Lesson video

Hello everyone.

How are you doing today? I hope you're feeling really very good.

My name is Ms. Afzal, and I'm feeling pretty good today because we're going to be exploring some of the songs of Lord Kitchener.

In particular, today, we'll be looking at the song called "London is the Place for Me," and you will need your copy of the lyrics to this song.

So let's pause the video here.

I'll wait for you while you go and get your copy of the lyrics.

Okay, so you are back.

You've got your copy of this song.

What else do you have? Maybe some curiosity.

What is this song going to be about? Who is Lord Kitchener? And what else? Maybe some ideas, some enthusiasm.

That sounds great, great mix.

I think we're all ready to begin.

Let's get started.

The outcome for today's lesson is I can understand the context of "London is the Place for Me." We have some keywords in our lesson today.

Let's go through them.

My turn, your turn.

Context.

Lyrics.

Calypso.

British Empire.

Migration.

All right.

Let's find out what these words mean.

Context is the setting or background that helps us to understand something better.

Lyrics are the words of a song often written in a poetic style.

Calypso is a style or genre of Afro-Caribbean music, which was developed in Trinidad and Tobago during the 19th and 20th century.

British Empire, the name given to the colonies, dominions, and other territories ruled to some degree by and from Britain.

Migration is to move from one place to another.

These are the keywords that'll be coming up in our lesson today.

Let's be on the lookout for them.

Let's think carefully about these keywords.

Our lesson today is called Introducing the Context of "London is the Place for Me." There are two parts to this lesson, introduction to the song and exploring the artist's perspective.

Let's begin with our introduction to the song.

"London is the Place for Me" was written by Aldwyn Lord Kitchener Roberts in 1948.

It was not recorded until 1951.

Aldwyn Roberts was born on April the 18th, 1922 in Arima, Trinidad and Tobago.

And we can see a Trinidad and Tobago on the map and we can see the flag of Trinidad and Tobago.

He was a prominent Calypso performer, celebrated for his musical talent and showmanship.

And remember, Calypso is one of our keywords.

It's a style or genre of Afro-Caribbean music which was developed in Trinidad and Tobago during the 19th and 20th centuries.

Roberts adopted the stage name Lord Kitchener after the British military figure, Horatio Kitchener, which was a common practise among Calypsonians.

In 1948, Aldwyn migrated to England aboard the Empire Windrush.

His arrival coincided with a period of significant change in Britain.

The Empire Windrush was a boat which travelled from the Caribbean to England with hundreds of people from many different countries in the Caribbean.

His arrival coincided with the period of significant change in Britain.

Before we explore the song, it's important to gain an understanding of the context in which it was written.

And remember, context is the setting or background that helps us to understand something better.

In 1655, many Caribbean islands were part of the British Empire.

The British Empire were the countries ruled or controlled by Britain.

At its peak, in 1913, the British Empire ruled over 412 million people.

It began to decline following the First World War and many countries regained their independence, but chose to join a commonwealth of nations, which included the UK.

And we can see on the map in red the countries that were ruled or controlled by the British Empire in 1921.

following the Second World War, the British Nationality Act, a new law, was passed by the British government in 1948 to change the definition of British nationality, meaning all people who were from a commonwealth country had the right to work and settle in the UK and to bring their families with them.

The aim of this new law was to encourage residents from across the commonwealth to come to Britain to help with post-war reconstruction.

The passing of this act by the British government led to many people from across the commonwealth coming to Britain.

This included people from the Caribbean.

The Empire Windrush was the first boat to bring people from the Caribbean to the UK.

Check for understanding.

Which of the following statements are true.

Aldwyn Roberts was born in London, England.

At its peak, the British Empire ruled over 412 million people.

The British Nationality Act was passed by the British government in 1948.

Aldwyn migrated to England aboard the Orbiter.

Pause a video while he select which of these statements are true.

Well done if you selected statements B and C.

Indeed, at its peak, the British Empire ruled over 412 million people and the British Nationality Act was passed by the British government in 1948.

Now I have a question for you.

