IZZY

GIZMO

RESOURCE PACK
written by Polly Ives with Music in the Round
Original commission funded by Arts Council England, Mayfield Valley Arts Trust,
JG Graves, Sheffield Town Trust, Sheffield Bluecoat & Mountpleasant Foundation,
Sheffield Church Burgesses Trust and Andrew McEwan Fund

Sponsored by


Links:
WELCOME!
We are really pleased that you are part of the Izzy Gizmo project.

Music in the Round commissioned this new piece of music from composer Paul
Rissmann, setting the book by Pip Jones and Sara Ogilvie (published by Simon &
Schuster) and with new digital animation by Vic Craven. The piece will be
performed by presenter Polly Ives and the musicians of Ensemble 360. The project
includes teachers’ INSET sessions, workshops in schools and concerts in live
music venues. It will engage thousands of children aged 3-7 and their grown-ups.

You can buy the book from Music in the Round’s website
www.musicintheround.co.uk, where you can also buy the CD recording.

Extra thanks goes to Paul Rissmann, Kate Beaumont and Tina and Arabella for
their help in devising this pack.

ABOUT THIS PACK

Rich cultural experiences are vital for children and this new musical story is
about resilience, perseverance, kindness, freedom and joy.

This pack introduces the participation elements in the concert as well as some
extra activities that you might like to explore in your nursery, classroom or home.

These have been designed to link to children’s everyday learning and can be
related to the EYFS framework and KS1 of the national curriculum. The primary
focus of this project is on Music and Literacy, but there are many ways to
incorporate STEM subjects and other areas of learning. These activities also
benefit children’s personal, social and emotional development (including building
self-confidence and self-awareness, forming positive relationships with others,
and understanding feelings and behaviours). They use different methods of
learning: playing and exploring, active learning & creating, and thinking critically.

We hope there is something here for music specialists as well as teachers and
practitioners who feel less confident with music. We also appreciate that it can be
challenging to incorporate these activities into your own schemes of work and
learning criteria, but hope that our suggestions can signpost you to ideas within
which you will find lots of flexibility to enjoy exercising your own creativity. We
would value your feedback on using these resources, which can be shared with us
using the contact details at the end of the pack.

Links:
IZZY GIZMO MUSIC
Warm-ups
Children can warm up their bodies and use their voices expressively with the vocal
and physical exercise at the start of the ‘Learn the Songs’ YouTube video
https://tinyurl.com/IGlearnthesongs. This includes many of the actions and vocal
effects that happen in the concert.

The songs
There are three songs that the audience joins in with that you can learn before the
concert. Watch the ‘Learn the Songs’ YouTube video presented by Polly here
https://tinyurl.com/IGlearnthesongs.

We have included the music notation at the back of the pack.

1. Izzy’s Theme

“Izzy Gizmo loved to invent,

she carried her tool bag wherever she went
in case she discovered a thing to be mended,
a gadget to tweak to make it more splendid.”

Links:
 - The first song is about the main character, Izzy Gizmo, a bold young girl
who loves inventing.
- Polly will show everyone when to start singing by saying ‘Off we go!”
- Encourage children to use their smiley singing voices.
- You could discuss the rhyming words to help them feel the musical
phrasing.

2. It’s a Duff

“It’s a duff I’ve had it and I quit.

It’s a duff I’ve had it and I quit.
It’s a D U F F
DUFF
D U F F [huff]
It’s a duff I’ve had it and I quit!
It’s a duff I’ve had it and I quit.
One, two, three it’s a DUFF!”

- We sing this song 3 times in total. We sing it three times throughout the
story and each time Izzy gets more and more frustrated. Perhaps discuss
how the music changes each time to demonstrate those emotions.
- The children spell out the word ‘Duff!’. All join in with the actions in the
video to help with the energy of the note lengths of D.U.F.F!
- The ”Huff!” is the sound of a huff and not the actual word.

Links:
 3. You Can’t Give Up

POLLY: “You can’t give up, you can’t give up

WITH POLLY: “You can’t give up, you can’t give up
POLLY: Sometimes you need to try again
WITH POLLY: Sometimes you need to try again.
and again, and again, and again, and again
If you want to succeed”

- In this song, Grandpa is encouraging Izzy to not give up and to keep

trying again and again! He is a kind and wise man. What kind of singing
voice should we make for this?
- Think about how you make the ‘p’ sound at the end of ‘up’, the ‘n’ at the
end of ‘again’ and the ‘d’ in succeed.

Links:
MORE MUSICAL ACTIVITIES YOU COULD
EXPLORE
1. Research the musical instruments that will be in
the concert. Linking to the Science curriculum,
discuss what materials they are made of and link
the key characteristics of groups / ‘families’ of
instruments (wind, string, brass)? What do they
each sound like? How do you play them? How can
you change the sound?

