£10m National Singing Programme Underway
New government-funded programme to be produced by Youth Music with Abbot Mead Vickers, Faber Music and The Sage Gateshead
Sing Up is a national programme of singing activity for primary school-aged children in England.
Following a tendering process which attracted more than 80 enquiries, the Department for Children, Schools and Families has chosen a consortium led by Youth Music with The Sage Gateshead, Faber Music and advertising agency Abbot Mead Vickers to manage the Music Manifesto’s National Singing Programme, Sing Up.
The £10 million government investment aims to ensure that good quality singing is central to young children’s lives, in primary schools, in the home and in the wider community.
The original announcement was made by Alan Johnson, the then Secretary of State for Education and Skills, at the Music Manifesto’s State of Play conference in January 2007.
The Sing Up consortium will produce a national programme comprising a national singing resource or “songbook” (led by Faber Music), a media and schools campaign highlighting the benefits of singing (led by Abbot Mead Vickers) and a workforce development programme to build the confidence and expertise of primary school teachers, musicians and parents in leading and supporting children’s singing activities (led by The Sage Gateshead.)
The Sing Up programme’s overall aim is to raise the status of singing and increase opportunities for school children throughout the country to enjoy singing as part of their everyday lives. To this end, some funding is being distributed immediately to organisations with a strong track record in singing project delivery to fund 12 new ‘Sing Up Communities’ as well as up to 16 ‘Hearts and Minds’ Sing Up projects around England.
Two of the first tasks for the consortium will be to launch the Sing Up website and produce the termly Sing Up magazine, the first of which will go out at the beginning of November to all 17,000 primary schools in England and stakeholders within the sector. Each issue of the magazine will feature 10 songs, teaching notes, singing news and inspiring examples of good practice from across the country. The Sing Up magazine aims to inspire and enthuse teachers and complement the media campaign and the workforce development components of the national programme.
The website, www.singup.org, which will be launched in early November will provide extensive teaching support and information for parents and teachers about the benefits of singing, along with advice on enthusing children to sing well and sing healthily. By December of this year, there will be over 70 songs from a wide range of genres, cultures and styles available online and a target of 300 songs up by Autumn 2008.
Two additional strands of work are already in development from the same fund. The Choir Schools Association is currently expanding its outreach programme and Youth Music is developing a MusicStart pack for 2-4 year olds, fostering confidence and enjoyment in music before the move into primary school.
Organisations or individuals who would like to be involved in Sing Up are warmly invited to contact the Sing Up team at Youth Music in the first instance:
T: 020 7902 2939
E: info@singup.org
For more information contact
press@singup.org
Sing Up is a national programme of singing activity for primary school-aged children in England.
Following a tendering process which attracted more than 80 enquiries, the Department for Children, Schools and Families has chosen a consortium led by Youth Music with The Sage Gateshead, Faber Music and advertising agency Abbot Mead Vickers to manage the Music Manifesto’s National Singing Programme, Sing Up.
The £10 million government investment aims to ensure that good quality singing is central to young children’s lives, in primary schools, in the home and in the wider community.
The original announcement was made by Alan Johnson, the then Secretary of State for Education and Skills, at the Music Manifesto’s State of Play conference in January 2007.
The Sing Up consortium will produce a national programme comprising a national singing resource or “songbook” (led by Faber Music), a media and schools campaign highlighting the benefits of singing (led by Abbot Mead Vickers) and a workforce development programme to build the confidence and expertise of primary school teachers, musicians and parents in leading and supporting children’s singing activities (led by The Sage Gateshead.)
The Sing Up programme’s overall aim is to raise the status of singing and increase opportunities for school children throughout the country to enjoy singing as part of their everyday lives. To this end, some funding is being distributed immediately to organisations with a strong track record in singing project delivery to fund 12 new ‘Sing Up Communities’ as well as up to 16 ‘Hearts and Minds’ Sing Up projects around England.
Two of the first tasks for the consortium will be to launch the Sing Up website and produce the termly Sing Up magazine, the first of which will go out at the beginning of November to all 17,000 primary schools in England and stakeholders within the sector. Each issue of the magazine will feature 10 songs, teaching notes, singing news and inspiring examples of good practice from across the country. The Sing Up magazine aims to inspire and enthuse teachers and complement the media campaign and the workforce development components of the national programme.
The website, www.singup.org, which will be launched in early November will provide extensive teaching support and information for parents and teachers about the benefits of singing, along with advice on enthusing children to sing well and sing healthily. By December of this year, there will be over 70 songs from a wide range of genres, cultures and styles available online and a target of 300 songs up by Autumn 2008.
Two additional strands of work are already in development from the same fund. The Choir Schools Association is currently expanding its outreach programme and Youth Music is developing a MusicStart pack for 2-4 year olds, fostering confidence and enjoyment in music before the move into primary school.
Organisations or individuals who would like to be involved in Sing Up are warmly invited to contact the Sing Up team at Youth Music in the first instance:
T: 020 7902 2939
E: info@singup.org
For more information contact
press@singup.org
