England's National Singing Programme
/l/images/19268773.jpg

 

In 2007, the British government allocated the equivalent of $660 million (USD) toward getting the population singing (especially primary aged children) by 2011. 

SingUp! is training classroom teachers to engage all students in daily active music making.  This effort is part of a national effort to bring singing back to the nation.  Music Manifesto

 

Howard GoodallEngland's National Ambassador for Singing

Sing Up: Bringing Song Back to a Nation (excerpts)

The key issue of all was that general primary teachers, classroom teachers, felt very uncomfortable about leading singing and mostly did not want to.  The response that came back [when asked about singing] was seen through the prism of an adult’s version of singing, not a child’s version. The adults would say: "I can't sing.”  "I don't sing in tune.”  “I'm embarrassed.”   "I'm shy.”  “I don't want to do this.”

They were putting their fear, their worry about singing onto the children.  Because if you’ve ever met a six- or seven-year-old child.. no six- or seven-year-old is scared of singing.  They all want to sing, it’s completely natural.  The children’s] attitude was that they wanted to sing, but the adults were getting in the way of that.

So ... what happens? 
When and how do we learn that it’s not okay to sing anymore?

/i//Howard_Goodall.jpg

/l/images/19096305.jpg

Singing is the outward manifestation of our souls.  [Singing] is not a luxury, it’s not a plug-in, it’s not a nicety, it’s not a small entertainment for lunch time for some of the children; it is every child’s birthright.  And our mission is to bring that back to our 21st-century modern communities.  That singing is not a luxury; it is our children's birthright.