Reviews: The Singing School Handbook from Sing Up

The organisation Sing Up is well-known for its advocacy of singing in schools. It offers training and resources in singing and singing leadership for non-specialist teachers, including a large ‘song bank’ from which teachers can draw on for inspiration and performance.

Now Sing Up's chief executive and music educationalist Michelle James has written The Singing School Handbook. The laudable tenet behind this excellent book is to have every child singing well every day of their lives.

The reader is coached through the process of increasing singing activity within their school; including why an institution should become a ‘Singing School’ – outlining the intrinsic and extrinsic benefits (including cognitive development, language acquisition, memory development, confidence and self-esteem) and how to set up a Singing School via one of three paths (Silver, Gold and Platinum). The planning worksheets aimed at a variety of targets make the mission seem remarkably straightforward.

Recommendations for incorporating singing into school life include singing the register in the morning, singing while lining up and singing to change the dynamic in the classroom. Lunchtime supervisors can sing skipping games in the playground. There are sections on singing to aid learning, working with pupils with SEN/D, and a focus on the types of performance opportunities teachers might create.

There is fantastic advice on vocal health here – first, importantly, for the singing leader, and then the pupils. Warm-ups and singing technique are all provided by experts Jenevora Williams and Stuart Barr. There is guidance, too, on how to become a confident singing leader. There are activity pages on teaching music through singing, accompanied by specific song suggestions from Sing Up's song bank. The final pages are dedicated to reviewing the Singing School strategy in all its contexts, with questions for reflection on how to keep the habit alive, particularly when key staff leave the school. The idea is to ‘future-proof’ the plan.

Without doubt, plans to set up a Singing School need tenacious follow-through and commitment, but taking small moments to sing every single day can create a positive environment for children, leading to greater academic success. Every school leader who aspires to see their pupils grow intellectually and glow in spirit would do well to embrace the aims outlined in The Singing School Handbook, which places singing at the heart of school life.

The Singing School Handbook is now available for purchase through the Faber Music online store, where it retails at a price of £12.99. More details can be found at the following link tinyurl.com/mt12-singup