Y4 Emerald Class on the Barbican Stage

5th July 2018

Emerald Class starred in a very special concert with members of the London Symphony Orchestra this week. We invented our own animal called the Hedgodile and made music to describe how it sounds and moves, and what it does. 

At the event, the children were very professional and performed beautifully and we had lovely feedback from the LSO about how well they all knew what they were doing. It was great to hear other schools and how different their animals and sounds were. It was also really exciting to be sitting just in front of the LSO players to hear those instruments up close. They played other music from Carnival of the Animals by Camille Saint-Saens. Pink Class came along to support Emerald Class, and all of the children sang along with the song Searching for Mosquito. Well done. 

 

 

 

 

 

All photos by Doug Peters

Here is a recording of the full piece recorded in class the day before the show:

Pink Class composed music for a Jellyconda. Here's our first try at a full performance after a shorter session in school:

Ruby Class also completed this project in school, composing music for a Unicat!

Orchestra at the Round Chapel

4th July 2018

Queensbridge Orchestra played in the Hackney Music Festival instrumental day at the Round Chapel. We played a section from Antonin Dvorak's New World Symphony, leading into the Hoedown from the ballet Rodeo by Aaron Copeland. Our set finished with Uptown Funk by Mark Ronson. We had lots of really positive feedback from teachers and parents alike. You can watch our performance here:

Here are some photographs and clips of us joining in with the James Bond Theme Tune. All of the children from different schools joined in with learning and performing that one!

 

 

  

Early Years Singing Festival at the Round Chapel

28th June 2018

Queensbridge Reception children sang beautifully at the Round Chapel on Thursday as part of the Hackney Music Festival. They joined hundreds of other Hackney children to sing a range of songs. The children had practised hard in class and knew every word and action. They learnt lots this term about singing the melody, and starting and stopping together. Some of the favourite songs were Deep Down Deep, B.I.N.G.O and Awimbawe. We were pleased to have lots of parents along to support us. 

Here are some photos from the event:

Infant Singing Festival at the Round Chapel

27th June 2018

Year two were all warmed up and raring to go for the Hackney Singing Festival this year. The children were practising hard in class before the big day, learning 14 songs from different genres - folk, pop, rock and roll, classical, musicals.. One of the big favourites was the Carribean Donkey Songs Medley. We learnt songs in Latin, Dutch and Spanish, as well as songs from Ghana and South Africa. SO MUCH FUN!

Here are some pictures and videos from the day, and some comments and write-ups from Orange and Purple Classes:

"My favourite song is Hillybilly Rock because it's funny and joyful. I learnt to sing quiet and loudly. I was feeling excited." Javontai

"When everybody started singing it felt really nice because all the parents were watching. My favourite song was Thank You For the Music by ABBA because everybody sang it so beautifully."

"I liked singing Hillybilly Rock. I did not like Thank You For the Music because it was too hard to sing. I would get better if I practise." Jonathan

"I loved singing Carribean Donkey because it was funny! I felt happy when I sang the song. I pretended i was a donkey! I sang in Mexican also." Blanche

 

  Pip

 Joshua

 

Junior Singing Festival at the Round Chapel

26th June 2018

Our Year 5 children rocked the Round Chapel this afternoon with lots of other KS2 children from Hackney, as part of the Hackney Music Festival. We sang song from all different genres: gospel, pop, folk, rock... One of our favourites was Dilirga - a traditional Turkish Cypriot song.

Here are some short comments from Amber class about the concert:

"I thought the Round Chapel was an outstanding event because we got to sing to our heart's content."

"I really enjoyed the Round Chapel trip. I really am thankful because some people and schools they don't have these amazing trips."

"I loved it because lots of schools got together and I loved the songs." Amarni

"I enjoyed it a lot and would definitely go again." Pierre

"It was really fun but exhausting." Aaliyah

And here are some pictures and clips from the big day:

 

Year 3 at the BBC Ten Pieces III Concert

22nd June 2018

Children from Year 3 were treated to a wonderful concert at the Barbican Hall this afternoon. The BBC Symphony Orchestra played the ten pieces of classical music from this year's BBC Ten Pieces project.