What does the title, "London is the Place for Me," make you think of? What words or images come to mind? Pause the video and share with someone nearby.

What does this title, "London is the Place for Me," make you think of, and what words or images come to your mind? Let's hear from Jun.

The title of the song makes me think that the person writing it must be looking forward to getting to London.

It has an optimistic tone.

After travelling on the Empire Windrush for 22 days, I bet Aldwyn was looking forward to seeing the city.

Thanks for sharing your ideas there, Jun.

So you're picking up on an optimistic upbeat tone.

Let's see what follows.

And now another question.

Do you think the song will contain positive or negative imagery? Pause the video and share with someone nearby.

Okay, thanks for sharing.

I wonder if you agreed with Jun, something more positive or optimistic, or perhaps the other way.

Maybe you were more in a direction of there maybe some negative imagery coming up.

We will wait and see.

And also, in terms of seeing, we can see an image of the empire Windrush on the screen.

You can see this boat which arrived in London in 1948.

Before we read the lyrics, one of our keywords.

Lyrics are words of a song, often written in a poetic style.

So before we read the lyrics, we're going to listen to the song.

So I'd like you to pause video here while you play the song, "London is the Place for Me." Okay, so you've heard the song, and, "How does the song make you feel?" I'm wondering.

Pause the video and tell someone nearby.

Let's hear from Izzy.

"The rhythmic style made me feel happy.

It was upbeat and positive.

Lord Kitchener refers to the United Kingdom as his mother country, a place where he feels at home." And talking of upbeat and positive, take a look at that image of Lord Kitchener.

Doesn't he look positively upbeat? I would love to have heard him sing.

And now I'd like you to read the lyrics.

To begin, read the lyrics silently in your head, then read out loud.

You might like to read it with a partner.

Alternating every verse.

So pause the video here while you read the lyrics twice.

First time, silently.

And the second time, out loud.

Now that you've read the lyrics, what were your first impressions of them and what did you notice when reading? So pause the video and tell someone nearby your first impressions of the lyrics and what you noticed when reading.

Let's hear from Sofia.

"I noticed a pattern with rhyming words.

The lyrics have the title of the song as a repeated line at the end of some of the verses.

The song mentions Shaftesbury Avenue and Hampton Court, which I know are both places in London." There's some really interesting things you spotted there, Laura, something about the the pattern and some of those places.

I wonder if you've heard of any of these places in London.

"London is the Place for Me" is a fixed verse song.

It contains four verses, each with five lines.

These are known as quintains and a repeated refrain.

Refrain is a noun.

It's a word, line, or phrase that's repeated within the lines or verses of the song itself.

What effect do you think the refrain has on the poem? Pause the video and tell someone nearby the effect do you think the refrain has on the poem.

Okay, let's hear from Alex.

I think the refrain emphasises the excitement and eagerness of Lord Kitchener to get to London.

He mentions other locations that people can travel to in the first verse, but ends by saying that they must return to London.

It seems to be all about London for Lord Kitchener.

Check for understanding, which best describes the atmosphere or tone of the song and the lyrics.

Harsh and bitter, cheerful and enthusiastic, sad and gloomy.

Pause video while we decide which of these best describes the atmosphere or tone of the song and the lyrics.

Well done if you selected answer B, cheerful and enthusiastic.

And now it's time for your first task.

Referring to what we've read so far, what are your first impressions of the song? I'd like you to write about your likes, what caught your attention, your dislikes.

Was there anything that you were unsure about? Puzzles.

Was there anything you found strange or surprising? So pause video here and now discuss with someone your first impressions of the song, your likes, dislikes, and puzzles, and I'll see you when you're finished.

Okay, great to be back with you.

What did you come up with? Let's hear some answers.

Likes.

Aldwyn Lord Kitchener Roberts' singing adds to the song's charm.

It makes me feel optimistic and would likely have had that effect in 1948.

Dislikes.

I know that the reality that lots of people from the Caribbean faced in London was very different to how the city is described in the song.

We know that many people experience real difficulties in discrimination when they arrived.

puzzles.

