BBC Singers help launch BBC Get Singing

The BBC Singers are proud to play a key role in launching BBC Get Singing, a bold new national programme created to spark a renewed culture of singing among young people aged 11-14 across the UK.

As part of this exciting initiative, we’re helping to inspire and support high-quality, joyful singing experiences both in secondary schools and beyond the formal curriculum. Developed in collaboration with 7x Grammy award-winning artist, composer and producer Jacob Collier, the programme offers teachers and vocal leaders a wealth of fresh resources to support group singing.

At the heart of the programme, BBC Get Singing provides brand-new arrangements designed for use in classrooms, enrichment sessions and extra-curricular choirs. To help young people warm up, explore their voices and learn each song, the programme includes videos, guidance notes, and scores and audio tracks which are available via BBC Get Singing on BBC Bitesize. Throughout the project, teachers, vocal leaders and participants will have the opportunity to participate in workshops, training/CPD and performances across the UK.

To mark the launch, the BBC Singers have recorded two special pieces: Cat Burns’s live more & love more (arranged by Hannah King) and Bob Chilcott’s Piping Down the Valleys Wild. We were joined by our Principal Guest Conductor Owain Park, pianist Dominika Mak, and musicians Yijia Cui and Stephen Whibley.

The BBC Get Singing programme is vitally important at this moment in time. We know that singing participation drops significantly as children get older, particularly after they move into secondary school. Recent research surveying state secondary school teachers found that more than half (57%) said that their pupils never sang together in assembly. By contrast, only 13% of private secondary school teachers and just 4% of primary teachers reported the same. The study also revealed that 36% of state secondary teachers had no choir in their school, compared with just 8% in the private sector.

At the BBC Singers, singing and performing is our lifeblood. We understand first-hand how powerful singing together can be – for wellbeing, for confidence and for creating stronger, more connected communities. Research continues to show that group singing brings a wide range of physical benefits: it can strengthen the immune system, reduce pain through the release of endorphins and support healthier heart rate and blood pressure. These effects are unique to singing; simply listening to the same music does not produce the same results.

The mental and social benefits are equally as important. Singing in a group can create a strong sense of togetherness, even among people who have only just met. Studies have shown that complete strangers can form remarkably close bonds after singing together for just an hour.

We’re so pleased to be supporting this very special project, which champions the joy and benefits of singing for young people across the UK. Our involvement doesn’t stop here: over the coming months, the BBC Singers will continue to contribute to BBC Get Singing by recording further performance films for teachers, vocal leaders and young people to use, as well as supporting a range of CPD and training opportunities across the UK. We look forward to helping thousands of young people discover their voices and experience the power of singing together.