Singing
The power of song C
Baz Chapman is programme director at Sing Up, the national singing programme. He explores how singing can act as a leveller for primary school children with special educational needs and those outside mainstream education – building confidence, achievement and self-esteem. He argues that teachers need support from school leadership teams to make the most of this valuable learning tool
lassroom teachers across the country are fast discovering the power of song as an educational tool and vehicle to engage with all pupils – including those from outside mainstream education.
However, there can be a degree of apprehension surrounding the views of senior management. Teachers in the classroom are witnessing first- hand the transformational power of song – but they now need the support and encouragement of senior leaders to ensure this tremendous resource is used to its full potential.
The benefits of singing Many teachers have long relied on the power of song to enthuse and engage a classroom, and will have experienced the benefits that singing can have on educational and social development. These benefits are also well-documented through extensive academic research – singing has been proven to improve literacy, reading skills, confidence, self-esteem and wellbeing among school children. The Sing Up mission is to enable every primary-age school in England to
become a singing school, and we are well on our way with over 85 per cent of state primary schools now registered with the programme. However much of the recent rise in singing activity has taken place within mainstream primary schools, and while there are pockets of excellent work with children with special educational needs, the national picture is disparate and under-resourced. So Sing Up has been extending its enthusiasm for singing to children and their leaders outside of mainstream education.
Singing beyond the mainstream Over the past year, Sing Up has partnered with 14 projects nationwide to work on singing programmes with children outside of mainstream education – as well as those with special educational needs (including children with physical disabilities and mental health problems), looked after children, refugees and asylum seekers. The feedback from all 14 projects has been unanimously positive: 100
per cent of the project leaders documented that the children involved were either “much better” or “better” at the end of the programme in terms of confidence and self-esteem, enjoyment and motivation, achievement and
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pride, and social interaction. The projects not only improved confidence when singing, but confidence as a whole, with children becoming clearer and more assured at stating their own needs and sharing their thoughts with others. Teachers found that restless or disruptive children were able to concentrate on singing for extended periods of time, and that this was reflected into the rest of their school life. And it was not only those working with children who observed this progress – in many cases, the children also observed a change in themselves.
Support from senior leadership teams In order to achieve a greater push for the use of quality singing practice in special needs education, workforce development is key. Our findings highlight that, although teachers with no previous experience with
“Teachers found that restless or disruptive children were able to concentrate on
singing for extended periods of time, and that this was reflected into the rest of their school life”
singing may initially lack confidence, this can be easily turned around with the right support, and enthusiasm and dedication for singing are vital for success. High workloads and time commitments can make it hard for teachers to set aside enough time to really focus on professional development for singing leadership. This is why the support of headteachers and senior leadership is vital, as they will need to recognise the value of such training, and support staff to develop their skills and confidence in singing leadership further. Partnerships are also central to the success of many singing projects, and school leaders may wish to forge ties with local organisations who
Photo:
educationphotos.co.uk
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