SINGING PLAYGROUNDS

Singing Playgrounds is Ex Cathedra's highly acclaimed first-access singing project. It has already been delivered to over 400 primary schools in the UK, and also in Thailand, China and New Zealand.

'Singing Playgrounds is brilliant. I wish I could wave a wand and have it magically appear in every primary school in the country now.'
(Howard Goodall, National Ambassador for Singing)

A project for everyone involved in a primary school community, Singing Playgrounds aims to bring singing into the heart of the school, enabling children and teachers to discover themselves as singers. We work with all the members of a primary school, showing teachers how to implement and continue the project, and training up a group of children as Song Leaders- equipping them with the songs, games and skills they need to be able to lead pupils in the playground. The project is supported by extensive resources, which include a manual, session plans for the teachers to do with the Song Leaders for a year, a songbook of 50 singing games and activities, a supporting DVD and CD, a SongStop sticker for the playground, badges and stickers for the Song Leaders, and a large scrapbook.

This year we are implementing the project city-wide in 200 of Birmingham's primary schools, through Birmingham Music Education Partnership.

Other partners and sponsors to date have included THSH, G4S, Canary Wharf Group, Sing Up, Birmingham City Council, Derby City Council, Creative Partnerships and MusicLeader. The project has been showcased at several conferences including the National Association of Music Educators, The Conservative Party, the Association of British Choral Directors, ContinYou, and MusicEducationLive. Media coverage of the project includes a dedicated programme made for Teachers TV, Music Matters on BBC Radio 3, and in the TES. Project celebrations have taken place in the Royal Albert Hall, Symphony Hall, in a park with 2000 children and on stage with Desmond Tutu for a global summit.

We welcome enquiries for the project.

'You lit up the school, not just for the week, but for the entire year.'
(Stephen Holroyd, Principal, Shrewbury International School, Bangkok)

'That was the best day of my life!' (Year 5 boy)