The Sing Up Area Leader for Yorkshire (Yorkshire Youth and Music) piloted a course run by Phil Mullen at The Cusworth Centre in Doncaster, dedicated to supporting staff in Primary Short Stay Schools. The course aimed to help teachers overcome their fears about leading singing in these settings. The following principles which Phil explored can be transferred into every classroom.
1 Provide a welcoming environment
Using open body language and gestures can help put everyone at ease. A friendly smile goes a long way!
As one teacher said, “When we had the opportunity to take part in the Sing Up course, while some staff were enthusiastic, others were nervous and had to be gently encouraged into the room, a bit like our pupils might have to be. They instantly made us feel at ease. There was no pressure to ‘perform’ and our concerns about our skill level, or lack of it, disappeared as everyone’s contributions were valued.”
2 Set them up to succeed
Starting with short, easy chants and call-and-response games (particularly ones with very few words) can engage participants straight away and build their confidence (try Boom Chicka Boom or Amen, say Amen). If you notice any children adding extra movements, endorse their creativity by adding it to the song.
3 Personalise the curriculum: find out what matters to them
Talk about things they like to do, their favourite foods, etc. and build it into a song. Ones like Do anything but throw it away and Come dance with me provide opportunities for inserting new words without having to create a whole new verse.
4 Use a variety of stimuli
If the pupils have poor language skills, use pictures and words cut out from comics, or fridge magnet poetry, to generate new songs – this takes the pressure off the young people to create and write down text from scratch. Making new vocal material can create a feeling of ownership and enhance their enjoyment of singing and performing, as well as helping develop their skills in other areas, particularly literacy and team-working.
5 Manage the energy of the session
Keep activities short and varied to hold engagement. It’s good to have a calming song or activity ready for the end of the session (try Baloo baleerie or Senwa dedende).
Small steps, giant leaps
Wendi Wallace, a teacher at The Cusworth Centre in Doncaster, attended the training sessions and had the following to report:
“Following the training, staff started with small steps, singing songs in the playground with a skipping rope and while running around during play. We also used rhyme as part of a training session to develop speaking and listening social skills. We then started using the Sing Up website and magazines.
“We now want to encourage more singing within school. In fact, we are currently working towards a school production of Joseph with the staff and pupils all participating! We regularly receive information about further courses available to us and with Sing Up’s support, who knows what the next year will bring?”
Helping all children
According to the DCSF, in England there are approximately 2,500 children who are excluded from mainstream Primary Schools and educated in Short Stay Schools, formerly Pupil Referral Units.
At Sing Up, we are committed to giving every child the opportunity to find their voice and to take part in quality, healthy and enjoyable singing.
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