Every child in every English primary school will be singing every day.
That’s the aim of Schools Secretary Ed Balls at least. Balls launched the Sing Up Campaign on 21 November announcing £40m funding over the next four years, aiming to put singing at the heart of every primary school in England by 2011.

Sing Up is part of the Government’s wider funding injection of £332m to support music making in schools. The programme will incorporate a national singing resource – www.singup.org – a web-based songbook of new and traditional songs and all the resources that teachers need to integrate singing in their classroom activities. The website will be supported by a magazine and CD materials available free of charge to all primary schools.

Also within the scheme is a workforce development programme to build the confidence and expertise of teachers and other singing leaders. In addition, 24 area leaders will coordinate singing programmes across England, providing direct support for schools and organising tailored training programmes. There will also be funding for national and regional singing groups. National Singing Ambassador, Howard Goodall, said, ‘Research has shown that young people who are lucky enough to learn music and sing from an early age develop better social skills, memory, ability to listen and have more confidence. It can be used to improve motor-skills and language development, as well as cognitive abilities in maths.

The skills needed for singing, including coordination and listening also help develop the brain.’ He added, ‘Sing Up will help teachers, parents and children have fun and learn together; using a trusted and easy-to-use online resource that delivers positive developmental benefits and helps kids sing well.’ Sing Up is produced by Youth Music with AMV-BBDO, Faber Music and The Sage Gateshead.