I was intrigued by the mention of Shaftesbury Avenue in Hampton Court.

I wonder if these places are chosen specifically.

Thanks for joining in with this task and let's carry on exploring.

Next, we are exploring the artist's perspective.

Aldwyn Roberts under his Calypso stage name, Lord Kitchener, sang the first two verses of "London is the Place for Me" on camera for reporters upon arrival at Tilsbury Docks on the HMT Empire Windrush and was recorded by Pathe news cameras.

And again, there we see that image of the Empire Windrush.

The footage remains a vital historical record and contributed to raising public awareness of the new wave of migration.

And migration, One of our keywords, is when people move from one place to another.

Following the second World War, Britain was undergoing significant reconstruction and needed labour as people to do work to rebuild its economy and infrastructure.

Robert's optimism in the song likely reflects the hopes and aspirations of many people from the Caribbean who saw London as a city of possibilities.

Following his arrival, Aldwyn quickly became involved in the London music scene.

His talents were recognised and he found success performing in clubs and community events contributing to the popularity of Calypso music in the UK.

There are many interpretations of the song and reasons why Roberts might have written it.

The positive portrayal of London might have been an intentional effort to promote harmony and integration between people from the Caribbean and the British public.

By highlighting the welcoming and sociable nature of Londoners, Roberts may have aimed to foster goodwill and mutual respect.

It's important to note that experiences were not the same for all people who migrated from the Caribbean.

Many face discrimination, employment challenges, housing issues, and other barriers.

And we know that this continues as well for some people Check for understanding.

True or false.

Experiences were the same for all people who migrated to the UK from the Caribbean.

Pause video and decide if this is true or false.

Well done if you selected false.

And now I'd like you to justify your answer by selecting one of these statements.

Aldwyn Lord Kitchener Roberts quickly found success performing in clubs and community events.

Many people from the Caribbean faced discrimination, employment challenges, housing issues, and other barriers.

Pause video while you decide which of these statements justifies your earlier answer.

While both statements are true, it's the second statement about people from the Caribbean facing discrimination that relates to your earlier answer.

Not all people from the Caribbean had the same experience when they migrated here.

Some had positive experiences, and for many, they faced discrimination.

And now it's time for your next task.

I would like you to refer to the song and answer the following question.

Do you think the Speaker in "London is the Place for Me" is happy about arriving in England? Yes.

No.

Maybe.

And then I'd like you to explain your answer using evidence from the song, and you can refer to the lyrics or the music in your response.

So pause the video here, and I will see you when you're finished.

All right, it's great to be back with you.

I wonder how you got on with that task.

Let's hear what Lucas has to say.

Lucas thinks that, yes, the speaker is happy about arriving in England.

Let's see his explanation.

Lord Kitchener Baldwin Roberts clearly expresses happiness and enthusiasm about coming to England through the song.

The repeated refrain emphasises his admiration for the city and preference for London over other places.

He includes positive imagery, such as being comfortable and feeling like a millionaire.

Okay, well done.

Thanks, Lucas, and thanks for referring quite clearly to the song and to some of the positive imagery that you found there.

Like poetry, song lyrics are open to interpretation.

They do not always offer exact answers.

I hope you enjoyed sharing your answers, whether they were similar or different to this one.

In our lesson today, introducing the context of "London is the Place for Me," we have covered the following.

"London is the Place for Me" was written by Aldwyn Lord Kitchener Roberts in 1948.

Roberts migrated to England aboard the Empire Windrush.

His arrival coincided with a period of significant change in Britain.

The first two verses were sung by Lord Kitchener at the Tilsbury Docks on board the HMT Empire Windrush.

Footage was captured by cameras at the time.

Roberts' experiences were not the same for all people who migrated from the Caribbean.

Many faced discrimination, employment challenges, housing issues, and other barriers.

Thank you for joining in with this lesson.

There was such a lot that we covered.

It was great to introduce this song and to begin looking at the context in which it was created.

I look forward to seeing you at another lesson soon.

Bye for now.