Olympics Song Competition
NEW! Together in the Language of Sport – video
‘Making of’ documentary / song video for Together in the Language of Sport
On 2 July, over 350 pupils from 36 UK schools came together to perform the multilingual Double Club song for the London 2012 Olympics, ‘Together in the Language of Sport’ in Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium. The day was an enormous success, with the pupils joining together to learn the song’s chorus in sign language with children of the Kaos Signing Choir and practising a special dance routine, before performing the song with great gusto in the stadium stands. Many thanks to everyone who helped make the event such a resounding success!
The Double Club Languages Song Competition 2012 was initiated by the Goethe-Institut London and financed by the Goethe-Institut London and the European Commission Representation in the UK.
Click here to watch the video in HD on Vimeo
Video and celebratory day – 2 July 2012
For schools – group photos
Download group photos of participating schools from the 2 July event here:
Press pack
Listen to the multilingual Double Club Song for the London 2012 Olympics – ‘Together in the Language of Sport’
Listen to the multilingual hit, recorded by winners of the Double Club Languages Song Competition, who wrote the song’s verses in French, German, Greek, Italian and Spanish, with a chorus in English:
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
Download the lyrics here (PDF)
For teachers
Why not use the song in class as part of a cross-curricular language learning activity? Here are some ideas on how you can use the song to bring your pupils together in the language of sport!
- Language detectives: Can your pupils find out what all of the verses mean?
- Translate: See if your pupils can translate the English chorus into the language they are learning. For advanced pupils: translate against the clock.
- Composers: Write a new verse for the song. (You can download the instrumental version of the song here:
Together in the Language of Sport – instrumental version – MP3) - Dance-off: Your pupils create a dance routine for the song, based on the lyrics.
- Album artists: Can your pupils create a cool piece of cover artwork for the song?
- Let the Games commence! What can your pupils find out about Olympians who speak the languages in the song as a first language?
If you have used the song with your pupils, why not let us know how it has been of use to you? Just send us an email with a brief overview of your activities to olympicsong@arsenal.co.uk – we’d be delighted to hear from you!
Making a multilingual hit – the project so far
In the autumn of last year, partners of the Arsenal FC Double Club Languages programme set a challenge for secondary school pupils from across the UK to write the lyrics for a multilingual Olympics-themed song in French, German, Greek, Italian and Spanish, with a chorus in English, to accompany the catchy melody penned by the German electro-indie band Fotos.
The response to the competition was astounding, with over 450 children taking part in the competition from over 50 schools throughout the UK. Teachers were delighted by the impact on motivation and behaviour, with pupils choosing to meet up in lunch breaks and after school to hone their lyrics. As one teacher put it, pupils revelled in the opportunity to “stretch themselves as musicians and as linguists, and work together as a team”.
The talented winners from six UK schools were invited to sing their lyrics together as Team Harmony at a recording session in London in March 2012.
On 2 July 2012, over 350 pupils from 36 UK schools joined together to perform the song in Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium to a dance routine choreographed by Arzu Gebser.
Competition winners
- French: King’s School, Ely
- German: Torquay Girls’ Grammar School
- Greek: HECT- Independent Greek School of Finchley
- Italian: Priory Prep School, Banstead
- Spanish: Highbury Fields School, London
- English chorus: St. Anselm’s College, Birkenhead