Culture club

It’s often said that music is an international language, and a new Sing Up pilot project – which forges links between UK and overseas schools – has put the theory into practice with great effect.

International Voices brought together five Sing Up Clusters in the UK (two in Leicestershire, and one each in Northumberland, Cornwall and Hertfordshire) with five overseas groupings (from India, Bulgaria, Bangladesh, Kenya and Vietnam).

Over several months, pupils and staff exchanged songs and rehearsed specially commissioned pieces that reflected the musical traditions of both cultures. This work culminated in the spring, when each cluster produced its own gala concert to showcase what they had achieved with their international partners.

Following an initial visit by representatives from the international schools in November and workshops with Richard Frostick, clusters exchanged ideas and resources using a variety of channels – some scheduled Skype meetings, while others shared lyrics and videos using ‘Connecting Classrooms’, a free online platform provided by the British Council.

The model varied from cluster to cluster, though generally every group of schools nominated one key staff member to coordinate their interaction with the overseas partners, ensuring a streamlined process. In some cases, however, practical solutions had to be found to overcome differences in technological capability. For schools in Kenya, for instance, where fast internet access is not easily available, the easiest way to communicate with their English partners was via text message and airmail.

EXCHANGING GIFTS AND IDEAS

Old-fashioned ‘snail mail’ was also invaluable when it came to exchanging gifts and classroom materials.

For Wymeswold Primary School, in Loughborough, being able to swap tangible items with schools in India added another dimension to the project. Headteacher Becky King says the schools drew up a calendar of key festivals in the UK and India, when they would send each other parcels containing gifts and cards.

“We sent each other information about the songs we were working on, as well as sending artwork and everyday objects – such as Diwali cards, photographs and information about musical instruments – that shed light on our different ways of life and, of course, musical cultures,” says Becky.

The items and information received from India are displayed in classrooms
and communal areas and, where possible, incorporated into lessons. “This has been an excellent chance for our children to learn songs from other cultures and to get to know people with completely different experiences
of life and learning,” she adds.

CURRICULAR LINKS

As well as learning about their overseas counterparts, International Voices encouraged English schoolchildren to explore their own national and regional identities – for instance, schools in Cornwall taught their Kenyan visitors some Cornish songs that reflected the county’s mining heritage, which provided curricular links through Art, History and Geography.

Vicky Gough, the British Council’s Connecting Classrooms adviser, suggests
all schools setting out on such a project to begin by conducting an audit of their curriculum. “Start by mapping out where things are already being taught about other countries, and establish which links already exist, such as pupils and families with overseas origins.

“This will give you something to build on, and to establish which parts of the children’s learning could really benefit from ‘plugging in’ to an international school partnership.”

DEVELOPING NEW LEADERS

A key element in the success of the pilot project, as highlighted in a recent evaluation commissioned by Sing Up, was the use of expert practitioners alongside enthusiastic staff and children in the schools to help develop new singing leaders.

The musical directors of each cluster used the project to encourage their colleagues, enabling other adults and young singing leaders (YSLs) to take ownership of the project and ensure future participation. In Cornwall, for instance, the YSLs directed the choir, accompanied songs and played with
a Cornish folk band.

“In this way, leadership is being cascaded through the partnerships of schools, thereby building succession and sustainability as future singing
leaders grow in confidence and skill,” said Dave Shorten, the author of the evaluation report.

Vicky advises, “For big projects like this, you need the support of the senior management team, because they can release the resources for it to happen. You also need the buy-in of as many teachers and students as possible, so it’s not just left to one very enthusiastic person to try to plan and carry out everything that’s required. It’s a major effort, but it’s well worth it in the end as International Voices has shown.”

She adds that the British Council has continued to support International Voices in 2011/2012, with the next stage of activity focused on creating resources that every school can use in similar projects.

However, it has become apparent that such projects could become
self-sustaining, and the value of the work to the schools involved has encouraged Headteachers to prioritise the continuation of their International Voices choirs.

Becky says Headteachers in her cluster are allocating some budget for future work, and are also looking at covering most of their costs through ticket sales at concerts – next year’s is already being planned.

“We decided that we wanted this to be part of the children’s calendar,” she explains. “It’s a priority, so we know we have to find a way of making it happen.”

Top tips from the British Council’s Vicky Gough:

1. Find a partner school: You can search for partners online by registering on the Global Gateway, which has details of more than 12,000 schools.
2. Plan your project: Set clear aims and objectives, secure support of senior management, designate roles and responsibilities, monitor and evaluate. Remember that there could be a language barrier with your partners; consider this when planning together and be patient.
3. Get (and stay) in touch: Email, Skype, phone calls, text and video conference are all possible ways to communicate, as well as traditional post – don’t forget to exchange addresses. Decide what will work best for your partnership in the beginning and be prepared to adapt. Be clear about the details (Who? How often? What number? Which addresses?) and consider using project-sharing websites, such as Connecting Classrooms.
4. Make the project fun: If the project isn’t fun then pupils are unlikely to want to do it and it won’t be sustainable! Themed lessons, language classes, art or music workshops can help to get the whole school involved.
5. Involve the community: Hold an international day so you can invite parents, local community representatives and local businesses, to build support (and possibly raise funds) for your project. Also, make the most of the community you live in – if there are speakers of your partner language, ask them to teach a class for the project. If there are parents, perhaps they can teach Music, Dance, Art or craftwork?

Want more?

Read more about International Voices in our 'Going Global' article.