Singing
can offer musical expertise. In the case of staff who do not have musical experience, partnerships with music organisations will be central to workforce development and building skills. And music organisations who want to become involved in SEN projects will need to work closely with local authority or voluntary organisations who are already connected with the sector. Co-planning, engaging in constant dialogue, reporting back on sessions, and co-mentoring each other in relevant skills will greatly contribute to the success of a singing project. An innovative programme conducted by Plymouth Music Zone, with
the support of the Sing Up area leader in Devon, highlights the benefits of partnering with a music organisation. The project focused on a group of children with profound and multiple learning disabilities, many of whom could not use their voices. They developed a resource, the Zoobiedoo, and used vocal looping technology to help engage the children they were
“With tailored goals, singing
standards can dramatically improve and can give students a real sense of
achievement – and many will develop a real love for singing”
working with, with significant success. A teacher reported that, despite one child being previously unable to use her voice, on hearing a song from the Zoobiedoo, she began singing and doing all the actions that they had been associating with the song. This is a clear example of a child with profound special needs being able to comprehend and enjoy music at a higher level than anyone had previously imagined possible. Technological innovations like the Zoobiedoo are important to Sing
Up’s work with schools, as technology can really help bring music to life in the classroom. Faber Music, which is part of the Sing Up consortium, has been building partnerships with leading music technology companies
and utilising cutting edge products, such as instant recording technology, to sing karaoke-style in class or at home. Schools signed up to Sing Up have access to all of this music technology.
School canopies Shelters
Walkways Call 01480 498297
for more information or a free quote
www.inside2outside.co.uk
Improving singing standards Singing need not only be viewed in terms of its contribution to other areas of a child’s development. Indeed, I believe that if singing with SEN is to achieve its full – incredibly powerful – potential, it needs to move beyond simply “joining in” and focus on improving singing standards as a learning and performance discipline. Pupils on the SEN register who may face difficulty with literacy or numeracy can really blossom through singing as their confidence grows. With tailored goals, singing standards can dramatically improve and can give students a real sense of achievement – and many will develop a real love for singing. Sing Up has worked closely with Red Marsh School in Lancashire,
where children and young people with severe learning and autistic spectrum disorders are taught. The staff and students have enjoyed the activities so much that they sang in a major regional choir concert and received a Sing Up Silver Award last year.
Support is available For schools of any type interested in incorporating singing into their daily life, Sing Up can offer invaluable support. This includes an extensive programme of continuing professional development and training, which is building the confidence and expertise of teachers and musicians in leading and supporting children’s singing. There are a wealth of resources available, including a Song Bank with over 300 songs, and schools have access to the Sing Up Awards scheme, which can be tailored to help special schools put singing at the heart of school life. The over-arching aim of Sing Up is to ensure that all schools for primary-aged children throughout England are “singing schools” by 2011. Headteachers and schools can visit the Sing Up website to register for
free. Once registered, teachers can download songs and music, create shortlists of their favourites, sign up for the termly magazine and gain access to exclusive training and professional development support from Sing Up’s national network of area leaders and trainers. Hopefully this will be the first step towards reaping the benefits of engaging children of all backgrounds and abilities with singing.
• Baz Chapman is programme director at Sing Up, the Music Manifesto National Singing Programme, produced by Youth Music, with AMV- BBDO, Faber Music and The Sage Gateshead, supported by Government. For more information,
visitwww.singup.org
24
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32