Singing Sherlock 4: an exclusive interview with the authors!
(August 2008)
To mark the launch of the latest volume in the bestselling Singing Sherlock series, we caught up with Val Whitlock and Shirley Court, creators of the complete singing resource for primary schools.Q: Val, Shirley—can you tell us what is new and different about the next Singing Sherlock volume? If I already have the other books, why do I need it?
VAL: There is a new section in the book called Sherlock in Concert, with songs that can be sung ‘in concert’ as a medley. These incorporate all the techniques covered in the other sections of both Book 4 and Book 2, and are perhaps more vocally demanding and require a real sense of performance.
SHIRLEY: There is also a whole new section on vocal warm ups, understanding the voice as an instrument and how to use it safely and effectively. The new Singing Sherlock books are in response to popular demand from teachers and singing leaders all over the country.
VAL: Yes, that's true. Wherever we go we are continually asked: “When are you going to bring out a new Singing Sherlock? I’ve used your book and now I really need some new materials and repertoire!”
Q) This book is Singing Sherlock Book 4 -- Book 3, it seems, is due in 2009. Why is Book 4 coming out before Book 3? What do the numbers mean? Do I have to use the books in numerical order?
VAL: Book 4 follows on from Book 2 and is published first to coincide with Sing Up, Music Manifesto’s National Singing Programme, and with the current focus on singing at KS2. Book 3 is hard on its heels, and, like Book 1, will focus on singing at KS1.
Q) Can you tell us more about how the material in the new book relates to the previous two books in the series, to the Key Stages, and to initiatives like the Sing Up! campaign?
SHIRLEY: Book 4 is aimed primarily at KS2. It enhances and supports Book 2 by providing additional and exciting resources, including commissioned material from composers new to us, as well from composers we have previously used. Some of the songs are also suitable for lower KS3 and are therefore ideal for use in the transition stage. You can find several songs from Singing Sherlock Book 2 on the Sing Up website, and we expect selected songs from Book 4 to be added in due course.
VAL: This ties in neatly with the philosophy behind all the Singing Sherlock books, to work not purely as a resource bank, but a progressive approach to singing with children, with the principal aim always to improve the quality of the singing, which we feel is paramount.
Q) The new book seems to stress technique more than the two previous volumes. Why is this? Is this something that ordinary music teachers will be able to deal with?
VAL: We are acutely aware of the hugely varying musical needs and experience of teachers in primary schools and that the book needs to both appeal and support this wide span. Teachers and music leaders can use Singing Sherlock at whatever level they feel comfortable. For some, this may mean relying heavily on the backing CDs; for others who really want to focus on developing their own teaching expertise and their children’s vocal skills they can follow the more in-depth ‘clues’ and ‘case notes’.
SHIRLEY: In addition we feel that nationally there is an urgent need to develop and train more vocal leaders who have a firmly rooted understanding and skill in working vocally and chorally with young people. The Singing Sherlock books are based on our zillions of years working as choral/vocal animateurs with all ages and abilities, and we envisage these new books as an important contribution to these crucial foundations.
Q) The new book is bigger than the previous two. Why?
VAL: There is the new warm-ups section, which we included for two reasons; firstly at the request of teachers and singing leaders with whom we were working who wanted a solid collection of warm-ups for their classes; secondly, we feel, with a new climate where singing is being given a higher profile, it is really important to promote good vocal health for children’s singing and that singing leaders need to have an understanding of how to use the voice well.
SHIRLEY: And that’s not all; Book 4 is also bigger because many of the songs are longer! And some of the songs for upper KS2 are more substantial vocally and musically, which reflects our desire to include more challenging material for those vocal leaders with more experience.
Q) Please tell us about the CD. It has recordings of children singing the songs, and also backing tracks. How can a teacher use the CD most effectively?
SHIRLEY: The book has both children and adults singing on the CDs. As Val mentioned earlier, for teachers not confident in using their own voices to teach the songs, they can play the Vocal CD track, and if there is no pianist available they can use the backing track for performance. There is a section in the book on how to teach a song using a CD.
VAL: Although the songs can be taught with just the CD, we do not advocate an entirely ‘karaoke’ diet for singing in schools and recommend that schools enlist the help of a more confident singer, even if only occasionally so that children have access to a good vocal ‘model’.
SHIRLEY: Absolutely, we hope that the Singing Sherlock books can help to develop the ability of teachers and music leaders as well as their pupils.
Q) Will there be downloadable resources for the two new books, as there were for Book 2?
SHIRLEY: There will be downloadable lyric sheets for the songs, and we are also thinking about the possibility of including downloadable audio/video files of the warm-ups.
Q) What does the future hold for you, or for Singing Sherlock?
VAL: As Howard Goodall has said in his foreword to Book 4, Singing Sherlock has become a firm favourite with teachers and music leaders all over the UK and beyond.
SHIRLEY: We hope that Sherlock 4 will be as popular and successful as books 1 & 2 and that we can continue to share our passion for quality singing with children and inspire and motivate other vocal leaders to achieve excellence in their work.
VAL: And of course, above all, we hope the children love singing the songs!
Listen to soundclips of songs in Singing Sherlock 4
> Further information on series: Singing Sherlock
> Further information on Singing Sherlock 4
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