Big sings: what they do best and how to make the most of them – a view from the piano stool

Over the last few weeks, travelling across the country to various large singing events, I asked myself, “Does everything we say about singing and connection at the Sing Up Foundation hold up out here, at pace, with a large crowd of kids?”

Baz with the band

During my usual working day I think about singing and children's mental health from a distance, but recently I got to think about it from a different perspective, as I went on the road with my wife (conductor and song leader Ula Weber) and other musicians, working across a run of ‘big sings’, the large-scale, sometimes high-energy performances that are often a school's or a project's showcase moment.

The events in brief

My big sing tour started on the Pembrokeshire coast with several hundred children led by Ula and supported by a five-piece band. Next, we travelled to Inverness, for a big sing which mattered enormously to us as it was the culmination of the first ever Ex Cathedra Singing Playgrounds project run in the Highlands. Finally, we made our way to Southport for Sing for Sefton, an established annual project led by an Ex Cathedra team of two singing leaders with me on keys, plus bass and percussion.

Different rooms, different ages, different repertoire, and whilst mental health wasn’t an explicit goal, could this type of singing still help those who are struggling?

Does ‘singing for connection’ happen in big sings?

At the Sing Up Foundation, we say that singing isn't automatically connecting but rather it’s the conditions which determine whether singing heals, helps, or does nothing at all.

For vulnerable young people we often talk about small-group, carefully crafted, reflexive work, so a one-off, fast-paced big sing might not feel like an environment for creating that kind of connection. Certainly, without knowing them it’s impossible to say what it did for the most vulnerable children, but did I see real connection happen in a single session? I did – in two quite different ways:

The first connection is the general, collective kind. Anyone who’s been part of a large group singing together will know that something extraordinary can happen. A good leader, a responsive band and well-chosen repertoire can get a room of several hundred children functioning as one singing organism within seconds. And teachers feel it too. Some of the most powerful feedback we’ve received is from staff surprised and moved at seeing their pupils light up like that.

The second connection is smaller, and it's the one I find most powerful. It’s the individual moments of exposure and courage these events create space for. Two moments from Sefton stayed with me in particular:

One was when a neurodivergent boy the teachers were a little anxious about was invited up in front of his class and gently coached through a few conducting gestures. He delivered these with confidence and accuracy, clearly thrilled and empowered by the opportunity.

The other was when a line of children were invited on stage to do something small and exposing as part of a song. One boy was clearly nervous and the girl next to him quietly encouraged him. When his moment came, he nailed it - she put her hand on his shoulder afterwards and congratulated him with such pride. Who knows what that moment may have done for him. And indeed, for her.

Can practitioners incorporate mental health work into a room moving this fast?

To a degree, yes; and it chimes with what we at the Foundation describe as the ‘Do-Know-Be’ of this work. For example, truly inclusive practice can happen even in large groups when leaders are well-informed. This looks like careful selection of repertoire, ensuring spaces feel safe, and sensitive management of the energy in the room throughout the event. It’s not all about upbeat songs. And also, there’s important work in encouraging a reluctant singer for weeks before a large-scale singing event.

This sensitivity feeds right into small, shared acts of courage, with a child being invited to create a "Brand New Sound" in the interactive part of that song, or to lead some actions in The Do-Be-Do Song. What matters is that leaders know when to invite someone in, when to encourage them out of their comfort zone and when to leave them be.

But it's important that musical skills are worked on too. Simple directions such as "let's use our singing voice, not our shouty voice" focuses the children and shows them that quality matters, even at scale; feeling part of something quality contributes to a positive experience.

Which answers a second question I'd carried in: do one-off events mean nothing lasts?

If planned correctly, I don't think these mass events are one-offs. Of course, the grassroots singing happening in schools all year round does the most valuable and sustainable work. The big sing is a moment that celebrates and showcases what that work achieves, to the children, teachers, head teachers, funders and parents. Maybe it also sows a seed: after all, a child who has an unforgettable afternoon at a big sing is more likely to keep singing in the playground on Monday.

A view from the singers at Sing for Sefton

What I'd say to a school or a commissioner

Don't treat a big sing as a spectacle that stands alone. It's genuinely valuable in its own right and likely to be a big success on the day. But its value multiplies when it sits inside an ongoing culture of everyday, inclusive singing - playground games, classroom singing - rather than a single spectacular afternoon. Where wellbeing is the goal, it's the normalising of singing that makes the bigger moments special.

From the band’s-eye view, you can feel a school's commitment the moment you walk on stage, not just in how well the children sing, but in how they respond and how excited the room is before a note has even been played. The schools that have put in the groundwork are unmistakable. My honest advice to teachers is simple: get involved, be an enthusiast yourself, even if you don't feel expert. And remember that singing every day might be the single most valuable thing a school can offer.

What it taught me back at my desk

At the Sing Up Foundation, our work around young people’s mental health often centres on small singing groups or one-to-one activities. This tour of big sings reminded me of something different: the power of a group singing the same line, or in harmony, towards one shared goal - the way it lifts us, the way it connects us with others, the way it makes us something greater than ourselves, is something very special.

Playing for big sings is the most valuable piece of CPD I do. It reassures me that the direction of our work is right, but it sharpens something important: delivered well, this activity has real, visible benefit for most, maybe all, children in a room - and for those really struggling it may help, but isn't enough on its own. That's exactly where our deeper, more targeted work picks up, and where we hope to keep providing insight and guidance.

Baz Chapman is Joint Head of the Sing Up Foundation. He spent some of May and June 2026 freelancing as an accompanist for St David’s Festival and Ex Cathedra, alongside his role at the Foundation. These big sings were run as part of projects run by partners from Ex Cathedra and Sefton Music Service/Sing for Sefton.