2. Listen to online/ recorded pieces of music that link to the characters and action
in the story e.g.

- SAINT SAENS Aquarium from Carnival of the Animals (when Izzy

dives into the pond!)
- JOHN ADAMS Short Ride in a Fast Machine, VARESE Poème
électronique or VERDI Anvil Chorus (electronic, mechanical, fixing!)
- VAUGHAN WILLIAMS The Lark Ascending (flight)
- DELIBES Pizzicato from Sylvia (the ladies drinking tea under the
hairdryer!)
- Do let us know your own suggestions!

Can you spot some of the same instruments in these videos?

What sounds would you make for these characters in the story?

Links:
3. Make your own instruments/ sound-makers using everyday objects that you
can see in the book or that you have at home (e.g. saucepans/ tool toys, plastic
cups).
- Play the rhythms of some of the words or sentences in the book e.g.
Grandpa!, Wake Up! or Time to get up!
- Can you split into two groups and play different rhythms at the same
time?
- How else could you develop your rhythm patterns?

4. Either using your instruments or your bodies, you can explore more complex
rhythms and how to work as a musical ensemble.
a. Explain to the children you are going to use different parts of their body
to make music and pretend to be an orchestra.
b. Start with the head - bounce hand up and down and say "BOING, BOING"
c. Then add one sound each time, keeping the same order beginning again
each time from the start.
d. Push finger onto nose and say "Honk, Honk"
e. Pull one ear lobe then the other and say "Ding, Dong"
f. Clap hands and say "Clap, Clap"
g. Tap knees and say "Tap, Tap"
h. Stamp feet and say "Stamp, Stamp"

Links:
 i. If you are standing up - you can wiggle your bottom and say "wiggle,
wiggle"
j. Put them all together and you have your own ensemble!

5. Experiment with composing your own version of one of the illustrations in the
book Izzy Gizmo. Take a double-page with lots of actions and excitement.

- Sit in a circle and explore the sounds of each element of the illustration.
What does it sound like? What does it feel like?

- Give each element of the scene a sound. These could be noises made
with your voice, using body percussion, your invented musical
instruments, or percussion instruments in your classroom.

- Give each sound to a different group of children and take it in turns to

hear their sounds one by one.

- Take turns being the composer of your new musical picture. Maintain a
steady rhythm and give each child a chance to stand in the middle and
choose which elements to bring in. Encourage them to experiment with
when to start and when to stop. Can they find gestures to make the
sounds loud and soft? What happens when they combine different
overlapping sounds? How can they create drama and tension to tell the
story of Izzy Gizmo using their sounds?

ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND LITERACY

1. Read and re-read the book with the children, to build up fluency & confidence
in word-reading and to develop their love of literature. You could also
explore a range of fiction and non-fiction books that relate to the themes of
the book (perhaps Rosie Revere, Engineer) and books by the same author and
illustrator. (Have they read Detective Dog?)

2. Discuss the story encouraging the children to ask and answer questions and
listen to what others say. Recite, re-tell and re-create poems to develop their
confidence in using their own voice. Can they do the different voices for
Grandpa and Izzy?

Links:
3. Discuss their favourite words and phrases. What do they like/ dislike about
the text and why? Pick out the ‘action’ words (tumble, Kapoooof, bump, loop
the loop, twizzle, wallop, tinker, flapped). Can the children suggest different
ways of saying the words really dramatically and musically? Can you create a
Word Board, where the children write their favourite words?

4. Encourage children to recognise and join in with predictable phrases and

rhyming patterns (e.g. need/ succeed or electronics/ Spagsonic!) You could
make a matching game using all the rhyming pairs in the book.

5. Can the children relate to the story with their own experiences. Instead of
using parts of the shower head/ blow driers, what utensils or equipment do
they have at home/ nursery that they could dismantle? Do they have
something at home that needs fixing?

6. Discuss characterisation and emotions. Discuss Izzy’s character – how

would you describe her?

Look at her different faces throughout the story – can you copy them? Which
words would you use to describe each face?

10

Links:
 - What type of music would the composer write for each emotion? (Would it
be loud/ quiet? Fast/slow? High/low? Lots of instruments or just 1?
Happy/ sad etc)
- How would you feel if you were in Izzy’s position?
- Do you have any wise and kind people suggesting how you could do
things better?
- Is there something that you find challenging that you need to ‘try, try, try
again if you want to succeed’.

11

Links:
 MORE CREATIVE AND S.T.E.M. ACTIVITIES/
UNDERSTANDING THE WORLD
1. Play the game ‘I packed my tool bag and in it I put…’. Take turns at suggesting
traditional items (as well as more whacky ideas) and remembering the list.

