Posted on: March 23rd 2018
On Monday 19th March Junior Prep Choir and Senior Ensemble travelled to The Hammond Theatre in Richmond to join their Bellevue siblings from seven schools to take part in a Music Festival.
As I overheard Luqa and Sidney repeatedly practicing their introduction on the coach, completely unprompted by an adult, I reflected on how crucial these events are for confidence building and for giving our young musicians the opportunity to reach new levels, take charge of their learning, and come away inspired.
We loved hearing the other schools performing their pieces and with the excitement of being on stage, we forgot the long journey and focused on doing our very best. The Choir and Ensemble performed The Norfolk House Song, giving Imogen the chance to hear a song she had helped to write come to fruition in an amazing venue.
Then Junior Prep Choir gave a heart-warming and characterful rendition of "You've Got a Friend in Me". Next, Georgina C and Max G stunned us all with an accomplished duet, playing Massenet's Meditation on piano and violin with a poise and precision that was incredibly advanced for their age.
We finished with the ensemble performing the Mary Poppins Overture. Lola M said in her introduction that we had been working hard at communicating and listening to each other and she couldn't have been more correct - their industry paid off and we were delighted to have the opportunity to show our progress which is the culmination of many sacrificed lunch play times.
We were so proud of the hard work, enthusiasm and resilience Norfolk House displayed at the event - the children put their hearts into their performance.
I was hoping for a nice rest on the coach journey home but the children were buzzing with excitement and adrenaline and were chatting the whole way, reflecting on the fun and the theatre, their minds a-buzz with memories in the making.
Watch a video of Norfolk House pupils performing:
Sara Regan
