comparison to Dana’s performance? Why do you think DQ included so many costume changes? Why were Sestre in 2002 dressed as airline hostesses? (What is drag about?)
Krista Siegfrids “Marry me” (Finland 2013) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dlBXOveVh7c During Krista’s performance, female backing dancers perform in traditionally male costumes and then change to traditionally female costumes half-way through. There is also a same sex kiss at the end of the song. Why do you think Krista chose to include this in the performance? Here is an interview with Krista Siegfrids about the kiss at the end of her song. How does Krista respond to the question about whether she should keep her kiss in when some countries would not allow this? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7vlPvSmXFuw
Watch the Introduction to this song on the BBC broadcast with commentary by Graham Norton. Strat watching the clip at 25:27. Graham says that Turkey are not showing the contest this year because of the same sex kiss at the end of this song. What does this show about LGBTQ+ equality in 2013? Has it changed today? Pause the video when Graham warms the public about the same sex kiss at the end of the song. He says, “and if two girls kissing offends you…” pause the clip and ask pupils to predict what his next line will be. He then says, “Then you need to grow up.” Why does he say that? Graham is employed by the BBC, what does that suggest about the BBC attitude towards LGBTQ+ equality in 2013? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YiC3HXwBgiw&t=2s
The first Eurovision was held in 1956. Can anyone guess which year showed the first kiss during a performance? In 1957 Birthe Wilke and Gustav Winckler kissed at the end of their song for Denmark. Fast forward this video to the end to see it (it’s not like Krista’s kiss, they kiss for considerably longer!) It took almost 60 years for a significant same sex kiss at Eurovision– why? ESC 1957 09 – Denmark – Birthe Wilke & Gustav Winckler – Skibet Skal Sejle I Nat – YouTube
Conchita – “Rise like a Phoenix” (Austria 2014) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QRUIava4WRM Conchita is known for winning Eurovision and performing as a woman with a beard. Conchita’s real name is Thomas and he uses the pronouns he/him when referring to himself. However, when performing as the drag queen Conchita, she uses the pronouns she / her. Thomas says he is not a trans woman; he is gay and performs as a drag queen. What are pronouns, why does Thomas use different pronouns? At the time, many people thought Conchita would not win Eurovison because of attitudes towards LGBTQ+ equality across Europe. But on the night, she won by a huge margin (why are we using the pronoun ‘she’ here?) What does Conchita’s win show about LGBTQ+ attitudes across Europe today? What can we learn from Thomas about gender and identity? |
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Activity: Belgium’s song this year is “Because of you” by Gustav. Watch the video here, discuss the LGBTQ+ themes in the song and video. How does this entry continue the tradition of LGBTQ+ visibility at Eurovision (both in the presentation and in the song lyrics)? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ORhEoS6d8e4 What do you think Gustav’s message is? See lyrics below to “Because of you” by Gustav. Pupils to annotate the lyrics, referencing the Equality Act, British Values and past Eurovison performances. Which words does Gustav use to suggest empowerment and equality?
And when the world got me going crazy Told me to love myself a bit harder than yesterday And when the world got me going crazy.. Remember when they tried to break us? And when the world got me going crazy.. I’ll carry on despite of the things they said and done
(Songwriters: Stef Caers / Jaouad Alloul) |
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Plenary: In a recent interview, Gustav said, “We wrote the song as an idea of an anthem to celebrate yourself and the people who brought you there. That makes it very queer because it’s about what we do as people; we find out own tribe and we find people who love us and we make our family….” What does this mean? What can we learn from Gustav? Why is this about No Outsiders? |
Lesson 6 Andrew Moffat / Excelsior MAT/ No Outsiders
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Aim: To consider impact of costume design |
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Enquiry Question: How does costume design enhance a performance? |
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Curriculum links: art and design |
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Starter: Watch this video of Eurovision performances and consider how the costume design impacts on the performance. These are just short clips of songs, but can you see what the designers were trying to achieve? At Eurovision no song can be longer than 3 minutes, so you have just that amount of time to impress and convince people at home to vote for you. Dress to impress! – Memorable Eurovision Costumes & Dresses – YouTube
Which costumes are memorable from this montage, and why? |
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Main: In 1981 the UK won Eurovison with a performance that involved a “costume reveal”- what do you think a costume reveal is? Today the group argue it was this moment that won the competition for them; why do you think they believe that? A costume reveal is where the artist removes an outer costume to reveal another. There are many examples of costume reveals at Eurovision; how do you think a costume reveal impacts on a performance? Where should you put it in the song? Iconic Costume Changes on the Eurovision stage – YouTube
Often artists include aspects of traditional dress from the country they are representing. This could be seen in both last year’s wining song from Ukraine and the song that came 3rd from Spain. Spain also included a costume reveal just before a dance break in the second half of their song. Kalush Orchestra – Stefania – LIVE – Ukraine Chanel – SloMo – LIVE – Spain
Designers may get inspiration from the lyrics of the song for their costume or set. Last year Sam Ryder sang the song “Space man” for the UK and wore a suit with stars that also reflected the shape of the set he performed in. Sam Ryder – SPACE MAN – LIVE – United Kingdom
For Poland, Ochman sang a song called “River”. Although Ochman wore a suit for the performance, dancers around him wore costumes that reflected the lyrics of the song and the lighting design also accentuated this. Ochman’s suit also included subtle references to the costumes worn by the dancers; can you see the references on his suit? Ochman – River – LIVE – Poland |
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Activity: Your task is to design a costume or a set for one of the songs performed at this year’s contest. Play one of the songs from the contest, but without the picture so that pupils are not given an idea of what the visuals will be. You could choose any song, give pupils the title, the country and the artist but no other information. Pupils should design a costume or a set to accompany the performance of this song. Here are four songs that would make for a potentially interesting design: Austria: “Who the hell is Edgar?” by Teya and Selena Teya & Salena – Who The Hell Is Edgar? | Austria
