A child stood up to read her poem — then asked if she could sing it instead. For Professor Graham Welch, that's the moment that says it all: singing isn't a special skill some children have. It's part of who they are. In this clip from our Inspiring Voices podcast webinar special, Graham Welch (UCL) shares his research for the VOCES8 Foundation on children's singing, health and wellbeing — and points to a separate new study by Spiro, Duncan and Cross (Journal of Consciousness Studies, 2026), which found no meaningful link between musical accuracy and social connection. Two different studies, one shared thread: singing together is what counts. From the launch webinar for Being Seen, Being Heard, Feeling Connected. 🎧 Full episode: https://youtu.be/0pGeynL2lkA?si=zii_NN9Bj1uHXwOF singupfoundation.org #musiced #musiceducation #singingforhealth #singingforwellbeing #artsinhealth #creativehealth #SingForConnection #childdevelopment

New research says it's not about how good the singing is — it's just showing up that moves the needle on young people's wellbeing. So does excellence matter at all? Hosts Baz Chapman and Celi Barberia unpack a tension from our Inspiring Voices podcast webinar special: brand-new research shared by Professor Graham Welch (UCL) on participation and wellbeing, set against Benjamin Turner's point earlier in the conversation that young people need to feel their work has real quality. From the launch webinar for Being Seen, Being Heard, Feeling Connected. 🎧 Full episode: https://youtu.be/0pGeynL2lkA?si=zii_NN9Bj1uHXwOF singupfoundation.org #musiced #musiceducation #singingforhealth #singingforwellbeing #artsinhealth #creativehealth #SingForConnection #wellbeingresearch

Benjamin Turner, founder of Rap Club and Spit Game, names the survival strategy so many young people are living with. Success culture. Humiliation culture. And between them, "bov culture." From a special episode of our Inspiring Voices podcast, from the launch webinar for Being Seen, Being Heard, Feeling Connected. Listen on Spotify: bit.ly/4o9BXyf Listen on Apple Podcasts: bit.ly/4ekx4PE Listen on Amazon Music: bit.ly/43LGQ7f Watch the full episode: bit.ly/3RMSEDE #musiced #musiceducation #singingforhealth #singingforwellbeing #artsinhealth #creativehealth #SingForConnection #youthvoice #mentalhealth

Does the music itself matter — or does it matter more who's leading it? Benjamin Turner on facilitation in music education, and why well-meaning choices can unintentionally shut young people's culture out. From a special episode of our Inspiring Voices podcast, drawn from the launch webinar for Being Seen, Being Heard, Feeling Connected. Katherine Zeserson (Chair of Sing Up) asks Benjamin Turner (founder of Rap Club and Spit Game) whether the music itself matters in youth work — his answer is about facilitation, culture and belonging. 🎧 Full episode: https://youtu.be/0pGeynL2lkA?si=0E8YMm5Svlw2psPv singupfoundation.org #musiced #musiceducation #singingforhealth #singingforwellbeing #artsinhealth #creativehealth #SingForConnection #youthvoice

Youth leadership and youth ownership sound similar — but they're not the same thing, and the difference matters for how young people actually engage. In this clip from our Inspiring Voices podcast webinar special, Katherine Zeserson (Chair of Sing Up) asks Benjamin Turner (founder of Rap Club and Spit Game) to define the difference: leadership is being responsible for others within a programme; ownership is "this is mine, this is my thing that I'm building." From the launch webinar for Being Seen, Being Heard, Feeling Connected. 🎧 Full episode: https://youtu.be/0pGeynL2lkA?si=zii_NN9Bj1uHXwOF singupfoundation.org #musiced #musiceducation #singingforhealth #singingforwellbeing #artsinhealth #creativehealth #SingForConnection #youthownership

"We're living in the world of the edit," says Benjamin Turner — a world where everything young people do is filtered, controlled, performative. So why will a teenager record a TikTok twenty times, but won't sing in front of their friends? In this clip from our Inspiring Voices podcast webinar special, Benjamin Turner (founder of Rap Club and Spit Game) explains why singing offers something rare: an unedited space. Not laziness, not stage fright — a survival mechanism in a world that rewards performance over authenticity, and one of the few places young people can put down the mask. From the launch webinar for Being Seen, Being Heard, Feeling Connected. 🎧 Full episode: https://youtu.be/0pGeynL2lkA?si=zii_NN9Bj1uHXwOF singupfoundation.org #musiced #musiceducation #singingforhealth #singingforwellbeing #artsinhealth #creativehealth #SingForConnection #digitalwellbeing

What can singing really do for children and young people's mental health and wellbeing? This short film introduces 'Being Seen, Being Heard, Feeling Connected', a new publication from the Sing Up Foundation, bringing together research, practitioner insight and young people's voices to explore what we're learning about singing and mental health. Featuring voices from our Inspiring Voices podcast series, with music by Rap Club. Explore the publication and join the conversation: https://bit.ly/SUFNewPublication The Sing Up Foundation exists to improve children and young people's mental health and wellbeing through singing and vocal work. Find out more at singupfoundation.org #SingForConnection #musiced #musiceducation #singingforhealth #singingforwellbeing #artsinhealth #creativehealth