Singing Makes Everything in School Better

Hat tip to Michael Parker for this story:

Why such a brouhaha about singing when every week seems to bring more evidence that schools are failing to teach basic skills to our children? The answer is that singing plays a big role in making those other things possible.

As the Sing Up programme manager Baz Chapman points out, singing is more than a musical act; it's a primordial feature of mankind, predating even agriculture. It's connected to the roots of our being, as breathing, feeling, social creatures.

Get schoolchildren singing together regularly, and something miraculous happens. They concentrate better, they're happier in themselves, and the school takes on a real cohesive sense of identity. This isn't just the subjective impression of starry-eyed music teachers: it's hard fact. Every single one of the top 30 primary schools in England has a singing programme involving all pupils.

More here.