Incredible Success for Hawford at Creative Arts Festival

Last weekend, over 60 pupils from Years 1 to 6 from King’s Hawford participated in the Music Day at Worcester Creative Arts Festival, which is celebrating its 75^th anniversary this year.

With a variety of competitive and non-competitive classes, many children were involved in the various ensemble classes and several children also performed solos.

An audience of over 200 people watched 30 children from our Junior Choir perform two songs in the Large Choirs (under Y4) class. They received Honours and a Gold award for an excellent performance demonstrating fluent technical or artistic skills with emerging individuality. Praise was given for lots of smiling faces which helped keep the sound bright and lively, crisp and clear words, vocally well in place and good vocal practice clearly in place. The judges also commended them for being visually imaginative and vocally well in place, producing confident and assured work.

Similarly, Honours and a Gold award was awarded to the school Orchestra in the Large Ensemble Band/Orchestra (under Y6) class, with wonderfully encouraging comments and highlighting the super drumming keeping the players so rhythmically together.

James F in Year 1 performed on his 34-string lever harp in the Novice Harp Solo (up to Gr.1) class and received very positive and encouraging feedback.  Clara N in Year 2 had a brilliant morning performing happily on her lap harp in a non-competitive String Solo class, and she chatted enthusiastically about it all day. Bonita-May S (Year 3) and Ariana P (Year 6) played beautifully in the Beginner Harp Solo (Gr.1-3) class, and these four harpists were joined by seven others when our fabulous Hawford Harps group performed a wonderful rendition of ‘Skye Boat Song’, carefully arranged by our harp teacher Erica Sinclair-Wilding for a group of eleven harp players. Their super performance was awarded Gold in the String Ensemble (Y6 and under) class, all the more notable as the group featured pupils from in every Year from Year 1 – Year 6. The adjudicator commented that he had ‘never seen so many harps, and he loved their collective sound.

Austin R gave a really engaging and accomplished bassoon performance, being awarded Honours for his Intermediate Woodwind Solo (Gr.4-5). He received wonderful comments, acknowledging a performer who clearly enjoys playing.

Ariana P and Robyn C performed in the Beginner Vocal Solo (Gr.3) class, each achieving Silver.  Robyn was also awarded also awarded Gold for singing in the Beginner Folk Song Solo (Gr. 1-3) class, and she returned to performed on Sunday in the non-competitive Rock and Pop Solo class, to open the day’s proceedings with great enthusiasm and audience participation at The Marrs Bar venue.

Several pupils who sing in the Cathedral Voluntary Choir also performed in a workshop held during the day, to encourage new singers to join their numbers.

Congratulations to all the children who performed and who represented the school so well. The opportunity to sing or play in a new venue and to new audiences really helps develop confidence and performance experience, and the festival also provided a rare chance to hear other choirs, ensembles and soloists perform.