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"I like being a Prep boy because every teacher is nice and treats every Prep boy as if they are special." |
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PNT Showbiz News
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Last week’s Friday Fame assembly started with Joshua (5CL) on his cornet, playing “Sentimental Serenade” by Alan Bullard, one of his grade 3 pieces (which he recently passed with distinction). Joshua is a highly gifted young musician with an entirely natural enthusiasm and a winning attitude. I have been particularly impressed by the rate at which he is accumulating skills on his two instruments (the cornet and piano). He played beautifully despite the hard task of starting off the assembly. Joshua dreams of being in Habs Big Band, ever since he saw them perform at the Barbican a year ago. I have no doubt at all that he will realise this dream before long and be a highly valued and reliable member.
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We moved on to Zaki and Henry (both 5CL) singing “Count on me”, a feel-good song by Bruno Mars. They were accompanied by the talented Hugo Murphy on the guitar, himself an ex-prep boy, who graced the stage with his nimble and fine playing as boys entered the assembly. Extra rhythms were provided by Jared Onnie and Jay Patel. I was struck by Zaki’s dedication to the art of singing and the focus and concentration which was in evidence during his performance. Henry is someone who has seemingly only recently become properly interested in singing and I’m excited to see how it will develop as he can go far. Henry and Zaki both have naturally beautiful voices. In the last chorus they were joined by the Junior Choir as a special surprise.
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This was followed by Kush (5SL) who played The Sandman, a short but poignant and intimate piano piece by Brahms. Kush was chosen to play because he listens intensely to the sounds he makes and plays with a singing tone on what is essentially a percussion instrument. His cheerful disposition on stage won us over, and that was even before he had started playing.
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Ravi and Mahin (both 6MJ) then sang a duet arrangement of Ed Sheeran’s “Lego House”, a song which is currently particularly popular among the boys. Ravi and Mahin are among some of the strongest voices in Senior Choir, but alongside this they are happy and indeed eager to share their talent in a solo capacity.
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They gave a near to flawless rendition of this curiously effective song. I believe this was Ravi’s first solo in front of the whole prep school but he looked and sounded like a seasoned soloist up there, with his distinctive voice quality and ability to lose himself in the song. Mahin was a familiar presence, having sung a solo in last year’s Words and Music with his reassuringly strong projection and diction. |
The Senior Choir finished with Coldplay’s “Viva La Vida”. They produced a formidable body of sound and had great rhythm and even managed some tricky harmony. I was very proud of them all. They learn songs quickly and when they relax they sing with genuine enthusiasm and spirit. |
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I would also like to thank Mr Regelous in ICT support, himself an accomplished musician who performs regularly with his band, who helped in an unobtrusive but quietly masterful way with the technical side of the assembly. Miss Gozzard.
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Music awards |
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Well done to all of the Boys who have achieved their next Music grade certificates.
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Well done to BhuvanBhuvan won first prize at the Croydon Music Festival for playing the violin in his category of South Indian Carnatic.
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Amazing news!!!Well done Curtis, in year 3, for passing your Grade 8 Piano.
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Excellent news for Hugo who has been offered a place in the National Children's Orchestra of Great Britain. He will be invited to participate in a residential course at Wellington College, Berkshire which will culminate in a concert at the college.
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Words and Music 2011
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For our last Friday fame session we had true style as six talented musicians took to the stage and wowed us all
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Shannosuke (4BG) has only been learning the violin with Miss Worn for one year and is already preparing for his Grade 3 exam. He played "An Chloe" by Mozart. We were impressed by his beautiful sound and calm, poised stage manner, as well as the terrific progress he has made in such a short time.
We ended with Osita (6CG - piano) and Tamilore (6NB - voice) who had independently put together Adele's "Someone Like You". Osita learnt the piano part all on his own by watching a youtube clip! Some boys in the audience later said that when he started playing, they thought it was still the recording because it was as excellent as the real thing.
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Tamilore's singing captivated us because it came from a truly genuine place. He is on the threshold of brilliance with this unusual and very special voice.
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Previous Friday Fame Sessions @ The Prep |
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Seven year old Curtis from Year 3 impressed us all when he played the first piece called "Of Foreign Lands and Peoples" from Robert Schumann's "Scenes from Childhood", a collection of 13 short pieces capturing the composer's reminiscences of his own childhood.
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Jasper, Ethan, Arron, Rohan, Joseph, Rushil, Kush and Khaleel - all in 5SL - were keen to perform Bruno Mars' "Just the Way you Are". The focus for this performance was how to concentrate on the singing to the exclusion of all else, and how to conquer nerves and feelings of inhibition before the big moment. Apparently singing "The Eye of the Tiger" to oneself just before performing can help you feel on top of the world.Damilale from Year3 is a natural dancer and didn't hesitate to say a resounding "yes" when I asked if he wanted to join the boys on stage with his natural improvised moves. When the song was drawing to a close he responded instinctively by winding down his dance. All very impressive for a seven year old standing in front of a sea of unfamiliar faces. |
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PNT Showbiz News |
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Champion Skating Performers |
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Another congratulations to Curtis in Year 3 who entered an Ice skating Competition and Won!! It looks like he had lots of fun. He performed to 'You've Got a Friend in me' from Toy Story.
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The Year 6 Performance of 'Lets Go To The Movies'
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The annual Year 6 production this year was called “Let’s Go To The Movies”, a play about the history of film beginning from the silent movie era all the way to “Gladiator”. Having 6 days of rehearsals was exhausting and we struggled with keeping our acting at a decent pace – in fact one run-through took I hour and 40 minutes but in our performances in front of an audience, we managed to cut 20 minutes from it! The second night we performed in front of Mr. Judd (acting headmaster) and Miss. Mercer’s guests. Luckily, we performed as well as we had done the night before. There was some very realistic acting that night when Freddie Wright (James Bond) and Will Sammons (Goldfinger) were having the famous fight at Fort Knox. Their fake punches had been missing each other by centimetres but then Freddie gave Will a very black eye after mistiming one punch! The play was being officially videoed so we will be able to watch the fight time and time again! Overall the play was a great success and we will bring all the skills that Mrs. Griggs has taught us into the main school and possibly for the future. |
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The Prep Summer Concert
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