280 students from 12 different ARK academies came together at ARK All Saints Academy to sing with one voice at the annual Sing into Spring event.
Sing into Spring is part of One Voice, the ARK Music Programme choral strategy and brings together primary and secondary student singers from across the network for a day of workshops, masterclasses and massed singing.
The event is an opportunity for students to celebrate their musical achievements and enjoy being immersed in singing for a day. “One student came up to me and said ‘this is the best thing I’ve ever done in my whole entire life,’” said Mark De-Lisser one of the ARK Artist in Residence team who led rehearsals and a workshop. He added “music is really about having fun, allowing students to have a good time - I think that’s the best way to learn.”
The participants were challenged to learn new musical pieces in the morning, which they then performed live together at the end of the day. “The students have been working on shared repertoire in their own schools for the last 5 months and this is the first time they get to feel what it’s like to be a part of a big choir and the power of all their voices together,” said Jennifer Raven, ARK Schools Music Programme Coordinator. “They’re non-stop engaged in real music making from the minute they step into the building until the end of the day - opera, Indian fusion, gospel and jazz.”
11 year old David from Bolingbroke Academy said: “Music helps a lot of us because it helps us to focus, as students. The best part of today was all of us singing together, practising and getting to know each other really. We all really worked together. I had a great time.”
Find out more about the ARK Schools music programme here.
You can see a short video from the day here: