Project Lead Baz Chapman updates on progress and consultations around the Foundation's work to create a platform to support singing for children & young people's mental health & wellbeing. I’m working with the Sing Up Foundation on a project funded by Arts Council England’s Culture Recovery Fund. We aim to take major strides in supporting singing for mental health & wellbeing in children & young people, by creating an infrastructure which helps anyone looking to develop their work in this field to find what they need and be part of the change. Bringing together such huge areas as children & young people, mental health & wellbeing and music-making poses major challenges for where to find focus and ensure that the Foundation can be of most use. So we’ve been consulting with a diverse range of professionals to help us refine our approach. Over the Summer 2022 we recruited an Expert Advisory Panel to act as a sounding board and critical friend – you can meet them in a forthcoming blog. Then in September we convened 2 days of roundtables, attended by community music practitioners, music therapists, teachers, project managers, mental health professionals and Sing Up staff. The aims were: 1. Practice & Pedagogy To understand the deeper context of singing pedagogy and practice to support mental health conditions amongst children & young people To understand effective practice in this context and how to disseminate it amongst a wider workforce To consider the role and requirements of research in informing this work 2. Repertoire & Resources To understand the deeper context of singing repertoire and resources to support mental health conditions amongst children & young people To review Sing Up’s current repertoire and resources – what/how to repurpose/renew How to present the new platform Any new materials/commissions required? There was inherent value simply in bringing these influential and expert people together to converse; however the emerging themes from the roundtables will greatly help to guide our next steps. These include: 1. Emerging themes - Practice & Pedagogy Focusing our support and resources on schools, aiming to complement existing provision with expert guidance, and to promote work which can celebrate children & young people’s music making for its own sake, as helping them find ways to prevent or cope with more serious mental health conditions The need for guidance on how much a practitioner needs to know about the people in the room – specific conditions, triggers, etc. The huge importance of creating a ‘safe space’ in its widest sense, so that the work can have maximum impact How to support better connectivity between music participation and music therapy The need for further exploration into the function of group singing to support a range of inter-related outcomes (e.g. musical, psychosocial, clinical) The importance of bringing theory, research and reflective practice into intervention design The need for practitioners to look after their own mental health & wellbeing, and be part of a supportive community of practice 2. Emerging themes - Repertoire & Resources A digital platform which offers a wide range of resources, training, etc. but which can package content into courses for particular types of user, such as guidance for non-expert singing leaders, or specific topics, e.g. neuro-divergence Resource packs which can be both physical and digital, and which can be flexed to suit particular users Recognition that creative music making (e.g. improvisation or song-writing) is usually a key aspect of work in this field, and needs effective planning and expertise From here, we will begin to plan our digital platform to support leaders & organisers of singing for children & young people's mental health & wellbeing, which will be housed on the Sing Up Foundation website. Over time we will build up a bank of resources, information & guidance, training and a network of practitioners and partners to create something which will be of long-lasting value, and will facilitate more high-quality work taking place which leads to more positive outcomes for children & young people. If you’re working in this field and feel you might have something, either to contribute or to request, do get in touch with us at info@singupfoundation.org Special Thanks to those who attended our roundtables: Day 1: Pedagogy and Practice Sangeeta Ambegaokar - Birmingham Children's Hospital NHS Foundation Trust