Liverpool Cathedral’s Schools Singing Programme (SSP): A Research Evaluation of the Educational, Cultural, Social and Wellbeing Value for Primary School Children

Krüger Bridge, S (2025) Liverpool Cathedral’s Schools Singing Programme (SSP): A Research Evaluation of the Educational, Cultural, Social and Wellbeing Value for Primary School Children. Project Report. Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, UK.

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Abstract

This research explores the educational, cultural, social and wellbeing value of Liverpool Cathedral’s Schools Singing Programme (SSP) on children aged 6 to 11 across the Liverpool City Region. Conducted during the Spring term of 2023, the SSP engaged approximately 1000 children from sixteen primary schools, offering a rare opportunity to examine the broader social value of choral music education within one of the UK’s most socioeconomically deprived regions. Framed by interdisciplinary sociocultural theory on the value of music in contemporary society and informed by applied music scholarship that seeks to harness the benefits of music for improving children’s lives – including the “power” of music in education and for enhanced wellbeing – this study investigates the extent to which structured, high-quality choral singing can enhance children’s educational outcomes, social cohesion, cultural awareness and emotional wellbeing. It also reflects on the unique role played by Liverpool Cathedral in nurturing collective identity and cultural belonging. Drawing on children’s own voices captured via 300 reflexive choir journals, as well as observational, questionnaire and interview data gathered with teachers, parents and cathedral ministry, this study illustrates the multifaceted value of choral participation for primary school children. This research focus is entirely novel, as cathedral choral singing programmes, typically structured within cathedral schools that maintain rigorous musical traditions while also engaging broader educational communities through outreach initiatives, have rarely been studied in this way. By focusing on the lived experiences of children from diverse socioeconomic backgrounds in the Liverpool City region, this research highlights the transformative potential of cathedral-based choral programmes, contributing to ongoing discussions about the role of choral singing in fostering musical excellence in education, cultural engagement, and social and emotional wellbeing.

Item Type:	Monograph (Project Report)
Subjects:	L Education > LB Theory and practice of education > LB1501 Primary Education M Music and Books on Music > M Music
Divisions:	Humanities and Social Science
Publisher:	Liverpool John Moores University
Date of acceptance:	27 May 2025
Date of first compliant Open Access:	11 June 2025
Date Deposited:	11 Jun 2025 10:40
Last Modified:	11 Jun 2025 10:40
URI:	https://researchonline.ljmu.ac.uk/id/eprint/26510

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