Inspiring Voices Podcast | Singing, Mental Health & Music Education

Every child deserves to find their voice. For refugee children across the UK, that voice can be a powerful tool for healing, belonging, and hope.

Introducing: Chorus of Hope - Singing with Young Refugees and Displaced Children

We're thrilled to launch our match-funding campaign for our innovative program that uses the transformative power of singing to support refugee children and young people. For the next 7 days only, every pound donated will be doubled by the Big Give and New Philanthropy for Arts and Culture!

Your donations will:

• Provide therapeutic singing sessions for displaced youth
• Train specialised music practitioners across the UK
• Develop evidence-based resources and teaching methods
• Create safe spaces for cultural expression and community building
• Break down language barriers through the universal language of music

Our Goal: £10,000 by 25 March.

With your help, we can expand this vital work, ensuring that more displaced young people find their voice, process trauma, and build lasting connections in their new communities.

Every Donation Makes a Difference

We understand that times are hard for many people right now. Please know that contributions of any size are deeply appreciated and will make a real difference. Even a small donation of £5 becomes £10 through matching, helping us provide resources and support for young refugees finding their voice through music.

Donate now at https://bit.ly/BigGiveChorusOfHope

Dive into the transformative power of music through the lens of neurodiversity! Join experts Abigail Mann-Daraz and Alice Nicholls as they unravel the complex world of inclusive singing, bringing their personal experiences and professional insights to the forefront. This episode explores how music can be a profound healing tool for neurodivergent young people, challenging traditional notions of 'normal' and celebrating the unique voices that often go unheard.

Drawing from their own lived experiences with neurodivergence, these specialists reveal the critical intersection of mental health, music, and self-expression. Discover how singing can become more than just a skill—it's a pathway to connection, understanding, and personal empowerment for young people navigating the challenges of neurodivergence.

Whether you're an educator, music lover, or someone passionate about inclusive practices, this episode promises to open your eyes to the remarkable potential of music as a universal language of understanding and support.

Inspiring Voices is the podcast of the Sing Up Foundation. In this second series, co-hosts Baz Chapman and Celi Barberia chat with pairs of guests about the power of singing for young people, particularly those whose life experiences are likely to impact on their mental health.

The Sing Up Foundation believes in the power of singing to improve health and wellbeing – so listen in and be inspired!

Subscribe now on:

Spotify: ⁠⁠https://spoti.fi/3Ybd2xT⁠⁠

Apple: ⁠⁠https://apple.co/3AbokKr⁠⁠

Amazon Music: ⁠⁠https://amzn.to/4f9fJXu⁠⁠

YouTube: ⁠⁠https://bit.ly/4dWErcw⁠⁠

For more information on the Sing Up Foundation, visit: ⁠⁠www.singupfoundation.org⁠⁠

Episode features music from Beccy Owen. 'Anemone' originally written by Beccy Owen and the Refuge, bespoke arrangement for Sing Up Foundation by Beccy Owen.

We explore singing in relation to two different contexts in which potentially life-limiting situations can affect mental health & wellbeing. Disabled musician John Kelly talks about the power of singing for young people with disabilities and Jenny Young (Blue Cabin) about music for young people in the care system.

Inspiring Voices is the podcast of the Sing Up Foundation. In this second series, co-hosts Baz Chapman and Celi Barberia chat with pairs of guests about the power of singing for young people, particularly those whose life experiences are likely to impact on their mental health.

The Sing Up Foundation believes in the power of singing to improve health and wellbeing – so listen in and be inspired!

Subscribe now on:

Spotify: ⁠https://spoti.fi/3Ybd2xT⁠

Apple: ⁠https://apple.co/3AbokKr⁠

Amazon Music: ⁠https://amzn.to/4f9fJXu⁠

YouTube: ⁠https://bit.ly/4dWErcw⁠

For more information on the Sing Up Foundation, visit: ⁠www.singupfoundation.org⁠

Episode features music from Beccy Owen. 'Anemone' originally written by Beccy Owen and the Refuge, bespoke arrangement for Sing Up Foundation by Beccy Owen.

