Singing in the Lower Secondary School

Professor Martin Ashley trained originally as a middle-school music specialist. He taught for seventeen years in UK state and independent schools before moving into higher education at the University of the West of England, Bristol. There he led programmes of teacher development including the EdD and BA in educational studies. In 2007 he moved to Edge Hill University, where he was awarded a personal chair for his AHRC funded post-doctoral work in young masculinity and vocal performance, and an institutional chair on appointment to the role of Head of Research. He retired from that role in April 2013 in order concentrate more intensively on his research into young male singing and the promotion in the UK of the Cambiata singing concept for adolescent voices. He developed, in collaboration with the National Youth Choirs of Great Britain, and continues to promote through the Association of British Choral Directors, the Cambiata based 'Boys Keep Singing' project.

Introduction ; All Can Sing - even thirteen year old boys ; The Sing Up legacy, the National Music Plan and OFSTED ; Expectations, equality and diversity ; Classroom cacophony or chamber choir concert? ; Adolescent voices ; Vocal identity and vocal agency ; Repertoire and arranging ; Leadership and conducting ; Boys, Girls or Boys and Girls? The management of gender ; The Cambiata movement ; Bibliography