It was wonderful to hear the whole school 'lifting the roof' at the annual House Singing Competition on the last day before the Easter break.
It was a particularly poignant event as we welcomed special guest, former student Matt Waring and family. At the end of the summer term last year, Year 13 student and music scholar, Matt was involved in a very serious motorcycle accident. Matt has spent the last year in hospital and rehabilitation and the trip to Shiplake was one of his first outings since the accident. Because of the accident, Matt missed Prize Giving last summer where he was due to be awarded his full colours blazer for music. The Headmaster Mr Howe took great pleasure in presenting Matt with his blazer, and he was given a standing ovation by staff and pupils.
The House Singing competition takes place in the Sports Hall and includes solo and ensemble rounds as well the whole house round, in which every single member of each house participates.
Welsh House were the previous champions having won the competition in 2020 a few weeks before lock down. They knew they had to give it all the had to keep hold of the winner's cup!
The competition was judged this year by Mr Jonty Slade who used to work in the Music Department, so it was lovely to welcome him back. The afternoon was expertly compared by Year 13 pupils Harry Batchelor and Emily Lambert.
Solo Round
First up was the Solo Round with some brilliant performances by:
- Leo Guo (Burr): Circle of Life
- Tom Stuart (Everett): Your Song
- Johnny Miller (Orchard): How Deep is Your Love
- Jack Dag (Lower School): Remember Us This Way
- James Lucking (Skipwith): Skyfall
- Noah Scotchbrook (Welsh): I Get a Kick Out of You
The winner of this round was Jack Dag (Lower School) for his mesmerising rendition of Lady Gaga's Remember Us This Way. Mr Slade said: "It takes a lot of guts, a lot of courage and a lot of composure to come up here and perform in front of the whole school, so I was particularly impressed that every single one of the soloists rose to that challenge. Well done to winner Jack Dag, it was a performance of extraordinary maturity."
Ensemble Round
Next up was the Ensemble Round, with small groups of pupils performing as follows:
- Orchard: Islands in the Stream/Mama Mia
- Everett: That's Life
- Welsh: Believer
- Burr: Stand By Me
- Lower School: You've Got a Friend in Me
- Skipwith: Can't Stop the Feeling
The winner of this round was Welsh. Mr Slade said: "I really enjoyed it, it had a slight New York 1950's vibe."
Whole House Round
It was then on to the final round - the Whole House Round:
- Orchard: I'll be There for You
- Lower School: I Just Can't Wait to be King
- Everett: Mama Mia
- Welsh: Everybody Needs Somebody
- Burr: Firework
- Skipwith: Eye of the Tiger
The winner was Welsh again! Mr Slade said: "Something I really liked about this performance was the commitment by every single person on the stage."
Mr Slade then went on to announce the runners up and overall winner of the competition. He said: "It has been an absolute pleasure being here and watching you all perform, so thank you for a lovely afternoon."
Final Scores
Joint second place - Lower School and Orchard
Overall winner - Welsh
