Shiplake music still echoes in the cafes and boulevards of Paris over two weeks after 22 of our singers graced the city of lights with their music, laughter and as it turned out, an extraordinary appetite for pains aux chocolats and croques monsieurs. Here is a wonderful account of the trip by Director of Music, Mr Richard Curran.
"As this was the first music trip to set off from College in at least 12 years we had to make it one to remember. Instead of setting off to sing in churches like every other school, we embraced our unconventional ethos with enigmatic smiles and mapped out a tour using the city's most iconic landmarks as backdrops to a music video we produced. Months in advance Leo Slowikowski and I hit the studio to compose a hit, Paris Waves, then spent the next couple of months in hiding until Calvin Harris and Mark Ronson got the message that this was our number one.
After three full revolutions of the Arc de Triomphe we disembarked and sniffed out not truffles but a selection of baguettes and colourful mac'rons which we enjoyed at Les Jardins de Trocadéro with a vista of La Tour Eiffel. From there we hunted down what would be the stage for Billie Eilish and Lenny Kravitz on our final night before being drawn towards the gilded dome of Les Invalides to view the collections of the musée de l'armé and the tomb of Napoleon I. Place Vendôme, north of the Tuileries Gardens and east of the Église de la Madeleine took us to the Opera district before doubling back to the Louvre and Notre Dame cathedral, and then onwards past Ernest Hemingway's hangout, Shakespeare & Co. to an inviting café for a well-earned rest. After scouting locations for our music video we made the most of our time walking around the historic streets and cool neighbourhoods and performed as a flash mob in several locations including a busy shopping mall and Trocadéro where our blazers caught the attention of hundreds of tourists and locals alike, many of whom wanted to have their photo taken with us. Whilst waiting for our tour bus near les halles a lady was keen to know all about our tour and then informed us that Greta Thunberg was just about to exit the building we were standing in front of. Sadly, we didn't have time to stay and give her our autographs but if she's lucky she might see us in Singapore next year.
We performed at the International School of Paris, had lunch at the Hard Rock cafe in our own VIP area and caught the most beautiful sunset from the top of the Eiffel Tower on the last night after celebrating Fergus' 18th birthday by taking a boat cruise along the majestic Seine and stopping off at a local créperie. If you were thinking that all of the indulgence in good food would leave us rolling home ahead of Shiplake Rocks I can assure you that the 300 steps up to the Sacré Coeur, the 25,000 steps a day and the 1,665 steps to the top of the Eiffel Tower (for those who didn't realise there was an elevator!) preserved our dignity on our return.
Huge thanks to the 22 most fun and respectful pupils we could have had on this trip for making it so memorable and enjoyable. Thanks to Andrew, the legendary coach driver and to Mrs Lovelock and Mr Jones for capturing this trip through their lenses.
A Music Trip in summer 2024 is already in the ether so watch this space."
Watch the Paris Waves video below, composed by Mr Curran and Leo Slowikowski, filmed by Mrs Lovelock and edited by Year 13 pupil Dan Beard.
