How to lead a singing session

Getting started

• Ensure children are not always sitting on the floor when they are singing. Often this will mean they are looking up and straining their necks, which builds tension in the shoulders and squashes the voice box. The best posture for singing is standing up, loose knees, and shoulders wide apart. 

• To help warm up, make up (or let your singers make up) a sound effect story that accesses all areas of the voice. Use the mouth to generate a whole palette of sounds: try the low rumble of a jet engine; the squawk of a seagull; the wail of a siren. Making these sounds without calling it ‘singing’ will emphasise how easy it is to sing high and low, with varying tone and volume.

Moving on

• Have an attention grabbing call and response clap ready, for when the session needs refocusing. You: clap clap clap clap clap; the class: clap clap! The last clap will ring out, leaving a perfect silence to fill with singing.

• Establish a 1-10 volume scale, with the singers feeling what it feels like to sing a ‘1’ (whispering) and a ‘10’ (singing very loudly). You will be able to return to this scale to get your singers at a certain volume, eg. "We’re going to be singing this song at level 4."

• Creating songs is fun and can be used as a focusing trick. At the beginning of the session, get the singers to make up a sequence of sounds and actions through call and response, asking them to volunteer ideas. When the class needs focussing, ask, “I can’t remember our song – what was it now?” The class will respond with something like: Boom, boom, shake the room, uh huh, uh huh, ping-pong, meow, splat, Yo Dude! 

• Conducting can be taken a step further by using actions to prompt sounds. What do wiggling fingers sound like? What do wide, pulsing arms sound like? It’s surprising how easy it is to interpret physical actions into dynamic pieces of music! Translate this new musical range into your performances of other songs.

• Listening is important to singing. Ask the class to close their eyes and listen to the silence in the room, thinking about the small sounds they can hear. Ask them to think about what they can hear outside of the room, and then outside of the school, in the playground, and then even further afield.

Finishing up

• Encourage the singers to be reflective. Was that good? Did we sing together? Did we sing in tune? What can we do to make it better?

• Have a reward song that the class can sing when they have finished the session and been good – one they enjoy and have chosen themselves.

• Leave the session with a question, and action, or with something to think about for next time. This might be asking the children to teach the song to others in the playground, or to think about what actions can be added to a song to make it better. 

Top tips written by Mia Vigar, Sing Up Area Leader

How to lead a singing session with SEN children

• Music sessions are usually more fun and productive if the children sit in a circle. This promotes a sense of inclusion and trust and encourages participation. Make the circle an exciting place by placing instruments and musical “props” in the centre. You may find that children with autism initially find joining the group a challenge. If children are outside the circle try to ensure that they know they are still part of the group- encourage this by maintaining regular eye contact and offering instruments.

• Make songs as sensory as possible. This will ensure that you engage with children of all abilities. Use puppets, floaty scarves, beanbags, parachutes, Lycra, light-up tambourines, bubbles, water and teddies to create fun, energetic and participatory sessions. Try to engage with all the senses, thinking about smell, sight and taste as well as touch and hearing. Think about how to engage children who are partially sighted: use interesting textures and shapes.

• Think about the ways in which you present instruments - don’t just hand them out. Providing choice to children with special needs is really important and music provides a multitude of opportunities to do this. Try sounding each instrument in turn and then invite a member of the group to choose one. If that is too overwhelming, offer a choice of just two instruments.

• Use communication aides in your sessions so that pre/non verbal children can also sing and join in. You can programme in the first line of a song into a child’s Big Mac and they can then trigger the sound when they’re ready to begin. This is a lovely way of encouraging a truly inclusive session. If children are unable to say their name then they could also trigger it using their VOCA during a sung register.

• Always try to leave time for a cool-down at the end of each music session. This helps the children to move on to their next task calmly and with focus. Use stretches, breathing and gentle music. Some children with special needs may find it difficult to conceptualize and control their breathing. If that’s the case, try placing a squashy ball into each hand and ask them to squeeze when they breathe in and relax their hands when they breathe out.

Top tips written by Jessica Curry, Sing Up Beyond the Mainstream advisor

How to lead a singing session with older KS2 children

• If possible, allow older children to hear you sing and use your voice. Sing the song to the children first, showing the group that you are prepared to do what you are asking them to do. If you can sing with enthusiasm and no embarrassment, it gives the group the permission to do the same.

• Explore the text of the song. Put the song in context and ask the group to unpick the deeper meanings behind the poetry. How does the music convey the messages in the text? Older children are often ready to sing about deeper issues like war and death. They will surprise you, so be brave and try choosing a song that isn’t their usual ‘thing’. If the song has a powerful enough message and the music conveys that message, children will like it regardless of genre or origin.

• If you’re adding movement to a song, try rehearsing it as the song is learnt. Moving the feet or clapping needs to be felt as part of the song and it sometimes takes longer to learn than the tune. If you are adding movement and gestures in a musical theatre number, let the gestures grow out of the meaning of the words to convey emotions and feelings. For some children, acting out a character or ‘being someone else’ can helps ease self-consciousness about singing.

• As children get older, they often begin to copy the singing styles of artists they hear on television. Try to ensure that singing stays healthy and encourage the children to climb out of their chest voice from time to time.

• Always work towards a goal: something that provides an adrenaline rush and a reward. It may be a concert or a trip out on a bus to a singing event or show. Even if rehearsals are fast-paced, hard-working and stimulating, your singers still need the final reward of sharing their performance with others.

Top tips written by Sue Hollingworth, Sing Up Advocate