Birstall Schools Shine Through Song
Choirs from Hallam Fields Primary School, Highcliffe Primary School, Riverside Primary School and The Cedars Academy filled the Palmer Tomkinson Theatre with songs from a range of contemporary and classic films earlier this week, uniting as part of Night at the Movies performance in association with Leicestershire Music.
More than 160 pupils took part in the event, with Year 3 pupils taking centre stage for our primary schools, and a selection of Performing Arts students staring for Cedars. Prior to the event, singing leaders from Leicestershire Music held three workshops across all participating schools, building learners’ singing skills and confidence ahead of the performance.
Then, under the spotlight and accompanied by a stunning live three-piece band, the four schools united to perform four songs together, all from a diverse range of films. Pupils sang ‘You’ve Got a Friend in Me’ from Toy Story, ‘Pure Imagination’ from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory and ‘What a Wonderful World’ which has appeared in many films, including Madagascar and Finding Dory.
They then ended the entire evening with the aptly titled, feel-good song ‘Happy’ from Despicable Me. Hearing all four schools join their voices for these pieces was a standout moment and showed how well they worked together
Interspersed within these mass performances, each individual school were given the opportunity to perform their own song. Hallam Fields performed ‘A Million Dreams’ from The Greatest Showman and Highcliffe chose ‘Try Everything’ from Zootopia. Meanwhile, Riverside took on Moana classic ‘How Far I’ll Go’ before Cedars students performed a stunning rendition of ‘Revolting Children’ from Matilda.
Watching our pupils come together for this event was a real highlight.
said Lydia Melbourne, our Primary Director of Curriculum.
Opportunities like this strengthen our shared curriculum offer and give children a chance to learn, perform and connect with others beyond their own school.
The commitment shown by the staff and the enthusiasm from the children made the evening something very special.”
Events like this are another brilliant example of the sorts of collaborative opportunities we are able to offer learners across Lionheart. Pupils met children from neighbouring schools, learned to sing as one group and enjoyed the opportunity to proudly perform on a professional stage.
It also showed families and staff the strength of our Trust community and our commitment to offering experiences that help children express themselves and discover new interests.
We look forward to offering comparable opportunities very soon.
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Lionheart Educational Trust