For those of you who have been following my visits around the country I have to tell you that, sadly, this is my last one.

My last visit took me to meet Hannah Reid who was delivering vocal sessions in an Infants’ school. I must say that I have found younger children quite challenging; keeping them engaged and on task always seem to be a challenge. So I decided that this would provide me with an excellent opportunity to focus on the inclusive principle.

Hannah delivered two sessions which were totally inclusive; not just for the children but for the teachers and TAs who were participating and leading (and were so obviously committed).

I wondered if Hannah would have issues keeping these children engaged, but she had no problems. From the moment the children and their teachers entered the hall they were completely focused on the matter in hand; they were here to learn, participate, have fun and contribute to the session.  Hannah’s welcome song related to each child, thus displaying the inclusive principle immediately.

Music, movement and singing were all integrated into a most wonderful positive experience which both immersed and engaged the children, letting their imaginations run wild.

Hannah had a wonderful way of asking the children to offer their opinions, and used their responses to develop a sea-themed activity. Incorporating various musical elements and subject matter, she enabled each child to find a particular point of interest. (Well informed).

We were swimming with seahorses, lobsters, fish, turtles, sea lions and crabs. We became those creatures, made the movements, swam in the pools and ate their food. Each child was valued and included in the session and yet none was singled out in a way that was awkward.

This well-informed and creative approach, together with clear signals, gave the children the confidence to engage with the subject matter fully. I wondered if the principles might be different in a setting involving younger children.  Even though I have chosen to focus on the inclusive principle I could not envisage this session without each and every one of the principles.

Hannah’s interaction with the pupils was always positive and, thanks to her, the children were all made to feel like kings and queens; that their opinions mattered and that they were offering something incredibly important to the group.

So, how do you use the inclusive principle? I don’t think that we can measure inclusiveness simply by observing who is involved in singing – so how can we facilitate and measure inclusion?  I’d love to hear your thoughts and how you would put this theory into practice.

Wendy’s penultimate trip was in the North East for a small group singing session. Find out what she learnt – and how her musical past is always close behind!

I have fond memories of Redcar. The last time I was there, I was on a residential trip with a group of young musicians.  I don’t think I’ll ever forget taking the youngsters for a walk to have supper and the group leader ordering fish and chips 23 times.  I often wonder if the chip shop owner still remembers.  I certainly remember the group leader – we’ve been married for 32 years. 

This was quite a different visit.  Rebecca Pedlow goes to the school each week at the end of the day to lead a small but very committed extra curricular singing group.  So, how was I going to measure the principles here?  Would each one still be important?

Sometimes I think that there can be a big challenge in leading a smaller group: ideas can only come from fewer people; voices can be more difficult to blend; relationships can be more personal and this can easily lead to the music being pushed from the centre of the focus. I’m pleased to say none of this happened in Rebecca’s session!

I thought I would look at the musical principle to see how this worked in practice.  It is pivotal, supporting everything which vocal leadership stands for.  The principle was scattered rather like fairy dust and the children were under her spell.  The pupils were very proud to be musicians and they fed back to Rebecca freely so that they had a true sense of musical ownership.

The other thing which struck to me was that all the youngsters became leaders; they were looking forward to showing their musical expertise to an audience at their performance. There is something so charismatic about immersing oneself (usually subconsciously) in musical performance that an audience is transported. 

I’ve had the good fortune to see this ‘performance bug’ in youngsters engaged with instrumental Wider Opportunities programmes too; after a very small number of sessions the youngsters are engaged in producing real music and their journey is a musical one.  I believe that it’s a balance so that attention is paid to the technical aspects (in ‘doing it right’) but never at the expense of the central musical core.

Like the trip to Redcar, my past experiences have haunted me writing these blogs. My very first student read my articles, got in touch and we’re now meeting for lunch! Will she recognize me? I’m not sure! However, I do know that the lasting impact of our shared musical experiences will be real for both of us. I’ll let you know how it goes.

How do you keep your young musicians focused on their musical activity?  Do you have any special ways of keeping music at the centre of the activity?

Wendy joins over 1,000 children and teachers for a very special event in the North East. Find out how she got on – and how hearing songs about Monkeys and Global Warming made her think about New York, pond dipping and wedding DJs.

My, how school trips have changed. My most memorable day out was going ‘pond dipping’ to the local park, but for my daughter it was going on a Geography field trip to New York. They were worlds apart, but were enriching and left deep impressions on us both.

So, when I saw over 1,000 children and teachers at the Big Sing at the Sage Gateshead all raring to go, I knew we were in for another memorable morning – even the coach drivers looked like they were ready for a special day!

