Does it matter what young people sing? Three practitioners on repertoire, agency, and singing with young people whose mental health is fragile. Recorded on 11 September 2026, this is the first in a new series of live conversations from the Sing Up Foundation on singing, vocal work and children and young people's mental health. The session opens from a provocation raised by Katherine Zeserson at our publication launch: music isn't just the setting for what we do, it's a physical force, and it can disturb as much as it connects. Chanté Osageide, Jenny Trattles and Mark Bick join Baz Chapman to look at a question that sounds simple and isn't: what are we going to sing today, and why that rather than something else? Certain songs and genres clearly appeal to young people, and there's a strong case for following their lead. There's also a case for widening the picture. Music can unsettle as readily as it lifts, sometimes at a level nobody in the room could name. And while agency over repertoire is widely held to matter, what that looks like in a real session, and when narrowing the choices is the kinder option, is far less settled. Along the way: drones and modes, culture and authenticity, why admitting mistakes opens doors, working alongside music therapists, and whether we should be singing sad songs with sad young people. The series follows our publication Being Seen, Being Heard, Feeling Connected, which brings together over 50 sources of evidence, practice insight and lived experience on singing and young people's mental health. CHAPTERS 0:00 Welcome and introductions 0:34 Does it matter what we sing? 2:53 What goes through your head when you plan a session 3:49 "You have just ruined my day" 5:11 Giving young people control over repertoire 8:11 Drones, modes and why some music settles us 11:35 Culture, authenticity and the music young people keep private 14:51 Empower first, and motivation follows 17:03 One-to-one, small group, large choir: where the power sits 19:27 Big sings, and when a song carries more than you planned 22:00 Why admitting mistakes opens doors 25:19 Exposure, humiliation and the risk of using your voice 27:13 Building from one-to-one work towards group music making 29:13 Handing the arranging over to the young people 32:03 A song nobody could name: music with displaced young people 34:03 Your questions: should we sing sad songs with sad young people? 37:35 "Lovely Day", memory, and an unplanned encounter 39:59 Working in partnership with music therapists 43:28 Drop your assumptions: a lesson from a care assistant 44:54 Your questions: what's the place of just singing? 46:28 Your questions: repertoire for primary children new to singing 48:49 Closing thoughts, and the next live conversation NEXT IN THE SERIES Need to Know, Nice to Know, Too Much to Know: what do you really need to know about the young people in the room? Wednesday 21 October, 1pm – 2pm. Free to book: https://www.singupfoundation.org/event-details/need-to-know-nice-to-know-too-much-to-know READ THE PUBLICATION https://www.singupfoundation.org/news-and-research/being-seen-being-heard-feeling-connected OUR PANEL Mark Bick is a community musician and trainer, founder of what became The Music Works, and a former chair of Sound Sense.Chanté Osageide is an actor, singer and music facilitator, and programme coordinator at Living Song in Newham. Jenny Trattles is a freelance music education consultant working with schools, trusts and music hubs on singing strategy and staff training, and co-leads ABRSM Voices. ABOUT SING UP FOUNDATION We produce, promote and create opportunities for children and young people to improve their mental health and wellbeing through singing. UK registered charity no. 1172438. singupfoundation.org #MusicEducation #YouthMentalHealth #SingingForWellbeing repertoire agency young people's mental health, singing and mental health, music education mental health, young people's agency music, singing for wellbeing, group singing mental health, music therapy young people, choir mental health, vocal leading, singing leader CPD, music teacher wellbeing, children's mental health singing, Sing Up Foundation, community music, youth music wellbeing

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