Shelly Ambury - Sing Up Jonny Amos - songwriter, producer Celi Barberia - Sing Up Foundation Baz Chapman - Sing Up Foundation (facilitator) Gail Dudson - Yorks Youth & Music Sharon Durant - Sing Up/practitioner Clare Edwards - Young Voices Alex Evans - Kazzum Arts Alice Hale - Mytime Active Dougie Lonie - Sing Up Foundation Expert Adviser/TIALT Beth Millett - Sing Up Phil Mullen - music practitioner Aga Serugo-Lugo - music practitioner Jeremy Sleith - Sing Up Foundation trustee/St Helen’s Music Service Ben Turner - Rap Club Jane Wheeler - Living Song Sarah Wiltshire - Place2Be Jenny Young - Blue Cabin Day 2: Resources Shelly Ambury - Sing Up Baz Chapman - Sing Up Foundation (facilitator) Sharon Durant - Sing Up/practitioner Sophie Garner - music practitioner and writer Beth Millett - Sing Up Alice Nicholls - Chiltern Music Therapy Jeremy Sleith - Sing Up Foundation trustee/St Helen’s Music Service Keith Sykes - Lewisham Music

We’re looking to grow our Board of Trustees by recruiting a new Chair and two new Trustees to join our team helping to drive forward the Foundation in an exciting time. This is a unique opportunity to help shape a relatively new Foundation at the beginning stages of development.  After helping us to establish the Foundation and guiding us through the first few years of development, our current Chair, David Sulkin OBE is coming to the end of his term. He will be stepping down as Chair but staying on as a Trustee on our Board. The new Chair will lead the Board and support the development of the Foundation’s strategy with particular interest and experience in culture, health and wellbeing. With a senior leadership background and track record of delivering successful programmes, you will also have previous governance experience within a charity or social sector organisation. The Chair will be confident in taking an ambassadorial role and helping to build and develop strong networks for the Foundation. The Trustees will bring previous high-level experience and we have identified the following areas of expertise that we’re interested in adding to our Board:  Health sector experience with a special interest in mental health and wellbeing Fundraising experience with specific interest in trusts and foundations Experience in research with a background in science Local or regional experience within the mental health sector specifically with young people and adolescents Both Chair and Trustees will have an interest and experience with adolescents with a passion for improving the lives of young people. The Foundation welcomes applications regardless of sex, gender, race, age, sexuality, belief or disability. We’re also happy to have an informal conversation regarding the Foundation and the roles. Please download the full role specifications below: Sing Up Foundation Chair Role Profile Sing Up Foundation Trustee Role Profile If you’d like to apply, please send in your CV with a covering letter by 30 November to info@singupfoundation.org with ‘Sing Up Foundation Board’ in the subject line . ----- The Sing Up Foundation believes in harnessing the power of singing to improve people's mental health and wellbeing. With 50% of mental health problems established by the age of 14 and 75% by the age of 24, we believe it's critical to focus on prevention by working with young people. The benefits of singing, especially in groups, are wide-ranging with extensive research supporting the physiological, social, psychological and behavioural benefits. The Sing Up Foundation aims to produce, promote and create opportunities for children and young people to improve their mental health and wellbeing through singing.

Over Autumn 2023 on the Sing Up Foundation podcast, Inspiring Voices, we'll be meeting fascinating singers, teachers, researchers and more, to explore singing for mental health & wellbeing for children & young people. Ahead of our first 2 episodes, featuring Sophie Garner and Aga Serugo-Lugo, we're delighted to share our trailer to give you a flavour of what's coming. You can subscribe now to get the episodes as they are released: Spotify: https://bit.ly/IVPodSpotify Apple: https://apple.co/45ZCVTx Amazon Music: https://amzn.to/3raZXrF Google: https://bit.ly/IVPodGoogle The Sing Up Foundation believes in the power of singing to improve health and wellbeing – so listen in and be inspired! Supported using public funding by Arts Council England as part of the Cultural Recovery Fund.

