How do you sing and sign a song?

From Scotland to Japan

Isabella’s song was written by our Artistic Director, Frances M Lynch who based it on songs written by pupils from Keith & Newmill Primary Schools who took part in our Isabella’s Footsteps Project from September 2025 – May 2026.

Now you can learn the song with your class group or choir using all the materials we’ve prepared for you – and there’s lots of different ways, including your own!

Download the pdf Learning Pack below
You’ll find Warm Ups, Lesson plans, videos & sound files, the words and music and
EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO SING & SIGN
Isabella’s Song
From Scotland to Japan

Isabella’s Footsteps: from Scotland to Japan

A song celebrating marine biologist
Isabella Gordon (1901-1988)
Inspired by the children of Keith & Newmill Primary Schools

Created as a companion to the book of the same name by Catherine Booth

First performed at a community event in Keith
May 18th, 2026
Isabella Gordon’s Birthday
by Keith Primary School Choir & EVT
for the unveiling ceremony of plaques dedicated to Gordon as part of the Sakura Cherry Tree project
and presentations of the book

 
National Lottery Heritage Fund Logo in Scots

Download the Learning Resources Pack pdf for full instructions on how to use the Sound & Video recordings below:-

  1. Warm Ups – get ready to sing!
  2. LEARNING TRACKS to help you sing & sign Isabella’s Song – start by learning the Intro & Chorus then choose to learn any or all of the verses. The tracks will come in handy if you’re not confident to teach the song yourself and will provide ideas of different ways to approach it for those who do!
    1.  Intro & Chorus (4 tracks, 15mins total)
    2. Verse 1
    3. Verse 2
    4. Verse 3
    5. Verse 4
  3. THE COMPLETE SONG – Sing-along Isabella’s Song with Frances
  4. BSL VIDEO – Isabella’s Song – THE COMPLETE SONG – Frances sings and signs the song with Isla, our British Sign Language Interpreter. You can learn the signs and use them when you perform it.
  5. Isabella’s Song – ACCOMPANIMENT ONLY – you can use this to practice and perform the song once you know it.

P4 Keith Primary School

1. Warm Ups – get ready to sing! COMING SOON

A woman dressed in black with an electric blue sash is standing by a lake with the outline of Whitby Abbey in the distance set in a deep blue sky

Frances M Lynch – EVT Artistic Director, Soprano, Composer

3. THE COMPLETE SONG – Sing-along Isabella’s Song with Frances COMING SOON

4. BSL VIDEO – Isabella’s Song – THE COMPLETE SONG – Frances sings and signs the song with Isla, our British Sign Language Interpreter. You can learn the signs and use them when you perform it, or why not learn some of the signs to help your class learn the words. COMING SOON

5. ACCOMPANIMENT ONLY – you can use this fully orchestrated version to practice and perform the whole of the Isabella’s Song once you know it. Make sure you contact us to let us know about your performance

Book Book BACK TO ISABELLA’S BOOK

Made in Keith!

Isabella Gordon’s drawings of the crustaceans she studied, her sense of humour see in her limerick writing and proud use of the Scots language were rooted in her upbringing in Keith, which was made the First Scots Toun because the people of the toun have kept the language in daily use.