House Music Competition

Last week saw a very welcome return of our annual House Music Competition, which sees our four school Houses battle it out with the goal of seeing their House Colours proudly draped around the trophy.

This year’s theme was Musicals, and what a show it was! The Houses only had a short period of time in which to choreograph and learn a song from a musical, as well as prepare two soloists and design a programme, yet you would never have known it from the calibre of the performances!

Here at St Faith’s, we are lucky to have a Head of Music who has nurtured and grown Music throughout the school. However, there can be an unexpected downside on occasion, in that our class teachers are unaccustomed to teaching music to the children. When it comes to House Music however, our class teachers and teaching assistants always step up and rise to the challenge. They spend hours helping the children in their Houses put together their choreography, choose songs, rehearse and so much more. They deserve a huge thank you, as do our parents who helped the children put together their costumes in keeping with each House’s chosen theme. Every single morning of the week prior to the competition, the school buildings and hallways rang with the sound of the children singing as they practiced their pieces. It makes for a wonderful way to start the day!

As always, our children fully embraced everything the competition had to offer, and they sang with joy, enthusiasm and energy. We enjoyed hits from four different musicals: Ash performed ‘Any Dream Will Do’, Sycamore treated us to ‘Food, Glorious Food’, Oak sang ‘Chim Chim Cher-ee’ and Beech delivered a rousing performance of ‘This Is Me’. The soloists were all well-prepared and coped well with the pressure of representing their houses. Every performance was wonderful, without exception. The programmes had been designed by the children, and were as creative and brilliant as you would expect.

Our guest judge Jennie Evans-Snell had a tough decision on her hands, and while she was deliberating the children (and staff) sang a medley of songs from ‘The Greatest Showman’. Sycamore were declared the winners, based on a combination of their House performance and their two very accomplished soloists, one of whom sang and the other played a Grade 4 violin piece.

House competitions are always special, because the children work together in groups of all ages; the older ones helping and supporting the younger children. A huge well done to all the children, each and every one of them was amazing and it was a wonderful and joyful afternoon of music.