Singing in school can help boost pupils self-image

Singing in school can make children feel more positive about themselves, research suggests.

The study, published to mark National Sing Up Day in the UK, found a clear link between singing and self-image.

The findings show that children who took part in the Sing Up programme, a schools’ singing initiative, felt better about themselves, and had a strong sense of being part of a community.

“A clear inference may be drawn that children with experience of Sing Up are more likely to be advanced in their singing development and to have a positive self-concept,” the study said.

It also found that Sing Up children were up to two years ahead in their singing development than those of the same age who did not take part in the programme.

The Institute of Education’s three-year study, commissioned by the Sing Up programme, is based on data collected from 9,979 children at 177 schools in England.

Composer Howard Goodall, the National Singing Ambassador, said: “These findings are gold dust for headteachers. We’ve always maintained that singing, alongside its brain-training benefits, can help children to grow in confidence and create stronger communities and now we’re able to prove it with hard evidence. We hope that primary schools across the country take the opportunity on National Sing Up Day to give their pupils a boost and spread a little singing.”

The research comes just days after ministers announced plans to recruit top music graduates from conservatoires to work in schools. The announcement was in response to the Henley Review of music which warned that music education in England’s schools is still “patchy”.

The government also announced that funding for music education will be protected for this year, but councils could still see music budgets cut by up to 10 per cent next year.