Norway “Queen of Kings” by Alessandra Alessandra – Queen Of Kings |
Portugal “Ai Coracao” by Mimicat Mimicat – Ai Coração | Portugal Spain “Eaea” by Blanca Paloma Blanca Paloma – EAEA | Spain |
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Plenary– Pupils reveal their designs and explain their choices. On Friday all of the performances of these songs will be available to watch on the official Eurovision youtube channel so pupils will be able to see how their designs compared. |
– Grand Final – Eurovision 2022 – YouTube
– Grand Final – Eurovision 2022 – YouTube
– Grand Final – Eurovision 2022 – YouTube
– Grand Final – Eurovision 2022 – YouTube
| Official Music Video | Eurovision 2023 – YouTube
Norway | Official Music Video | Eurovision 2023 – YouTube
| National Final Performance | Eurovision 2023 – YouTube
Lesson 7 Andrew Moffat / Excelsior MAT/ No Outsiders
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Aim: To consider how to present an artist to the audience |
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Enquiry Question: What makes an effective artist introduction? |
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Curriculum links: art and design |
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Starter: At Eurovision there are 26 different artists performing one after the other on the same stage. As a stage manager, how do you remove one act and set up another on stage within a short time frame at a live TV event? Each act has a pre-recorded film that is shown to the audience as they get ready to perform on the stage. These short films are known as postcards and they introduce the artist to the audience. An effective postcard will leave the audience curious and enthusiastic to watch the next song. While the audience is watching the postcard, what do you think is happening on stage? Watch this video showing stage crews at the 2021 contest. From 1:27 onwards you can see stage crews frantically (but with extremely efficiency) remove one set and replace it with another in less than a minute. You can also see some stage crew physically moving sets around, out of camera shot, during the performance Eurovision Song Contest 2021 Stagecrew. Behind the scenes. Point of view. Rotterdam Ahoy. – YouTube |
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Main: Watch these postcards that will be used this year to introduce artists while the stage is being set up. Each postcard lasts for 56 seconds exactly and they all are very different from each other. Why do you think these images were chosen? What are they trying to convey? Do you think they are effective? Do the postcards make you want to watch the song, or do they make you want go an make a cup of tea instead? Postcard of Pasha Parfeni from Moldova Postcard of Noa Kirel from Israel Postcard of TVORCHI from Ukraine |
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Activity: Imagine your school was holding a Eurovison song contest and each class had their own song. Design a postcard for your class entry. It must last exactly 56 seconds and needs to make the audience want to watch your song. What do you think makes a good postcard? You could all just stand and wave at the camera for 56 seconds; would that be effective? What do you want to convey about your class? Do all participants need to be seen? Think about the image you want to show, and the props/ locations you want to use. Either work as a whole class or in smaller groups. Film your postcards Remember there can be no words spoken, but you might want to include messages or words written down. Could you include music? |
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Plenary: Present postcards to the group- which are most effective? |
– Soarele și Luna – Eurovision 2023 – Stage Ready – YouTube
– Unicorn – Eurovision 2023 – Stage Ready – YouTube
Lesson 8 Andrew Moffat / Excelsior MAT/ No Outsiders
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Aim: To compare and contrast musical styles |
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Enquiry Question: Who will win Eurovision 2023? |
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Curriculum links: music, oracy |
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Starter: ask the question, “How do you win Eurovision?” How is the winning song chosen? The winning song is voted for by juries from each country, these are usually music professionals, and also by the public. On the night, the juries decide 50% of the vote and the public decide the other 50%. As an artist at Eurovision the aim is to have song (and performance) that most people will choose to vote for. Who won Eurovision last year? Ukraine won, some people argue that Ukraine won because of public support in the war against Russia, some think it was because they had the best song. What do you think? Does it matter why a song wins? |
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Main: Here is the Ukraine winning song from last year- do you like it? Can you hum it after you have heard it once? Do you think people voted for this song because they liked it or because they wanted to support Ukraine? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F1fl60ypdLs This video has had 27million views in 9 months. What does that suggest? Does anyone know who won the year before? Italy won. Here is the song. Is there anything similar to the Ukraine winner a year later? Can we find any common themes or links? Why do you think this song won? Is it about the performance? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RVH5dn1cxAQ In 2020 Eurovison was cancelled because of Covid so the winner previous to Italy was Netherlands in 2019. It is another very different sound. How would you describe this song? Are there any common links to Italian and Ukraine songs? How are the performances different? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R3D-r4ogr7s In 2018 Israel won and the song is very different again. Watch this song and consider how it is different to the other three winning songs., Why do you think this song won? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=84LBjXaeKk4 |
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Activity: You have now heard the last four winners. Your job is to predict the winner of this year’s contest. Ask children to choose four songs to watch from the official Eurovision channel. Give images of the artists to pupils. Children to place songs in the order they believe they will finish in the final and record their reasons for the choice. Remind children that Eurovision is a contest and there has to be a winner. Does the best song always win? Who decides which is the best song? We can all vote on the night (which British Value is this referencing?) https://www.youtube.com/@EurovisionSongContest
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Plenary– Feedback which song the class thinks will win. Ask pupils to explain why that particular song will win considering previous winners. Let’s see next Monday if we were right! |