As Sing Up celebrates its first birthday, we caught up with some of the people who have benefited from the Music Manifesto's national singing programme. First up, the pupils themselves.
Vernon and Chevelle, Year 6, Ilderton Primary School
Ilderton Primary is a Sing Up Platinum School, where music plays a big part in everyday school life. Vernon and Chevelle from Year 6 told us about what Sing Up means to them.
"Singing is a fun thing," says Vernon. "If there wasn't any singing, life would be a bit boring."
Life definitely isn't boring at Ilderton Primary and thanks to the musical leadership of headteacher Elizabeth Hills, children sing in school almost every day.
"Singing is something that we specialise in at this school," says Chevelle. "I like everything about singing. I've been singing since I was about five years old and I've always wanted to do singing at school."
As well as enjoying singing for its own sake, Vernon and Chevelle both recognise how useful singing has been in their broader music education.
"It's good to sing because if you want to play a musical instrument it helps you work out what the tune is before you play it," says Vernon, who is learning to play trombone.
Chevelle, who leads the school steel pan group agrees. "Singing helps you with your instrument. If you forget the notes you can sing them in your head to help you remember."
And it's not just in music that singing can help them learn. "We do French language songs," says Chevelle. "Or in maths you can sing: '2, 4, 6, 8, who do we appreciate'," sings Vernon. "Or '1, 3, 5, 7, 9...' We used to do that in Year 4, so we were singing and learning at the same time."
As well as singing in class and in assemblies there are lots of performance opportunities. "We have a gospel concert in March," says Chevelle. "You know that song Rule the World? We changed it up and made it gospel and called it Change the World.
"And we're doing a Cinderella concert, it's like a musical. We're going to have to practice every day because we'll have to do actions and singing and speaking as well."
But the hard work doesn't faze them because they love the way singing makes them feel.
"It makes me feel great," says Vernon. "Sometimes you might feel embarrassed but you shouldn't feel embarrassed. "I'd say that it's just one of the best things in the world," smiles Chevelle.
So do Vernon and Chevelle think all schools should do more singing? "YES!" they chorus in unison.