How do we create an environment which is safe and supportive to young people facing challenges with their mental health? What’s wrong with the current system, where waiting lists for mental health can be years long? And can singing really help? Yes it can, according to clinical psychologist, researcher and writer Dr Naomi Fisher, and Emily Foulkes, researcher and director of Music for Good and the Singing for Health Network.

Inspiring Voices is the podcast of the Sing Up Foundation. In this second series, co-hosts Baz Chapman and Celi Barberia chat with pairs of guests about the power of singing for young people, particularly those whose life experiences are likely to impact on their mental health.

The Sing Up Foundation believes in the power of singing to improve health and wellbeing – so listen in and be inspired!

Subscribe now on:

Spotify: ⁠https://spoti.fi/3Ybd2xT⁠

Apple: ⁠https://apple.co/3AbokKr⁠

Amazon Music: ⁠https://amzn.to/4f9fJXu⁠

YouTube: ⁠https://bit.ly/4dWErcw⁠

For more information on the Sing Up Foundation, visit: ⁠www.singupfoundation.org⁠

Episode features music from Beccy Owen. 'Anemone' originally written by Beccy Owen and the Refuge, bespoke arrangement for Sing Up Foundation by Beccy Owen.

Flight from conflict, together with complex challenges integrating into a new country, takes an enormous toll on the mental health of displaced young people. And yet singing and music making have a unique way to cut through and create safe spaces for them to connect and experience joy. We hear from trainer and practitioner Jim Pinchen (Surrey Arts) and from Dr Hala Jaber from University of Limerick, from whom Sing Up Foundation have commissioned a new report into singing for displaced young people.

As discussed in this episode, you can now download our new research report - Then the Dream Started to be More: Singing with Refugees and Unaccompanied Minors. Available to download free from the Sing Up Foundation website: https://www.singupfoundation.org/exploring-effective-practice/singing-with-young-refugees

Inspiring Voices is the podcast of the Sing Up Foundation. In this second series, co-hosts Baz Chapman and Celi Barberia chat with pairs of guests about the power of singing for young people, particularly those whose life experiences are likely to impact on their mental health.

The Sing Up Foundation believes in the power of singing to improve health and wellbeing – so listen in and be inspired!

Subscribe now on:

Spotify: ⁠https://spoti.fi/3Ybd2xT⁠

Apple: ⁠https://apple.co/3AbokKr⁠

Amazon Music: ⁠https://amzn.to/4f9fJXu⁠

YouTube: ⁠https://bit.ly/4dWErcw⁠

For more information on the Sing Up Foundation, visit: ⁠www.singupfoundation.org⁠

Episode features music from Beccy Owen. 'Anemone' originally written by Beccy Owen and the Refuge, bespoke arrangement for Sing Up Foundation by Beccy Owen.

We hear from Sally Spencer (Ex Cathedra’s Singing Medicine Programme and winner of Sky Arts Hero 2024) and Merel van der Knoop (Long Covid Kids), about children & young people who are hospitalised or living with Long Covid, and about singing as one of the rare things that isn’t “done to them” which can provide both mental and physical benefits.

Inspiring Voices is the podcast of the Sing Up Foundation. In this second series, co-hosts Baz Chapman and Celi Barberia chat with pairs of guests about the power of singing for young people, particularly those whose life experiences are likely to impact on their mental health.

The Sing Up Foundation believes in the power of singing to improve health and wellbeing – so listen in and be inspired!

Subscribe now on:

Spotify: ⁠https://spoti.fi/3Ybd2xT⁠

Apple: ⁠https://apple.co/3AbokKr⁠

Amazon Music: ⁠https://amzn.to/4f9fJXu⁠

YouTube: ⁠https://bit.ly/4dWErcw⁠

For more information on the Sing Up Foundation, visit: ⁠www.singupfoundation.org⁠

Episode features music from Beccy Owen. 'Anemone' originally written by Beccy Owen and the Refuge, bespoke arrangement for Sing Up Foundation by Beccy Owen.

