What is Sing For Wellbeing?
Sing For Wellbeing is an active, hands-on, and useful continued professional development (CPD) opportunity for both in-service and in-training teachers to develop skills and confidence to deliver inclusive singing in their classrooms.
Its ultimate aim is to increase the wellbeing of children through group singing at school, as we believe this will positively impact their learning, emotional self-regulation, and wider lives. We want all primary school children in Scotland to be supported in feeling happy, healthy and joyful through singing.
All Scottish primary schools will have the opportunity to become a Sing For Wellbeing School through their teachers taking part in the training.
The pilot will start in Edinburgh schools, initially focussed on upper primary children, and once evaluation and initial research is complete, will expand to further authorities across Scotland.
The project is a partnership between Love Music and Queen Margaret University, who have been working together since 2021 to develop this CPD training programme for non-music specialist teachers which is interconnected with an ambitious action-based research project.
How do I find out more?
To be kept up to date with the project, please get in touch or fill in the sign up form at the end of the page.
Why does it matter?
This programme responds to:
- the inequity of access to music making in primary schools;
- the pressing challenge of post-pandemic recovery for our children and teachers;
- the evidenced increase in anxiety and poor mental health in children;
- the systematic decline of the music specialist from the primary school workforce, and the consequent burden of music delivery that falls on generalist teachers.
CPD training plans – year 1
The voice is our most accessible musical instrument. We believe that everyone can sing and that singing together can help build healthier, happier, creatively engaged learning communities for both pupils and teachers alike.
We know from feedback with teachers that without musical training, planning and delivering inclusive music activities with their classes can feel like an impossible task. Singing in front of others can feel like a very personal expression that exposes vulnerability, and without training, they can lack the confidence in their skills to embed this practice into their teaching.
This programme is focused on skilling up generalist primary teachers and designed for teachers without prior musical experience or training. It uses singing as the most democratic, inclusive and embodied way to bring music into children’s lives and in the process, to increase both their wellbeing and the wellbeing of the teachers who lead the singing.
Sing For Wellbeing teachers will connect through a peer-network, where they will continue to grow in confidence and competence in singing leadership, and can share and develop resources for use in the classroom. This network will be supported by the Love Music team and subsequent training, discussion and mentorship will be provided for those who would like to continue their development.
CPD year 1 programme focuses on upper primary teachers, who will:
- feel more skilled and confident to deliver regular singing with their classes and understand the benefits this brings to their pupils;
- develop their own age-appropriate singing programmes and have access to a pre-prepared songbook and resources.
Research plans – year 1
The year 1 research pilot will consist of measuring the wellbeing impact on upper primary children of taking part in both a 2-week every day singing programme and an 8-week once a week singing programme.
Our research aims are to:
- provide robust quantitative and qualitative evidence of the benefits of singing on the wellbeing of children, pre-service and in-service primary school teachers;
- provide robust quantitative and qualitative evidence into music education training programmes that empower and enable inclusive singing practices within school settings;
- establish teaching communities that enable confidence and competence in inclusive singing leadership amongst current and future teachers in Scotland.
Through our research we hope to demonstrate that singing can be a catalyst for increased positivity and contribute to the ongoing wellbeing of primary school learners, their teachers and wider school community.
The workshops will be delivered by Love Music Artistic Director and inclusive singing specialist Stephen Deazley, and the wellbeing effect will be measured by Queen Margaret University Senior Lecturer in Education and former Primary School Teacher Dr Kat Lord Watson, and Queen Margaret University Senior Lecturer in Psychology Dr Stuart Wilson.
Following the pilot year
In years 2 and 3 of the research and training development, we plan to:
- Continue to support the progress of teachers who participated in the CPD programme in year 1.
- Conduct further research in the schools where teachers who undertook the CPD training in year 1 teach, to study:
- The wellbeing impact on children engaged in singing activities led by the trained teachers;
- The efficacy of the CPD training programme;
- The value and potential of teacher-led communities of inclusive singing practice to self-support and share resources and experiences.
- Continue the CPD programme with a new intake of teachers in year 2.
- Support the new intake of teachers to deliver inclusive singing in their classrooms in year 3, conducting a final year of research into the impact of inclusive singing on children, the overall efficacy of the CPD programme, and the potential to develop sustainable communities of teacher-led inclusive singing practice.
Funding
This programme has been developed through in-kind partnership between Love Music and Queen Margaret University and we are seeking funding to continue its development. Please get in touch with Love Music or Dr Kat Lord Watson at Queen Margaret University if you are able to support this work.
Research & development concept
Visit Queen Margaret University’s Centre For Applied Social Sciences webpage.
Watch Stephen Deazley and Dr Kat Lord Watson talking about the concept for the project on YouTube or below
Sign up to take part or find out more
In partnership with
