Summer Serenade
Over 150 children from Years 3 to 6 presented a fantastic ‘Summer Serenade’ concert at St Margaret’s Church. In front of a full house of family and friends, young musicians performed a diverse and entertaining programme to celebrate the end of their musical year. Our Ukulele group set the mood with their performance of ‘Shotgun’, with Mrs Bemister’s lead vocals being supported by all the other children singing backing vocals! However, nothing could quite prepare us for her tribute to James Brown, ‘I Feel Good’, which I’m sure will go down in West Leigh folklore! The Year 3 and 4 Recorder Group played ‘Turkey Point Trot’ and ‘Swing Low, Sweet Chariot’, both of which have them tackling three different parts. Our Upper School Group played two pieces without a conductor or accompanist, which shows great skill. They were ably led by Sebastian Rapley Mende. The Girls’ Choir, featuring solos from Cerys Batchelor and Mrs Mitchinson, reached new heights with an inspiring rendition of ‘Sing’. They were also supported by guest accompanist Miss Jones on the piano. Our Boys’ Choir reprised some of their favourite songs from the year, including the beautiful ‘Can you hear me?’ and the multi-faceted ‘Rhythm of Life’. The Joint Recorder Groups were joined by some special guest players for their final piece. Our arrangement of Haydn’s ‘Surprise Symphony’ was enriched by virtuosic playing from Miss Fletcher, Mr Lear, Mrs Mitchinson, Miss Jones, Mrs Bemister, Mrs Walker and Mrs Gentleman. I’m not sure if it was the most musical item of the evening, but it was definitely the loudest! Congratulations to everyone who took part, both for their performances at the Summer Serenade and all their other musical achievements this year. In particular, well done to those children who were performing with a school group for the first time. Mr Lear said how proud he was to be our Head of School as their talents were so remarkable. He reminded the audience that all our performers were only 7 to 11 years old. Our sincere thanks go to all the staff who supported this event but in particular to Mrs Gentleman and Mrs Walker for all their work with their respective ensembles. We look forward to more exciting music-making next year.