New series dropping in the next few weeks. Hear from our first few guests in this series about the power of singing and music making.

John Kelly: "Exploring your own experience through music is a passport to freedom, it's a passport to liberation, it's a passport to finding a sense of value and that actually you can play a part in society. And, that actually you belong"

Inspiring Voices explores the unique role of singing, song-writing and creative music making in transforming children and young people's mental health and wellbeing.

Join us! Subscribe now on Youtube, Spotify, Apple or your favourite platform.

Our new series of Inspiring Voices is coming soon. We thought you might a quick preview of who we will be talking to and what we'll be talking about over the first few episodes of this series.

In the first few episodes, we'll be talking to -

• John Kelly and Jenny Young talk about singing for those with disabilities and care experienced children & young people 

• Dr Naomi Fisher and Emily Foulkes explore singing for those children & young people struggling with their mental health 

• Dr Hala Jabber and Jim Pinchin give an insight into the critical role of singing as a connector and mental health support for displaced children & young people 

• Abi Mann-Daraz and Alice Nicholls discuss singing to support neurodiversity for children & young people  

• Sally Spencer and Merel van der Knoop share ways to support the wellbeing of children & young people with long-term health conditions through singing 

  
  

The Inspiring Voices Podcast features conversations exploring the role of singing, songwriting, voice exploration and creative music-making in transforming young people's mental health and wellbeing.

Trailer features Music from Beccy Owen - Anenome originally written by Beccy Owen and the Refuge, bespoke arrangement for the Sing Up Foundation by Beccy Owen.

We're just in the middle of recording the second series of the #InspiringVoicesPodcast. The second series will focus particularly on how we can inspire young voices and especially on how children and young people who are faced with particular challenges in their lives that effect their mental health can be supported through singing and music-making. Series 2 will be out in a few weeks so make sure that you're subscribed on Spotify or Apple or on your favourite podcast platform.In the meantime - you might want to catch up on the first series. The Inspiring Voices Podcast features conversations exploring the role of singing, songwriting, voice exploration and creative music-making in transforming young people's mental health and wellbeingTrailer features music from Beccy Owen. Anenome originally written by Beccy Owen and the Refuge, bespoke arrangement for Sing Up Foundation by Beccy Owen.

What is the special magic that comes from singing in a group? David Lawrence attempts to explain it through is own experiences as a conductor of singing across a huge range of contexts, from inner city youth choirs to symphony choruses to the vast Young Voices children's stadium singing concerts.

To close Season 1 of Inspiring Voices, David and podcast host Baz look back on their various choral collaborations over the years through a wellbeing lens, covering teenage singing, the National Teachers' Choir, singing and conducting for the non-confident adult, and how to get the best from any choir or singing group.

Inspiring Voices is the new podcast from the Sing Up Foundation. Its first season explores the power of singing to transform children and young people’s lives.

Through conversations with singers, leaders, researchers and other specialists, we consider the unique role of singing, songwriting, voice exploration and creative music-making in improving children and young people’s mental health and wellbeing.

The Sing Up Foundation believes in the power of singing to improve health and wellbeing – so listen in and be inspired!

Subscribe now on:

Spotify: https://bit.ly/IVPodSpotify

Apple: https://apple.co/45ZCVTx

Amazon Music: https://amzn.to/3raZXrF

Google: https://bit.ly/IVPodGoogle

For more information on the Sing Up Foundation, visit: www.singupfoundation.org

Episode features music from Beccy Owen. 'Anemone' originally written by Beccy Owen and the Refuge, bespoke arrangement for Sing Up Foundation by Beccy Owen.

Supported using public funding by Arts Council England as part of the Cultural Recovery Fund.