Sing Up is seeking an organisation or individual/s to carry out environmental research to help us better understand how the world has changed for children and young people and for the education sector since 2019. For more information, visit: https://www.singup.org/work-with-us/tenders Application deadline: 5pm, 15 March 2024

Sing Up Foundation is looking to appoint a charity fundraiser to help the organisation bring in funds over six months commencing December 2022/January 2023. The commission can be for a freelancer, a fixed-term employee or an organisation. The Foundation has already secured a sustainability grant from Arts Council England, which will help it to create a permanent online platform to support professionals (including those who are not expert singing practitioners) working with singing and children & young people’s (CYP) mental health & wellbeing, with a particular focus on schools. It now seeks funding to build a much-needed community of practice, commission resources and a training offer, and support action research through innovative projects across the country. Such work is likely to involve a range of partners, with the Foundation being the lead partner and budget holder. We are particularly interested in fundraising to run a singing for wellbeing action research project based in five secondary schools working with a partner organisation – this project already has a developed case for support. As a growing organisation working in a broad and complex field, we are also looking at other potential projects, which may include (but not exclusively): Commissioning a suite of training videos and accompanying resources to support song writing as a way to connect with and support CYP Action research into collaborative approaches between music therapists and singing practitioners, exploring the inter-relationship between clinical, psychosocial and musical outcomes A singing for wellbeing project working with young refugees and unaccompanied minors Naturally, the Foundation would also be in a position to respond to new identified funding opportunities for other programmes which align with its aims. Activities: Create a case for support for the Foundation and a 3-5-year fundraising plan Plan potential trust & foundation approaches with SUF staff, including a review of potential funders on the existing Foundation database Update or create cases for support for activity as required Identify, research and advise upon opportunities for funding these projects through Trusts and Foundations. Submit and manage the application process for these fundraising activities Requirements: Five years’ experience in fundraising for charities especially with Trusts and Foundations Recent success with applying for grants with Trusts and Foundations Up to date understanding of the charity sector, undertaking due diligence and charity legislation Excellent written English and attention to detail for writing proposals, reports, applications, etc Desirable Experience/Expertise: Arts/Music/Singing Primary & secondary education Disadvantaged/Marginalised Groups Refugees Mental Health/Health Projects Experience with Individual Giving/Crowdfunding How to apply For further information and to apply, please send your CV (including 2 references) and a response to the brief, including your proposed amount of time and costs, to development@singupfoundation.org . Shortlisted candidates will be invited to an interview over Zoom with the Sing Up Foundation team. Deadline for applications: 9am on Monday 14 November 2022 If you would like an informal conversation regarding the brief, please get in touch with Celi Barberia, Head of Foundation at development@singupfoundation.org . For more information on Sing Up Foundation, visit www.singupfoundation.org Download a PDF version of this commission:

Sing Up Foundation are inviting organisations to tender for a literature review and a collection of case studies and best practice Political and other types of refugees form a group with added vulnerability to developing mental illness, thought to be due to a complex interaction of social, biological and psychological factors, playing out over the lifespan and across communities. Anecdotal reports from teachers working every day with young refugees in their classrooms and from music organisations and World Voice projects overseas, suggests that prioritising singing can help. However, the evidence base for arts interventions in the refugee community is still in development. The Sing Up Foundation is therefore looking to perform a review of research and evaluations to date dealing with singing and mental health in young refugees and unaccompanied minors. The Sing Up Foundation aims to gain knowledge of the benefits, and collate and disseminate findings. Ultimately, this knowledge could be used to develop recommendations about how to set up and run sessions and projects in future. Additionally, we plan to build a repository of research and evaluations in this field for the benefit of organisations looking to develop their practice in this area. The deadline for responses is 5pm, 21 September 2022. Interviews with shortlisted candidates will be held online on 29 September 2022. Download our tender documentation below. If you have any questions or would like to discuss the project, please contact info@singupfoundation.org

Find out more and apply to take part in our pilot training course for singing leaders who deliver one to one or group singing with children or young people.. Music for Good, Sing Up Foundation and Sing Up are seeking participants to take part in a course this Autumn on developing trauma and mental health-informed singing practice. The course will run fortnightly for a total of 5 sessions that will be 2.5 hours each. There will also be a follow-up feedback and development session. The sessions will take place in the evenings (GMT) and the course is open to international participants. The pilot will lead into a more developed training package with resources to be launched in 2023. This is a unique experience for participants to be involved in the development of a brand new and innovative training course. Participants will: Represent a range of backgrounds and professional contexts Commit to attending the full course, including the feedback and development session Be prepared to engage in the development of future resources, if relevant and applicable Provide