Quick tips for singing in secondary schools

In the classroom

• ‘Do well’, don't just ‘do’. Curriculum singing is the bedrock of a successful singing programme. Vocal work should go far beyond compliant participation; singing is by far the best vehicle for developing aural acuity and is therefore an essential part of musical learning.
• Sing as often as possible. Large gaps in encountering singing lead to a lack of confidence and increased apathy. Doing a little in every lesson is ideal.
• Be rigorous. Like any other musical learning, singing is a discipline. Poor singing, inaccuracies, poor intonation and unclear diction should always be challenged and improved.
• Model. Fluent vocal modelling from the teacher (in the modal voice, not falsetto) is the primary method of teaching songs at all levels. The piano is an accompaniment instrument and should be avoided for modelling, as inexperienced singers struggle to pitch-match from the piano.
• Secure unison singing. Aim for confident, accurate unison singing before moving on to rounds and partner songs. Homophonic harmonies are significantly more challenging but are manageable when pupils are confident with independent polyphonic lines.
• Consider writing out the melodic contour for all sung activities, to reinforce the links between sound and symbol. You could also encourage this (and support colleagues) in other subjects who learn through singing, such as Modern Foreign Languages.

Collective singing

• Build on classroom success by singing together as a year group at least once per term. The prime marker of success, beyond good-quality singing (again, not just compliant participation), is the collective joy in making music together.
• Don't forget silly songs, action songs or warm-ups. These work well with pupils of all years (our sixth-form pupils love them!).
• Factor in year-group concerts where all pupils come together to perform (for their parents) songs learned in class or assembly.

Open-access choirs

• Be inclusive. All pupils should have the opportunity to attend a choir where no audition is needed. A positive experience in the classroom and in assemblies will help greatly with recruitment.
• The ‘diamond structure’ can work well in big departments with capacity for more than one choir. This means having separate boys' and girls' choirs at KS3 and bringing them back together for KS4/5.
• Write your own arrangements if you can't find suitable repertoire for the group in your school – for the voices in front of you.
• Get pupils to recommend songs that they would like to sing. Some of the things on the long list may be wholly unsuitable, for a host of reasons, but I've encountered some great songs this way and have then written arrangements.
• Keep to the rehearsal schedule, even if numbers are low. The pupils who have turned up shouldn't be punished for the absence of others. If you're out of school, get a stand-in (perhaps a pupil?) to take the rehearsal.
• Choose repertoire that stretches. Select pieces that are at a level slightly above what you think the pupils will manage. It is amazing how children rise to a challenge.
• Perform at least once per term. Each of your choirs needs this opportunity.

Auditioned choirs

• Stretch and challenge your most able singers. This is what an auditioned choir is for.
• Avoid elitism by making it a condition of membership that pupils continue to attend their respective open-access choir as well.

Have you got ‘quick tips’ on an area of teaching you'd like to share? If so, email the editor at music.teacher@markallengroup.com