There was so much happening at the event, but I decided that the Encouraging and Creative Principles were the best to observe. It was also a great opportunity to observe the principles as they overlap and interweave with each other.

There was huge encouragement coming from the leaders and they gave individual space to be creative and musical. It goes without saying that the leader should respect the participants and allow for individuality. Some children were on their feet dancing today whilst others sat down, yet their engagement and raised spirit appeared every bit as real.  It’s a bit like the field trips: we take out of it what we personally need.

The creative principle was evident throughout this session. Much of the material was new to me and I could see immediately why it was selected and why the children felt such an affinity to it.  The song ‘Too Hot for Monkeys’ was fun, but the underlying message about Global Warming will stay with those children (and if I’m not mistaken their teachers too).  Singing these songs was going way beyond having a good time - let’s not under value the joy that music making brings.

Having several leaders made the creative principle easier to identify. Each one brought their own individual approach. In my opinion, several heads are better than one – especially if it is in such an intense environment as the Big Sing!

The elation of seeing and hearing live musicians forming the ‘Big Sing’ band was a wonderful and memorable experience. The choice of material was so varied and the pace so well judged that there was certainly something which all the children could relate to.  Instructions were always clear and the whole celebration was a musical extravaganza.

How do you put the encouraging principle into practice? How do you make it succeed? It’s so easy for a genuinely encouraging intention to be the opposite – and you potentially end up sounding like a poor DJ at a wedding where nobody wants to dance.

Let me know. As always, your thoughts will be greatly received.

Wendy’s next venture in Singing Quality was to unchartered territory: a Sing up Reference Group with the leading lights in vocal education. Find out if she managed to calm her nerves and how Astro Physicists agree with her findings.

When I was invited to the Sing Up Reference Group (SURG for short) in London, I was a little daunted. The group has an impressive attendance list of all the movers and shakers in music/vocal leadership in the country. Luckily, an early start (so early, I think the sparrows were still showering!) and a comfortable train journey calmed my nerves.

Although Sing Up has invited me to complete this Quality work, I am able to approach it totally independently and have the freedom to be honest in my findings. This is also true for SURG – yes, many members were heavily involved and committed to Sing Up, but all were able to share and debate about what was happening with singing across the country. They talked a lot of common sense and shared their opinions and beliefs for the good of everyone – remembering to put young people at the centre of everything they set out to achieve.

The meeting went deep; questioning and prodding. I think that singing leaders need to be aware that Sing Up is doing this vital work.  It’s not a tea party; it’s a vibrant, questioning and academically challenging, pupil focused group which is pushing forward the singing and vocal delights which are taking place across the country.

I also discovered there’s a lot of exciting research currently happening. Professor Graham Welch and his team are currently looking at links between children’s singing and their increased abilities in numeracy and literacy.  This is fascinating stuff.  I hope there will be some work published on it in the future.

It’s not just those ‘in the know’ who believe that singing and music aids learning. My husband and I recently had a visiting American Astro-Physics professor to dinner (believe it or not) and he is convinced that music can influence a person in a way which nothing else can.  I don’t think we’re too far off finding proof for this.  Maybe if those people who make decisions on finance and curriculum planning can be convinced, they will be persuaded to put a little more funding into music and give it the standing which it deserves.

I really enjoyed my first SURG meeting. Evaluation is important to Sing Up; taking the time to reflect and measure performance and outcomes.  On my way home, I started to wonder if we all take enough time out to be reflective. It would be especially useful when thinking about leading vocal sessions. How do you evaluate your own work? It would great to hear how music practitioners reflect and develop their skills.

After visiting an exciting vocal workshop for teachers in Kettering, Wendy had time to reflect on how the Clear Principle worked within the session.

Kettering station is a very calm place. It’s the sort of location which has a picture of the late station cat on the wall. It was the perfect location to reflect on Lin Marsh’s vocal workshop – that and the fact the train I needed only runs every hour.

The second Principle that really grabbed my attention during Lin’s workshop was Clear. This Principle appears to incorporate so many other areas - in order to be Clear, the leader needs to be confident and well prepared. However, flexibility in approach and material can still be achieved.

As I sat in the waiting room, I considered what tools a good vocal leader needs to demonstrate clarity. Firstly they need to be Well-informed, or the content loses its validity. The Musical Principle should also be at the centre of every singing workshop. Lin showed beautifully that being Clear can be achieved with a very gentle approach; it’s not necessarily about marching, clapping and rallying everyone. 

I tried to imagine the Principles in isolation – would I be engaged in a session that was Clear even if it did not encompass other Principles?  If the session wasn’t clearly Positive, Inclusive, Encouraging, Creative and Musical it would simply not have been complete. I wondered to what extent each is important: do they (and should they) all have equal weighting?  Or does their importance alter depending on external constraints?

