Do the songs matter? Repertoire, agency and young people's mental health
Fri 11 Sept | Live online, link sent the day before

No matter our intentions, a song can reach a young person or push them away. A live conversation on repertoire, agency and young people's mental health, with Mark Bick, Chanté Osagiede and Jenny Trattles.

About the event
What are we going to sing today, and why that rather than something else? It seems like a simple question, but the more we ask practitioners about it, the less simple it looks. And when we're singing with young people whose mental health is fragile, what are those choices actually doing in the room?

We'll be having an open conversation, but some of what we'll be exploring:

Certain songs and genres clearly appeal to young people. Does that mean we always follow their lead, or is there a case for widening the picture?

Music doesn't only lift people. It can unsettle them too, sometimes at a level nobody in the room could put into words. How should that shape our choices?

We talk a lot about agency, and rightly. But what does it look like in practice? And when is it kinder to narrow the choices, or take them away altogether?

Words will come up, of course, but we're planning to give lyrics a session of their own before long, so this time we're staying with the wider question of what we choose and why. This conversation follows on from our publication Being Seen, Being Heard, Feeling Connected, which explores what singing and vocal work make possible for children and young people's mental health and wellbeing. Our particular interest is in targeted work with young people who are really struggling, rather than singing for general wellbeing alone.

Who's it for

Singing leaders, music teachers, vocal practitioners, hub and service leaders, and anyone planning music with young people whose mental health needs support. You don't need to have read the publication, though you're very welcome to.

If you're looking for our next webinar, this is it. We've stopped calling them that, because it's really a conversation.

For more information visit singupfoundation.org/event-details/do-the-songs-matter-repertoire-agency-and-young-peoples-mental-health