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In 2008 Sing Up developed a partnership with Drake Music, a charity that breaks down barriers to music making. Drake Music created resources for 15 songs from the Sing Up Song Bank for children with a range of disabilities, especially communication or physical difficulties. They also created ‘how to’ guides for each resource. These can be downloaded from our website, www.singup.org.

The response to these resources has been brilliant. They have been used in a range of settings, from autistic spectrum disorder specialist classes to profound and multiple learning difficulties, moderate to severe learning difficulties, and mainstream schools.

Awarding your school’s singing journey

The Sing Up Awards are part of the programme and a fantastic way to celebrate achievement. They are designed for SEN settings and are at three levels: silver, gold and platinum. A school can decide how it will work towards the award, and get online support with ideas on how to meet different criteria. This flexibility means schools can start from where their children are.

Despite this, a teacher with no singing experience may feel daunted. Sing Up’s downloadable resources help staff feel more confident. The Pyramid Pack is a great example. Developed in association with ContinYou, it is designed to be used with shy, withdrawn children. It is full of activities, games and warm-ups that you can put into action quickly.

After all, singing is an equaliser, we all have a voice and that is something to celebrate. So visit www.singup.org to find out more and make singing a central part of your school’s life.

Jenny Young manages Sing Up Beyond the Mainstream at The Sage music venue in Gateshead. She works mainly in education settings and has experience with adults and children with special needs, asylum seekers and looked-after children.