What do you think? Do you place a certain emphasis on a particular Principle? Or do you think they should all be treated equally? You thoughts would be most welcome!

5 hours after leaving the session I arrived back home.  By that time I was weary, exhausted, tired of trains, aching and suffering from the effects of the heat.  Was it worth it?  Oh, yes.  A thousand times, yes! Everyone made me feel so welcome. It was also an honour to see Lin at work and try to place her session within the framework of the Quality Principles. I learnt so much!

My next stop is London to meet the Sing Up Reference Group (or SURG for short!). They’ll be talking about the Principles. I’m really looking forward to it!

Wendy’s next stop in her quest to explore the Quality Principles was Northamptonshire where she witnessed a session with practitioner Lin Marsh.

I packed my map and boarded the train to Kettering feeling rather excited! This was a session with a difference, as it was for teachers rather than pupils. I wondered whether the workshop would be a good example of Vocal Leadership, or would it be more like teaching?

On arrival I soon found out that it was a combination of all sorts of things! It truly is an honour to observe such honest interaction between a leader and her students, seeing them capture all the shooting stars as they propel and sparkle across the room. They willingly grunted, twanged and tilted their larynxes as they explored sounds; they were pirates living a wild life on pirate ships; they were soft and delicate, picking and smelling roses. As an observer I almost felt that I was intruding on an intimate moment as they made their connection with Mother Nature!

Leading singing leaders shouldn’t be any different to leading youngsters. Okay, so a few things alter and the content will differ, but the basis of quality leading remains. The session included all the principles, but for this blog I’ll focus on Well-informed, as I think you’d be hard pressed to find anyone in the country who is better Informed than Lin Marsh. Her knowledge is immense. During the workshop she even showed the group a model larynx to describe the various ways the voice could be used, which was great fun.

Like so many good singing leaders, Lin also conveyed the Well-informed Principle using both verbal and non-verbal methods. She modeled what she wanted her followers to achieve through singing (and their listening),
gestures (which they copied),
voice inflection (pitch, dynamics, timbre etc),
body language and facial expressions.

On the journey home I had time to reflect on the day. For me, the Well-informed Principle is ensuring that research is thoroughly carried out before delivering a session. Practitioners also have to know and respond to their audience – after all, it’s about the students and not about the leader!

One of my daughters is a food technologist and I felt that I could really use her palette. To me, vocal leadership is like making a Victoria Sponge: everyone uses the same ingredients from the recipe, but the finished products all look and taste very different.  I ask myself ‘how can this be?’ I’m not certain, but it’s pleasing to know that there is such variation in singing sessions across the country. I certainly wasn’t disappointed with Lin’s own perfect mix!

Just before posting this I have had an exciting invitation to visit the SURG group.  It’s the Reference Group for Sing Up and it appears that I am invited because they are looking at the Quality Principles. So, next stop London – best get my A-Z out!

How do you create this Well-informed Principle in your singing sessions? It would be great to hear how you inspire singing in a practical environment. Don’t be shy! Your idea might only be small, but it could be VERY important.

Having accepted her challenge to view our Quality Principles within a practical setting, Wendy visits her first singing session by the seaside.

I was rather excited when Ed Milner emailed me the details for my first assignment: Opera North in Bridlington! With the calming tones of my Sat Nav to guide me, I arrived on the East Yorkshire coast amid thick fog – but didn’t let that cloud my mood. Em Whitfield-Brooks was delivering three sessions to different KS2 classes. I was to look at the Principles within her delivery and put some weighting on their importance.

I don’t always use what might be identified as a standard logic, but on this occasion I decided to start at the beginning, and look at the first Principle:

Positive – The leader affirms and values everyone’s participation in singing, praises effort, celebrates achievement and shares enthusiasm and joy.

The session certainly embraced this Principle! Everyone was engaged and focused from the outset: Em’s appropriate eye contact and smile melted away any tension or anxiety. She was very realistic, praising what was worthy without devaluing the session. The children were also encouraged to share their thoughts and opinions, incorporating suitable suggestions into their performance, bringing creativity and musical thought to the fore.

This got me wondering, how do other singing leaders encourage positivity in their delivery and how pivotal is it? I believe that anyone participating in singing needs to have the push and drive within. For many people it is never an issue, but for those who have no inclination towards it (whether that be because of an earlier bad experience, lack of confidence, poor self image of voice – the list is endless) we don’t start our work from zero, but from a point far below it. How does the principle work in this type of situation?

