200 Y4 & Y5 primary school students from six of our Tower Hamlets Neighbourhood Schools join together for a joyous celebration of singing, expertly led by our choral leaders Leanne Sedin and Naveen Arles and assisted by Trainee Music Leader Alex Fryer, in the beautiful surroundings of the Great Hall of Bishopsgate Institute.
Following the pandemic, Spitalfields Music and our local Neighbourhood schools wanted to rekindle the love of singing amongst our primary school children, after two years where singing was effectively banned in schools due to the perceived Covid risk. As well as the pure joy that singing together brings, singing has been proven to help mental well-being and emotional resilience, and Spitalfields Music wanted to help schools reinstate this valuable part of the music curriculum.
The Primary Big Sing has taken place as two discrete but linked projects, one taking place in the Autumn term 2022 (with two other of our Neighbourhood Schools, Osmani and Chisenhale) and this project which has taken place since February half-term (with Canon Barnett, Cayley, Cyril Jackson, John Scurr, St Elizabeth and William Davis Primary Schools). Over four weeks, Naveen Arles and Leanne Sedin, ably assisted throughout by Spitalfields Music’s Trainee Music Leaders, have worked with the students to teach them a programme of varied songs which explores the power of singing together and the associated benefits of wellbeing.