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King's Hawford
7 December
Drummers and Harpists Unite for Special Informal Concert
On Tuesday evening, 12 young musicians took part in our first Drum and Harp Informal Concert. The Music Department was packed with supportive friends and family, and there was a lovely atmosphere for our drummers and harpists to perform. On hand to guide pupils through the concert were Mrs Hughes and two peripatetic teachers, Mr Roy Adams and Mrs Erica Sinclair-Wilding.
For some of our pupils it was their very first solo performance, but the evening kicked off with our only group performance of the evening. Persie D, Chloe T and India B are members of our Hawford Harps ensemble, and the trio delighted in giving the audience some lap harp trivia before their performance. The audience was mesmerised with the group’s heavenly introduction, glissandos and performance of Silent Night.
Raising the tempo to a whole new level, Mrs Hughes introduced the first drum soloist of the evening, Alex V. Alex was followed by Rupert C; the boys were our youngest performers of the evening but this did not show, as both gave confident performances led by their drum teacher, Mr Adams. Alex played Straight-Eight Groove and Rupert played a three-bar pattern plus drills.
Ariana P’s performance of ‘Clementine’ on her lap harp returned the room to a more serene atmosphere. Ariana is one of our more experienced Harpists. Next up we had a trio of drum performances from Cameron H-T, Alexander A and Cassian W. Cameron H-T demonstrated his years of experience and captivated some of our more novice performers with his Drum Pattern performance. Alexander A is quite new to the drums but this didn’t show in his ‘Drum Studyi. Cassian W is another seasoned performer and it was evident that he was relishing his time in the spotlight as he played ‘Easy Does It’.
The energy in the room again shifted as Iza MP took to the stage accompanied by Mrs Sinclair-Wilding. The duo played ‘Away in a Manger’. Iza is one of the original members of our Hawford Harps ensemble, her experience was clear to see as she played along with her harp teacher.
The final two pupil performers of the evening were Jasper P and Lily S-H. Jasper P, is a very natural drummer and his rendition of ‘Gunning for Funk’ had the audience tapping and clapping along. Lily S-H closed the pupil portion of the show with a perfect performance of ‘Easy Does It’.
After our wonderful pupils had taken to the stage it was only right that our Peripatetic teachers had their turn. Mrs Sinclair-Wilding demonstrated her fabulous talent by playing ‘Bless Us All’ from ‘The Muppets Christmas Carol’ on her Lever Harp. It was fascinating to watch Mrs Sinclair-Wilding’s mastery of the Lever Harp which had a lot more strings than our pupils’ Lap Harps as well as a number of lever used to change the key of the music.
Finally the concert was brought to a close with an impromptu drum solo from Mr Adams before he performed ‘I Wish It Could Be Christmas Every Day’ by Wizzard – a band he was in and has toured with for over 20 years! It left us all thoroughly in the Christmas spirit, looking forward to the Christmas holidays.
After the performances parents were able to meet with the two peripatetic teachers whilst pupils hoovered up the remaining refreshments.
It was a wonderful concert, and it goes without saying that we are extremely proud of all of the performers. It takes great courage to perform in front of an audience of peers and parents but our Informal Concerts are a wonderful opportunity for all children to gain valuable experience in our nurturing and supportive environment. Concerts like this wouldn’t be possible without the hard work of Mrs Hughes and all our Peripatetic teachers.