2. Inspired by the inside book cover

design, the children could create
their own cog patterns using a
range of materials (potato or
circular object printing, glitter,
paper cutting).

3. Word Art – ask the children to draw/ mark-make some images that they imagine
with some of the action words from the book e.g. wild, kapoof! Aargghhh!, Loop
the loop, twizzle, flap, dive. Remember they can’t do it wrong!

12

Links:
4. Can they draw their own invention, like the Beard-tastic. Perhaps draw a second
picture of when it breaks?!

5. Create your own invention using construction More listening ideas:

toys and tools. Discuss all the different parts,
what they do and what materials they’re made Barber Night Flight (flight)
of.
6. Watch CBeebies’s Maddie explain how a bird Honegger Pacific 231(engines,
can fly. trains)
a. Can you make a paper aeroplane and
explore how to make it fly better? [see Stockhausen’s Helicopter
this template for an aeroplane, helicopter Quartet
and glider or use the simple flying
machine template on page 18] What reminds you of engines in
b. How else could you suggest you fix the the music? Repetitive rhythms?
crow in the story? Fast rhythms? Do they get
7. Here is a Twinkl Marariki Feather colouring faster? Are they loud/ soft?
page – perhaps listen to the suggested flying
music. Stravinsky’s The Firebird:
8. Make a display of crows, all with their own Infernal Dance (birds and flight)
flying machines, using the template on page
17. Scriabin’s Symphony No. 2 in C
Links: minor, Mov. 2 (birds and flight)

Can you draw the birds in these

pieces? Do these birds fly fast
13 or slow?

Links:
THE SONGS (NOTATION)

14

Links:
15

Links:
16

Links:
Izzy’s Crow - template

You will need: 1. Cut out the shapes below

2. Decorate the bird – what can you
• Cardboard or stiff paper add to help the crow to fly? Is there
• Markers something you can attach to help
• Scissors them fly – just like Izzy Gizmo!
• Glue 3. Slide the wings and tail into the
• Thread slots to create a 3D bird
4. Find the centre of balance and hang
the birds up using a loop of thread

17

Links:
Flying machine – template

You will need: 1. Cut out two strips of paper, one

20cm x 3 cm and one 15cm x 3cm
2. Make a loop out of each strip and
• Paper
3. use the paper clips to attach to each
• Ruler
end of the straw. Use the small end
• Pencil
of the paper clip to fit into the straw.
• Scissors
4. Hold the glider with the small loop a
• Paper clips
the front and launch. How does it fly?
• Straws 5. What can you add to make it fly
better? What happens if you change
the size of each loop?
6.

18

Links:
ABOUT THE ARTISTS
Polly Ives – Presenter and Narrator
As a children’s concert presenter, Polly regularly works
with Music in the Round, Ensemble 360, London
Philharmonic Orchestra, London Mozart Players and
Wigmore Hall. She has also worked with CBeebies, Royal
Opera House, Southbank Sinfonia, European Brandenburg
Ensemble and the Beatrix Potter Attraction and has
performed live on BBC Radio 3’s In Tune. She has
performed most of the well-loved children’s concert
pieces but has also commissioned and premiered many
new pieces for young audiences.

Polly is a highly experienced children’s workshop leader; often specialising in

music to support speech and language and child-led creativity. She has enjoyed
projects with Wigmore Hall’s Chamber Tots, LPO’s MiniHarmonics and The Big
Malarkey Festival in Hull. Polly has devised, managed and delivered training days,
INSET sessions and conferences for Early Years practitioners, musicians, workshop
leaders and students across the UK. She has devised, presented and written many
online resources for early years practitioners and KS1 teachers, including many
YouTube videos.

When she had her first baby, she founded Concerteenies, which has rapidly
expanded into a live music series for 0-11 year olds across the region. In 2020,
Concerteenies won a Royal Philharmonic Society ‘Inspiration’ award for their
Lockdown work which included a 24-Hour Soundtrack with musicians from around
the world, a wealth of home learning resources and home concerts, an
intergenerational project in care homes with Age Better and South Yorkshire
Association and five new Musical Story commissions. www.concerteenies.com

As a cellist, Polly performs with chamber ensembles, orchestras, bands and TV

and film session work. She has also coached the National Children’s Orchestra of
Great Britain and the City of Sheffield Youth Orchestra.

To find out more, visit www.pollyives.com

19

Links:
Paul Rissmann – Composer
Paul Rissmann is a composer, presenter and music educationalist based in
London. He currently holds the position of Animateur for the London Symphony
Orchestra (LSO) and is Children’s Composer in Residence at Music in the Round.
Paul’s commissions range from electronic music for Microsoft to orchestral music
for the LSO. His interactive composition Bamboozled for orchestra and audience
has been performed by over 45,000 people and in 2012 was performed at an
Olympic Torch relay by the Philharmonia Orchestra. Paul has performed all over
the world and has recently worked with Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, New
York Philharmonic, Vienna Philharmonic, Valery Gergiev and the LSO in Trafalgar
Square, Esa-Pekka Salonen and the Philharmonia, and Nicola Benedetti and BBC
Scottish Symphony Orchestra. Paul guest-presented Classics Unwrapped for BBC
Scotland and also created a critically-acclaimed series of music discovery concerts
for adults called Naked Classics. In 2014, he was the creative director for the
Channel 4 (UK) documentary The Addicts’ Symphony, which explored how music
can be therapeutic in overcoming addiction.
He has won a British Composer’s Award (BASCA) and awards from both the Royal
Philharmonic Society and the Royal Television Society, and was appointed an
Associate of the Royal Academy of Music (ARAM). www.rissmann.co.uk
Watch a film about how Paul writes music for Music in the Round.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=dvqIakOXVlg

Author
Pip Jones lives in West England with her partner, her two daughters and a real
invisible cat (it doesn’t catch mice, but it doesn’t need a litter tray either, so there
are pros and cons). She writes a lot. She even owns a writing cloak! And she
spends days on end working out how to get good rhymes, such as ‘snuffle’ and
‘kerfuffle’, into stories. Pip won the inaugural Greenhouse Funny Prize in 2012
with Squishy McFluff: The Invisible Cat!, her first book.

Illustrator
Sara was born in Edinburgh and lives in Newcastle upon Tyne in the UK. She is
represented by NB Illustration Agency. Sara studied illustration and printmaking at
Edinburgh College of Art where she received a BA Hons and a PG diploma. In the
early 2000s Sara was an artist and lecturer at Minneapolis School of Art and
Design, USA and more recently she has spent time at Malaspina Printmakers in
Vancouver, Canada. Sara is an illustrator and printmaker who enjoys the challenge
of a wide range of subjects. She is inspired by anything from old wives tales and
household appliances, to street life, trying to spell sounds, second-hand
bookshops and pedestrian oddballs – the stranger the better! Sara’s beautiful
illustrations have been used in children’s picture books, and is able to turn her
20

Links:
hand to many other diverse design and advertising projects and editorial
illustration.

21

Links:
Ensemble 360 – Musicians
Ensemble 360, a versatile group of
five string players, five wind players
and a pianist resident with Music in
the Round, performs in Izzy Gizmo.
Ensemble 360 has gained an
enviable reputation across the UK,
not only for the quality and
integrity of the members’ playing,
but also for their ability to
communicate the music to a range
of different audiences. They believe
in concerts being informal, friendly
and relaxed occasions, and perform
‘in the round’ wherever possible.

Ensemble 360, with Music in the Round’s Children’s Composer in Residence, Paul
Rissmann, and narrator Polly Ives, has established a unique brand of children’s
concerts that play to sell-out audiences. The ensemble regularly runs schools’
workshops, as well as performance and composition classes with a variety of age
groups.

Outside Ensemble 360, the musicians all have careers of great success including
being members of orchestras such as the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie,
Philharmonia, Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Northern Sinfonia, Camerata Bern
and the Manchester Camerata. They have performed across the UK as well as
across Europe, America and Japan in venues including the Concertgebouw, Berlin
Philharmonie, Musikverein and Carnegie Hall.
www.ensemble360.co.uk

22

Links:
Music in the Round
Music in the Round is the largest promoter of chamber music outside London. We
take our unique, informative style of performance to numerous venues around the
country as well as presenting two concert series and an annual Sheffield Chamber
Music Festival at our home venue, the Crucible Studio.

Excellence and access are central to all we do. Our concerts are, wherever
possible, played in the round, and feature lively spoken introductions, sometimes
pre-concert talks and post-concert opportunities to meet musicians.

The musicians of Ensemble 360 are at the heart this programme, delivering
activities for all ages and levels of ability.

Visit Music in the Round’s online shop for the CDs of Izzy Gizmo, Giddy Goat, The
Chimpanzees of Happytown, Stan & Mabel, Stan & Mabel and the Race for Space,
Sir Scallywag and the Battle of Stinky Bottom and Crazy Creatures.

www.musicintheround.co.uk
Registered charity no. 326811

CONTACT US
Post Music in the Round, 4th Floor, Sheffield Central Library, Surrey
Street, Sheffield S1 1XZ
Phone 0114 281 4660
Email ellen@musicintheround.co.uk
Tweet @musicintheround
Facebook /musicintheround

23

Links:
24

Links: