Many readers of Music Teacher magazine will need no introduction to Singing Sherlock. This has been a hugely successful series, with many primary and preparatory schools using these publications as a holy grail for music classes and school choir. Many of the songs are also used by singing teachers as a tool in individual lessons.
The popularity and longevity of the series is a tribute to authors Val Whitlock and Shirley Court, who continue to source and commission fantastic songs Both Whitlock and Court can be described as singers, choral experts, workshop leaders, trainer of teachers – and more – and they have made an indelible mark on the world of youth choirs and primary school singing. It is their wealth of experience and love of their work that has formed the basis of these fabulous books. The continued expansion since the first two books reflects a thirst for more of this material within schools and choirs.
Working as an editor in Boosey and Hawkes’ product development department (in the former Regent Street offices) at the time of Singing Sherlock's inception, I cut my editorial teeth in music publishing on the first two books in this series in the year 2002. Looking at this new volume is a good reminder of the hard work and long hours it takes to complete such a project: including making decisions on page layout and design widgets, commissioning the cover design, editing text, commissioning (and proofing) note-setting, as well as cross-checking for consistency throughout the book. The most challenging aspect may well be in fathoming how to convey the songwriter's and author's intentions while making sure the results are economical and not confusing. Then there are the recordings to commission, where you must thoroughly check that a) they work well and b) match the dots on the page. This new volume, Singing Sherlock 5, marketed for singers age 7 to 11 years, has retained a similar format to the first four publications, though a new illustrator is on board, who has created a fresh design for the front cover. Hence, the look of the series has taken a new direction, which Boosey is making consistent across the series. The note-setting, undertaken by Catherine Duffy, has been well executed and has retained the original style. The supporting visual material that was previously contained within the pages of the songs has now been separated out, making for a fully dedicated one-page spread for each. The ‘Case Notes’ text box for each song offers lashings of great advice for learning and singing, as well as concise detail that will make all the difference for teachers. There are line-by-line suggestions for movement in a number of the songs, which will add to the sense of performance and pupil engagement. There is a nod to modern technology, with memes on Singing Sherlock's mobile phone screen reminding young singers to pay attention to elements such as diction and dynamics. There may well be meme-overload in that there are also three other motifs running down the side of the same pages, though these are constants, and remind singers to use good listening, to be focussed and maintain their posture at all times.
Singing Sherlock 5: The complete singing resource for primary schools
The two CDs within the book – arranged and produced by Andrew Holdsworth – also deserve a mention, particularly as they will be vital to the work of non-specialist teachers who may not play the piano or read music. Many of the songs – sung by the Hallé Children's Choir and directed by Court – are imaginatively orchestrated here, while being cleverly, albeit heavily, digitally produced (this might not be to everyone's taste). There is a dry studio quality to most of the songs, which lends a certain immediacy to the sound, though this can become a little tinny at times – akin to the jingles for children's TV shows, with a few being reminiscent of the theme music for Grandpa in My Pocket. There is often very little time between pressing the play button and the start of the piece, so teachers will need to be at the ready for this.
In line with the rest of the series, both full performance and backing tracks are included. As this product will be incredibly useful for non-specialist teachers, it would have been of huge benefit if the melodies in the backing tracks were all well-supported by an instrumental line to give performers that extra confidence – assuring them they are in the right place at the right time.
The composers of the songs are Marc Stone, Sue Stevens, Nicky Footer, Carol A Johnson, Jon Laird, Steve Pickett, Mike Williams, Chris Williams, Andy Beck, Chris Hazell and Stuart Overington: the latter (who is director of the Hallé Youth Choir) has made a whopping contribution to the book with a total of seven songs out of 25. A few traditional songs also appear. A number of highly reputable composers from the first two volumes – Lin Marsh, Helen MacGregor, Rebecca Lawrence, Sue Nicholls and Camilla During – are no longer present, a side-effect of which is that the percentage of female composers is much reduced, which is a shame (particularly given the recent embarrassment Edexcel experienced on this very subject).
Personal favourites both in terms of overall effect and CD sound production include ‘The Skeleton Stomp’ (a fun, spooky, cumulative song), ‘I just can't sleep’, ‘A Right Royal Do’ (although the printed piano part would benefit from being edited), ‘From a Railway Carriage’ (once again, the piano part could be improved), ‘London Fire’ and ‘RMS Titanic’ (both well-written and comfortable for pianists), ‘Shooting Star’ and ‘The Leavers’ Song’. As is the case throughout the series, the songs are all presented in keys which provide a good tessitura for young voices – so many other resources pitch songs much too low.
One rather large quibble with this product is that, although it is stated in the preliminary pages that ‘audio files, word sheets and PowerPoint files for all the songs in this book are available to download from boosey.com/SingingSherlock’, the audio files are nowhere to be found other than on the CDs. Perhaps they will appear soon. In any case, having the lyrics available either as Word documents to print or as PowerPoints for display purposes is definitely a boon. It is unclear as to whether the material presented in this volume supports the requirements of the National Curriculum – the original books were very much geared towards this (known as the QCA Schemes of Work for Music) at that time.
Does this volume present value for money at £37.99 per copy? For schoolteachers, who will undoubtedly use this volume multitudinous times, it is probably worth the cost. The songs are ideal for young singers and the recordings of the songs, the provision of backing tracks, plus the supportive material, certainly offer teachers the full package. Parents of children wishing to buy this volume for solo singing lessons may well blanche at the cost, but young pupils do use the CDs time and again. As a whole, Singing Sherlock, is the worth the investment since it helps to create a happy, musical, and songful childhood, inside and outside of school.