We had been listening to many of the pieces in class, and had learnt to sing No Place Like by Kerry Andrew - a piece about home, especially commissioned for this year's Ten Pieces. We were excited to hear the real orchestra and to join in with the big performance.

Here are some snippets of reviews from the children in Year 3:

"The first song they played was Finlandia and it was my favourite one. It sounded like a shark attack was about the happen. I really liked the huge drum at the back and the woodwind. The woodwind because they all played as one and the drum because it is loud, clear and exciting!" by Phoenix
"The BBC Ten Pieces was amazing. My favourite instrument was the violin. My favourite piece was Rodeo and Finlandia. I liked singing. It was so much fun. I loved the big drums. They were large. It was more bigger than my dad!! Ten Pieces is amazing !!!!!!!!!!"

"The BBC Ten Pieces was extraordinary! My favourite piece was the Rodeo by Aaron Copeland because the music was full of surprises and different instruments. It sounded like the whole orchestra was dancing! I learnt that music can take you on journeys even while you are sitting down on a seat! I would really recommend going because it is magical!" by Elsa

"The BBC Ten Pieces was awesome! My favourite piece was the Rodeo because it sounded like the Wild West! I really liked the drums. They played high and low. The drums were loud! When I got to the concert my eyes were blown away. I was amazed. The concert was so big!!" by Yaqub
"My favourite part was when they played the cowboy music because it had a lot of cool sounds like horse shoes tapping on the ground and sounds like big drum noises that sound like guns shooting in the air." by Camila

Visit from Trumpeter Darren Moore

May 2018

Children learning brass instruments or playing in the orchestra at Queensbridge School were invited to this workshop with Darren Moore, arranged by the Worshipful Company of Musicians. We learnt about playing the trumpet and all sort of snippets of music theory. It was a great experience to hear from a professional orchestral and band player about his travels around the world playing the trumpet.

Here's a clip of Amelia having a go at some conducting! 

Performing in Music for Youth Regional Festival

6th March 2018

Queensbridge Orchestra and Chamber Choir took part in the Music For Youth Regional Festival at the Union Chapel in Islington. The Chamber Choir performed a Macedonian piece called Sto Mi O Milo and Rise Up by Ayanna Witter-Johnson. George and Tom accompanied Rise Up on piano and double bass. The orchestra performed Hoedown from the ballet Rodeo by Aaron Copeland. Oliver played the main tune as a solo on his flute. Then we invited Chamber Choir to join us back on stage and performed Uptown Funk by Mark Ronson. Both groups got lots of positive feedback - see the attached feedback sheets and certificates!

We had a wonderful time, both performing AND listening to so many other brilliant groups from other schools - choirs, orchestras, and cajon and African Marimba groups!

 

Battle of Britain Concert

March 2018 

Children from Years 5 and 6 took part in a concert with member of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. Our children sang along with the songs in Battle of Britain - a piece commissioned by the Classical Roadshow and composed by Richard Brown. The songs were fun to sing and helped us to imagine life during the Battle of Britain. The stories of the characters in the music came from real-life letters and archive from the time. We learnt about the rules of flying for the fighter pilots, how people were asked to grow their own food in a time of rationing, about evacuation from London and about making sure not to talk about the war effort in case of spies. You can listen to the songs and read lyrics here.

Workshop with players from the London Symphony Orchestra

March 2018

Pink Class shared their music based on Debussy's Prélude à l’après midi d’un Faune with players from the London Symphony Orchestra. Sandy on Double Bass and Steve on Clarinet were very impressed, and helped the children to develop and structure their musical ideas. Pink class chose where they wanted the players to play their instruments in the piece as well. Here's the final performance!