It's a wrap. Lyfta live lessons: Children's Mental Health Week

Students and Bollington St John's participating in Lyfta live lessons

Trailer to storyworld Music is my Social Tool

Along with other schools from across the UK and beyond, students had the opportunity to explore an exciting new Lyfta storyworld; Music is My Social Tool from Brazil.

Our trainer Noel started the lesson by introducing the Lyfta globe and asking students what they knew about Brazil.

"Pele, who died recently, was from Brazil"

"Footballer Neymar is from Brazil"

"It has a hot climate"

"The capital city is Brasilia"

"50 percent of animal species are from Brazil"

"Brazil is the biggest country in South America"

"They speak Portuguese in Brazil"

"They have the best latin music in the world"

"The Amazon river runs through Brazil"

Tweets from Live Lesson for Children's Mental Health Week

We then journeyed to the city of Porto Alegre in the South of Brazil, where we met Izandra and explored themes such as the power of music to connect people, the importance of role models, and what connections in our lives help support our mental health and wellbeing.

First we explored the 360° spaces and soundscapes inside the prestigious music conservatory of Porto Alegra where Izandra practises violin, the rooftop where we see her play and the classroom where she teaches others. We took in the sights and sounds of the spaces, made some predictions and asked questions about what we had seen and heard in the spaces.

Classes asked questions like:

"How does it feel to play the violin?"

"How many instruments can she play?"

"How did she become a musician?"

"Who inspired her to play?"

"How long has she been playing the violin?"

"Who are the other people in the scenes?"

Our trainer Noel then clicked Izandra in the 360° space and she was brought to life in a short documentary film about her life.

We learned that Izandra is a young black Brazilian woman raised by her grandmother. When she turned 13, her grandmother encouraged her to attend a local project where she learnt to play the violin. This instrument, classical music and the work of Afro-Brazilian musicians changed her life. Izandra now shares her expertise with low-income youngsters and works to make classical music accessible to all.

We saw the important connections in Izandra's life; to her grandmother, her friends, her teacher, her students and with music. We saw how positive relationships and connections like these can support our mental health and wellbeing.

After watching the film, students were invited to share their thoughts on the film:

"She clearly enjoys being part of the community"

"You can see they connect through music - a shared passion"

"Izandra connects with many people"

Some brave students came on camera to share what positive and meaningful connections they enjoy in their own lives:

"I have 2 best friends - we are a trio. We care about each other and are connected to each other."

"My granddad means a lot to me. He's old but he still goes on bike rides with me. He teaches me not to give up."

"My dodgeball group supports me - we have fun, exercise and laugh. It is really good for our mental health."

"My school community and teachers are important to me"

"My mum and dad help me, give me support and help with my homework"

"My religion is important to me - I enjoy feeling connected to that community"

It was amazing to have so many join us for our Lyfta live lessons for Children's Mental Health week. We saw together how connections with other people and positive relationships in our lives are vitally important. Not just with people we know, but with others locally, nationally and internationally. An idea very close to our hearts at Lyfta!

Thank you to all the teachers that facilitated important conversations in the classroom, and to all the students who participated and shared their ideas so readily. We hope to see you all at the next Lyfta live lesson!

Lyfta Live lessons - what are they?

Tweets from Lyfta live lesson for World Space Week

Lyfta live lessons are delivered by our engagement team live, via Zoom, bringing together many different schools for a shared Lyfta experience.

Since we started our live lessons, under a year ago, we have delivered sessions to over a 1000 classes in total (over 30,000 student sessions)!

New to Lyfta?

The Lyfta globe on screen

If you don't know much about Lyfta, you can read more about our award-winning immersive learning platform here.

Our Lyfta storyworlds are at the heart of what we do, offering learners intimate windows into the lives of people from across the globe. Students and teachers can explore real human stories through 360° spaces and soundscapes, high-quality documentary films, and rich media articles. Our Lyfta films depict personal stories that open up a wider, societal issue.

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