In trying to put an importance on each of the Principles, I also wondered whether each one varies within the context? The positivity achieved by Em and the children was the culmination of numerous visits, but what about a one-off session or a situation which is extremely challenging?  Here there is a totally different approach to the Positive principle.  Yes, the leader still needs to incorporate the principle, but how is this going to vary?  Is it still based on facial expression, tone of voice, body language?  If so, how does positivity manifest itself in a different setting?

And where next for me? I’m going to Kettering in Northamptonshire – I’d best get my Sat Nav out… Come back next week to read about it!

How do you create this Positive Principle in practice? I’d love to hear your thoughts and opinions – After all, theory is there to be challenged! You might find that you just have one small seed to offer, but if we all do the same our little sapling, with care and careful nurture, might become a mighty oak!

Over the coming weeks, Wendy Wootton will be travelling around the country investigating our Quality Principles to see how they work within a practical setting. She will be posting regular blogs on her findings. We join her at the start of her adventure…

From the moment I heard about the
Sing Up Quality Principles, I was hooked! It is the sort of quality work which really interests me and I knew that I wanted to be part of it. I was fascinated by how the theory relates to the practice – does it apply to actual singing sessions? Are there other aspects that weren’t considered? When Ed Milner, Sing Up Workforce Development Director, contacted me looking for someone to identify these principles in practice, I jumped at the opportunity!

My background is predominantly in Music Services. Having had experience of working in partnership with Sing Up, I have never ceased to be amazed by the variety of projects and the impact the work is having. In our first meeting, Ed and I talked about how I would visit some of these outstanding projects and consider if the principles were definitive for each setting. Having recently moved to Durham with my husband for his new job, I had the flexibility
(and enthusiasm!) to accept.

In reality, the road ahead will be long. I’ll be travelling around the country observing the principles both in isolation and in harmony. I will also have to try and identify other qualities which may not have been considered. It will be a challenge, but I am ready to explore – and see if the theory fits the practice!

I really want your help too! I don’t want my blogs to be the final say on the Quality debate. As I visit different projects and post my blogs, it would be great to hear your thoughts and ideas on how you approach singing leadership. Is there anything special that you think I should be looking out for on my travels?

Three years ago there was very little singing at Benton Park.  It wasn’t because we didn’t want to sing or because we didn’t know how to sing, it was just that there were so many other priorities. But that was all to change when Miles Wallis-Clarke, the head teacher of Hotspur Primary School, a Platinum singing school suggested to our Heaton Schools Partnership that we should put on a concert at Newcastle City Hall.

I can still remember the first singing practise.  A disillusioned set of Y6 boys refusing to participate and a slightly chaotic round led by staff (myself included) who were not always clear about what they were doing or how to lead or teach singing.  But with support from Miles who came to school and supported us to teach the songs, we began to assemble a choir who, encouraged by the promise of performing on a big stage and some time out of school, went to the City Hall.

I don’t think that first year our performance was particularly wonderful but we had worked exceptionally hard to get there.  Listening to the other schools was inspiring and watching our new singers experience singing in the large choir composed of all the schools was very emotional.  We were so proud of them and they in turn were proud of themselves! Parents told me how enthused they were by the event but for staff a new perspective on singing had been awakened.  They saw what other schools could do – and if they could do it, then we could too!

Three years on and the impact is obvious.  The school choir is highly attended and the singing assembly on Wednesday mornings is an established part of the school week. Hotspur Primary really helped enable us to sing with enthusiasm, joy and proficiency.  It is a most effective model of school improvement, one that raised standards of achievement for all pupils, improved standards of teaching and gave curriculum opportunities that were not previously available.  The pride on the children’s faces, the level of engagement and obvious enjoyment will be remembered by all the staff and most importantly by the children.

For more information on Sing Up Awards, visit our website.

How have you inspired singing leadership in your school? Have you had outside help, or do you have a particularly enthusiastic individual within your staff? Do all teachers partake, or a select few? Let us know your thoughts by leaving your comments.

From the moment I started teaching I have witnessed the empowerment that music and singing offers children. Shy, inhibited students can develop and flourish into confident and focused characters determined to learn and excel in education.

I believe it is vitally importance to invest in a music specialist in primary education. Having a professional who is able to make music accessible to all enriches the curriculum and brings the arts to the forefront of school life.

The key to enabling inclusion in music lessons is to not set any boundaries for failure. Using written text for teaching songs can be restrictive and exclusive.  Asking pupils to create movements for each line of the lyrics allows for open expression and ownership of the material.  It also offers children a physical model in which they can practice with one another outside of the classroom.

Music has become a truly universal language throughout the school I work in London. There is a need for increased inclusion and confidence amongst the pupils; a music specialist like myself can definitely aid this. Not only that, it demonstrates music as a vital ingredient for learning.

Do you agree with Paul’s words? Let us know by posting your comments!