The Glasshouse

Why do we need new songs?

Big Sing is all about songs. Brilliant songs. And we want to keep inspiring the next generation of music lovers with songs they’ve never heard before, on topics that really interest them. We want them singing your song on the bus, at the dinner table and tying their shoelaces – an ear worm for years to come.

What kind of song are we after?

The Songwriters will be supported by teams at The Glasshouse and Sing Up to produce an original song that meets the following requirements:

• Theme: Linked to Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths and all things related (e.g., coding). Can be topic/subject-specific, abstract, or it can demonstrate how all topics are linked. We are also interested in how art and musical elements link with STEM subjects (with patterns and rhythm for example) to help creatively design and problem solve.
• Originality: The song must be an original composition.
• Range: The melodic range should be suitable for children aged 7-11 years and should mainly stay within a middle C to C octave but can have an occasional note either side of that, if musically necessary. Optional harmony parts can step a few notes outside this range if required.
• Difficulty: The song needs to be catchy and easy for primary age children to learn, with plenty of stepwise melodic movement and plenty of space to breathe. We welcome optional simple harmony lines or counter melodies, but the song should stand on its own when sung in unison. Dynamics needs to be simple but effective. To help with keeping together, the tempo should remain consistent for the singers (though a piano rit. in the intro/outro/between verses would be fine).
• Lyrics: The lyrics need to scan well and be appropriate for primary age children. We’d like to have the opportunity to suggest changes to the lyrics before the entire song is written (see deadlines below).
• Length: max 3 minutes
• Style: Any musical style but must relate to the theme and able to be reproduced for a live performance.

To complete each commission, the Songwriter will need to provide the following:

• Lyrics in Microsoft Word format
• Vocal part as draft Sibelius file; include melody/ies, lyrics, accompaniment, and chords (chord names)
• Piano accompaniment, suitable for amateur piano player
• Performance and backing tracks – including a high quality mp3 (max 15MB) for each, so that they can be added to the Sing Up website. Please also provide all Stem files so that rehearsal tracks can be made if required.
• Activity/teaching notes to accompany the song in a Microsoft Word format (a template will be provided).

Please note: if you have difficulty meeting any of the above requirements we can help, but it might mean we can’t pay you the full fee (see below). For example, if you are unable to provide a Sibelius file, you could send us mp3 demo audio for us to transcribe instead.

Things to be aware of

Songwriters must make sure any lyrics including scientific facts, and supporting activity notes, are factually correct.
Scores and audio must match. It is recommended that the final audio is recorded before the final score is written.

Will the song still be mine?

Yep. The song will remain the property of the songwriter, but The Glasshouse will have permission for performances, and educational use, including and beyond the date of this academic year’s Big Sing.

By accepting the commission, you agree to your song being published on Sing Up’s Song Bank website (this is where schools access their teaching resources for Big Sing) and you will licence your song to Sing Up on a digital non-exclusive basis so they can host it. Your song will remain in the Song Bank beyond the Big Sing 2024 project, accessible to Sing Up member schools across the nation to use with their classes and choirs. It will reach thousands of children and schools, and earn you royalties, as long as your licence agreement is in place.

Fee

The full, one-off fee for each completed commissioned song is £500.

A reduced one-off fee of £350 can be offered for each commission, if the songwriter would like support with revisions, or support with any component requested above.