In 2007, the British government allocated £40 million toward providing a quality music education to all children and youth.  Music Manifesto.  Sing Up is training classroom teachers to engage all students in daily active music making.  The goals are to enliven children, create a positive classroom environment, foster social cohesion, and raise achievement. "I believe in singing to such an extent that if I were asked to redesign the British educational system, I would start by insisting that group singing become a central part of the daily routine. I believe it builds character and, more than anything else, encourages a taste for co-operation with others. This seems to be about the most important thing a school could do for you."  (Brian Eno, composer, producer) Sing Up: Bringing Song Back to a Nation (excerpts from speech) Howard Goodall, England's National Ambassador for Singing

The key issue of all was that general primary teachers, classroom teachers, felt very uncomfortable about leading singing and mostly did not want to.  The response that came back [when asked about singing] was seen through the prism of an adult’s version of singing, not a child’s version. The adults would say: "I can't sing.”  "I don't sing in tune.”  “I'm embarrassed.”   "I'm shy.”  “I don't want to do this.”  They were putting their fear, their worry about singing onto the children.  Because if you’ve ever met a six- or seven-year-old child.. no six- or seven-year-old is scared of singing.  They all want to sing, it’s completely natural.  The children’s attitude was that they wanted to sing, but the adults were getting in the way of that. So ... what happens?  When and how do we learn that it’s not okay to sing anymore?

Singing is the outward manifestation of our souls.  [Singing] is not a luxury, it’s not a plug-in, it’s not a nicety, it’s not a small entertainment for lunch time for some of the children; it is every child’s birthright.  And our mission is to bring that back to our 21st-century modern communities.  That singing is not a luxury; it is our children's birthright.