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Singer-songwriter Marsha Swanson has launched TroubleChutes, a music-led project that helps primary school children explore difficult emotions through song.
Built around 15 original tracks, illustrations, and guided discussion prompts, the resource introduces pupils to characters dealing with grief, bullying, divorce, and anxiety. The idea is straightforward: give children a way to talk about tough experiences without forcing them to share their own private lives.
The launch follows research by the National Literacy Trust, which surveyed more than 100,000 pupils aged eight to 18. While over 80% felt confident listening to others and understanding their point of view, fewer than half—44.8%—felt able to express their own feelings.
That gap between listening and speaking is what the project aims to bridge, arriving alongside revised health education guidance in England encouraging schools to focus on emotional literacy.
Instead of offering moral lessons, TroubleChutes uses songs to give pupils some breathing room. Children look at what a character is going through first, before deciding whether that connects to anything in their own lives.
‘Children don’t always have the language to explain what is happening for them emotionally, but they can often recognise something in a song first,’ said Swanson. ‘That little bit of distance can make difficult subjects easier to think about and talk about. Rather than telling them what they should feel, TroubleChutes aims to give children the space to understand what they feel and to hear how others in their peer group may experience the same situation completely differently.’
Swanson brings both creative and clinical experience to the project. Alongside a psychology degree, the work draws on two decades in classrooms and charities, including early lyric workshops at Kids Company and five years of clinical supervision with child psychotherapist Dr Anne Alvarez at the Tavistock Clinic.
‘Children don’t always have the language to explain what is happening for them emotionally, but they can often recognise something in a song first,’ said Swanson.
Moving Beyond the School Jingle
A key feature of the project is how the tracks sound. Rather than relying on classroom sing-alongs, Swanson hired veteran session musicians to give the songs a modern feel closer to the music children hear outside the school gates.
The recordings feature bassist and producer Henry Thomas, known for BBC Rockschool, alongside drummer Martyn Barker, guitarist Tony Qunta, and pianist Clifford Slapper.
Left: Marsha Swanson, Right: Marsha with St Mary’s Hampton CE Primary School
The project’s standalone single, Something Real, also features additional production and mastering from Stuart Epps, whose credits include Elton John and Led Zeppelin. An accompanying video by Iranian animator Sam Chegini mixes live-action footage with watercolour animation.
The music is only one part of the work. Classrooms are invited to respond through drawing, movement, and singing, offering quieter pupils different ways to join in.
Tested in the Classroom
The model was developed through trials across several schools. At Oasis Academy South Bank Primary in Waterloo, teachers used early material in a nurture programme, noting that pupils grew more confident in class and on the playground.
More recently, St Mary’s Hampton CE Primary School came on board as an ambassador school, helping to refine the package and filming a pilot now being pitched to broadcasters.
Developed with mental health publisher Karnac Books—which helped produce the project before stepping back from administration—TroubleChutes is designed for the whole classroom rather than specialist therapy rooms.
The material fits into assemblies, PSHE, music classes, and small-group support, requiring no specialist musical or psychological training for teachers to run it.
At a time when school pastoral teams face long waiting lists and rising pressure, TroubleChutes offers a practical creative tool. By letting children explore emotions through someone else’s story, this initiative offers help to turn difficult feelings into everyday conversations.
Featured Image: Marsha with St Mary’s Hampton CE Primary School
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