detailed feedback to Music for Good, Sing Up Foundation and Sing Up on the course to help shape and develop it Commit to the fee of £150 for the course (this cost has been subsidised by Youth Music funding) Based on feedback so far, this course will deliver a combination of theory and practice, with the aim of providing a solid foundation of knowledge and understanding from which to develop professional practice. It will be interactive, practical and there will be valuable opportunities for discussion and sharing amongst peers on the course. The content is driven by research and evidence and the development of the course and resources has been part-funded by Youth Music. This pilot course will be delivered online by Emily Foulkes. Emily is an experienced practitioner, researcher and trainer with a specialism in Trauma and Mental Health. She has provided training for over 100 singing practitioners, across the UK and beyond and has delivered talks and presentations at numerous conferences and events, including for the Centre for Child and Adolescent Mental Health, AOTOS (Association of Teachers of Singing), Music Education Hubs, The TRUIMPH Network and for Voice Study Centre. Dates of the course: 18th October, 1st November, 15th November, 29th November, 13th December (online). Feedback and development session TBC. To apply to be part of the pilot course, please email emily@musicforgood.uk for application details. Closing date: Friday 9th September 2022

Baz Chapman shares with us as he begins working with the Sing Up Foundation as a project lead on a sustainability programme which is being supported by Arts Council England's Culture Recovery Fund. It’s 10 years since I stepped down from my role as Sing Up Programme Director, and I’m thrilled, both to see how Sing Up has flourished since those heady days of it being the Government’s ‘national singing programme’, and also to be back working with this superb organisation for a year in a freelance capacity. The Sing Up Foundation produces, promotes and creates opportunities for children & young people to improve their mental health & wellbeing through singing, and I’ve started working with the Foundation as project lead on a sustainability programme which is being supported by Arts Council England’s Culture Recovery Fund. The aim is to take major strides in supporting singing for mental health & wellbeing in children & young people, by creating an infrastructure of resources & CPD and a network of partnerships so that anyone looking to develop their work in this field can find what they need and be part of the change. Research points to the huge, often unique, benefits which singing can have for children & young people’s mental health and wellbeing , and as we emerge from the pandemic we have more cause than ever to ensure that our younger generation is able to feel positive and motivated about life, psychologically, socially, behaviourally and physiologically. So I’m working on a project which will help the workforce and partners across education, community and health/healthcare sectors to access the following: Singing resources – through the curation and publication of resources already existing within Sing Up’s library which support singing for mental health & wellbeing – repurposed and added to. Partnerships – enabling greater depth and reach for this field of work, and access to formal and informal networks of practitioners, researchers, health professionals, and children & young people. Online skills sharing & training – extending Sing Up’s teacher/practitioner network offer to include a digital space for collaboration, discussion and reflection. There’s a wealth of practice and expertise in singing for mental health & wellbeing in the UK and beyond, and I’m looking forward to working with the Sing Up Foundation to help broaden opportunities for schools, mental health and community settings to increase their impact in this valuable field of work. Please don't forget to subscribe using the form below to continue receiving updates on our work and feel free to contact us if you'd like to be involved. You can also fill out this survey to get involved with this work: https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/5QZPKLY

Three new trustees have joined our Board to help guide the Sing Up Foundation's strategy moving forward. This summer, we welcomed three new trustees to their first Board meeting following a period of recruitment which we began in 2019. As we all know, the pandemic has caused much upheaval over the last 18 months, so this was our first meeting since December 2019 which was, of course, held virtually over Zoom. The three new trustees - Dr Andrew McWilliams, Dr Jeremy Sleith and Dr Motje Wolfe - have joined us with expertise in fields which are fundamental to the Foundation's development moving forward in helping us support young people and adolescents with their mental health and wellbeing through singing. We're really pleased to welcome them to our organisation, and their advice and guidance has already been incredibly valuable. Dr Andrew McWilliams is a child and adolescent psychiatrist and researcher with a wide variety of experience working directly with young people and also running research projects in clinical settings including studying the impact of arts and health interventions. Having founded St Helen's Music Service, Dr Jeremy Sleith has over 30 years experience working with young people and music practitioners in music organisations and music hubs and has been developing a variety of arts on prescription models through his role as Head of Service. With a keen interest in music education, singing and research, Dr Motje Wolfe is a Senior Lecturer in Education at DeMontfort University and is a member of the steering committee of 'Singing in Music Education' of the European Association of Music in Schools. We're really excited to welcome our new trustees on board and are looking forward to developing much needed programmes using singing to help young people and adolescents to improve their mental health and wellbeing in this time of great need. For more information on our Board of Trustees, please visit https://www.singupfoundation.org/boardoftrustees There you will find, full biographies for each of our Trustees. Charlotte Law, Learning Executive at Sing Up, is also a Sing Up Foundation trustee but was unable to attend our Board meeting this summer.

