At the end of October, Year 5 – 8 choir pupils performed as part of the Massed Choir at the Christchurch Schools Music Festival. 

The Festival goes over 3 nights and our choir performed on the Friday night with about 1500 other pupils from around Canterbury. The theme this year was “Whatever the Weather” and we sang lots of different songs with links to the weather. The most fun song to perform was 'Africa' as we got to not only sing but use body percussion to make it sound like a storm.

As well as the massed choir we had 13 Middleton pupils selected to be part of four different Representative Groups:

• Junior Representative Choir – (image below, from front left)Isaac Meek; Libby Jordan;  Keira Wilson; Gloria Hu;; Tave Stuart
  
• Senior Representative Choir – (image below, from back left)  Poppy Mahoney; Isabelle Stedman; Alice Wilson; Alice Jordan; Billy Blaas (photo above);
  
• Orchestra – Sophie Watson (French Horn)
  
• Concert Band – Josh Bedggood (trumpet); Mackenzie Hoskins (trumpet); Michael Phillipps (saxophone)
  

To be selected into these groups we had to audition earlier in the year and attend extra rehearsals during the weekends and school holidays.

Michael Phillipps was also selected to perform a duet on the Saxophone in “Baby it’s Cold Outside” during the Concert Band’s performance.

This year Billy Blass, Josh Bedggood and Michael Phillipps (pictured left to right in the header image) received Four Year Medals for having been in a representative group for the last four years.

Being involved in the Schools' Music Festival has been lots of fun and it has been great to learn lots of new music. Thank you to Mrs Chirnside and Mrs MacLean for helping us get ready for this event.

by Michael Phillipps