We want to know about your experiences of children and young people's mental health and wellbeing. As part of our work, we're looking for your views and experiences of children and young people's mental health and wellbeing. If you work with children and young people either in school (primary or secondary) or out of school, we'd love to hear your views. Teachers play an important role in identifying and supporting their pupils' emotional wellbeing and we're interested to know your experiences and how the Sing Up Foundation can help support your work. Please take our survey at: https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/8GRWHPJ The Sing Up Foundation aims to produce, promote and create opportunities for children and young people to improve their mental health and emotional wellbeing through singing.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 15 October 2024 Sing Up Foundation is today publishing a new report titled: ‘ Then the dream started to be more’: Singing and Music-Making with Refugee Children and Unaccompanied Minors: Insights From Research and Practice . This report is a literature review, thematic analysis of interviews and collection of case studies commissioned by Sing Up Foundation from a team led by Dr Hala Jaber with Dr Fran Garry and Professor Helen Phelan from the University of Limerick’s Irish World Academy of Music and Dance. This thorough report carefully considers the very challenging lives of refugee children and unaccompanied minors whilst highlighting the impact of singing and music-making and makes recommendations which have been used to create a three-year project to further grow this work. The report is available for download from the Sing Up Foundation website .   Alongside learnings from an extensive literature review, the researchers conducted interviews with several organisations working in this field including Fairbeats, Music Action International, Surrey Arts, Together Productions and international partners working in refugee camps that had been involved with the British Council’s World Voice project. From these interviews, a picture emerged of the challenges of this work, the need for facilitators to be well-trained and supported, the importance of carefully curated safe musical spaces and the great outcomes that this work can bring about in the lives of these very vulnerable young people.   In terms of the benefits of singing and music-making, the literature review found that this activity has the potential to support many activities that can influence a young refugees’ life such as supporting social cohesion and language acquisition. The interviews further established the ability for these singing and music-making sessions to support the children’s mental health and wellbeing by supporting them to feel free, be part of something, feel valued, feel safe and create outlets for their energy.   The report also explores the wide-ranging circumstances and contexts of the lives of these young refugees, which can range from living in camps in unsafe and unstable conditions, to seeking asylum and living in more protected environments but still under a cloud of uncertainty, to having full refugee status with access to education, housing and a full range of support. All of these external circumstances can have an effect on these young children’s lives and their ability to access and engage with music-making activity. Given these contexts, the report highlights the need for music leaders and facilitators to have appropriate training to deliver these sessions and to have psychological support to deal with and manage the effect that working in these environments can have on their own lives.   Notably, the title of the report comes directly from a quote from a participant and as the report concludes, “For many people caught up in the realities of living as a refugee, daily survival requires high levels of engagement and energy. Finding space to be creative and expressive within this context helps connect memories of the past with the ability to imagine a future, to move beyond the momentary to the possible. As one participant noted: ‘Then the dream started to be more’.”   Building upon the report and its learnings, the Sing Up Foundation has developed a longitudinal three-year action research project with Surrey Arts that will make major strides in building and disseminating a model for vocal work with young refugees and unaccompanied minors in the UK and beyond and are currently seeking funds to support the project. This project will also aim to create training and resources, an evaluation toolkit to support music organisations in their work, a network to connect facilitators and research featuring the voices of the children themselves.   Extract and recommendations from the report ‘With all the complexities and contexts within which singing and music-making occur in this research, no singular approach can be identified as ‘best’. Best practice, in this context, is presented as what people and publications have identified as most effective, viable, ethical and enriching.   Four key recommendations to support best practice extrapolated from this work include: The need for appropriate training and resources to support those working with refugee and migrant young people. Informed and considered creation of the music space/workshop. Psychological support for facilitators. Support and resources for evaluation and research.   Three key recommendations for further research include: The inclusion of children’s voices in longitudinal research. The development of a user-friendly evaluation framework for organisations. Supporting the development of networks and interdisciplinary partnerships for further research, training and capacity building.’   The report also determines that “Building an evidence base for best practice in music and singing programmes for refugee children and unaccompanied minors is essential to ethical, sustainable and creative delivery. This report offers an insight into current and best practice and a springboard into future, shared work and research.” IMAGE: "Then the Dream Started to be More": Singing for Refugees and Unaccompanied Minors: Insights from Research and Practice NOTES TO EDITORS This report is available for download from the Sing Up Foundation website at: https://www.singupfoundation.org/exploring-effective-practice/singing-with-young-refugees The Sing Up Foundation ( www.singupfoundation.org ) produces, promotes and creates opportunities for children and young people to improve their mental health and wellbeing through singing. Through partnerships, resource development and innovation the Sing Up Foundation – explores and highlight effective practice, connects practice with research, creates research-based pilot projects to build and share knowledge and understanding and increase impact, and supports and develops the workforce and settings surrounding children and young people.    The Sing Up Foundation is Sing Up’s charitable arm focused on producing charitable activities through fundraising, partnerships and innovation. The Foundation shares in Sing Up’s goal to ensure that children and young people have opportunities to sing and make music regularly and well for all the benefits that research shows that brings, with a particular focus on mental health and wellbeing. Foundation staff work for Sing Up and sit on Sing Up’s Senior Management Team. Likewise, two members of Sing Up’s staff, including CEO Michelle James, sit on the Foundation’s Board of Trustees.  Sing Up Foundation received a grant from the British Council in 2020 to continue the legacy of the British Council’s World Voice  Programme. The World Voice programme worked in 23 countries across seven years training teachers overseas to use singing to develop musicality and as a tool for learning in the classroom. As part of this legacy, Sing Up Foundation has been consulting with partners overseas and working to create a new platform to continue this work which will feature this research. For more information on World Voice , visit: https://www.singupfoundation.org/worldvoice    Sing Up ( www.singup.org ) is an award-winning organisation that provides resources, training and guidance to support singing and music in schools. Sing Up believes that all children and young people have a right to good quality singing provision, to deepen their understanding of music and singing, raise attainment and develop lasting tools to express themselves with confidence and creativity. With over 15 years of experience at the forefront of music education, Sing Up’s specially arranged songs, teaching tools and support put singing and music at the heart of learning.  Dr Hala Jaber   is currently a post doctoral research fellow at Mary Immaculate College and was an Irish Research Council Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Irish World Academy of Music and Dance, Limerick, Ireland. She has a decade of facilitation experience with young people in the Middle East and Ireland as a music educator and community music facilitator. Her PhD in Arts Practice engaged critically with the music-making experiences of Syrian migrants escaping the war in their homeland. Her Postdoctoral degree investigates the co-designing, delivering, and evaluation of a training program that is trauma-informed for arts facilitators working in the context of post-conflict migration.   Dr Fran Garry currently works as a postdoctoral researcher with the Health Research Institute, PART-IM (Participatory and Arts-Based Methods for Involving Migrants in Health Research) cluster at the University of Limerick. She is a singer, songwriter, community music educator, and an arts-based and arts practice researcher. Her work in educational and community settings includes choral leadership, vocal tuition, facilitation of musical composition, and arts project management.  Prof Helen Phelan is a Professor of Arts Practice and Director of the Irish World Academy of Music and Dance. She is the programme director of the PhD in Arts Practice and an Irish Research Council recipient for her work on music and migration. She is the founder of the Singing and Social Inclusion research group and Chair of IMBAS, a support network for artistic research in Ireland. She is PI of the PART-IM research cluster on arts-based methods in migrant health research, bringing together NGO partners with researchers in medicine, nursing & midwifery and the performing arts.    For further information. photos and a copy of the report, please contact Celi Barberia or Baz Chapman ( info@singupfoundation.org ), 0204 566 9666

Two weeks to go until episodes of our new series of Inspiring Voices are launched! Check out our trailer below to hear from some of the first few guests of the series. We've had some fascinating conversations that we can't wait to share with you. The Inspiring Voices Podcast  features conversations exploring the role of singing, songwriting, voice exploration and creative music-making in transforming young people's mental health and wellbeing. Subscribe now on your favourite podcast platform - Spotify: https://bit.ly/IVPodSpotify  Apple: https://apple.co/45ZCVTx   Amazon Music: https://amzn.to/3raZXrF You can also view all of our podcast episodes on our Youtube Channel .