We were delighted to close the first half of the Spring Term with the finale of the hotly contested House Singing Competition. Pupils in the senior school came together in the School Chapel on Friday 11 February to perform, relishing in the opportunity to be together for the event as opposed to the virtual performances last year.
This year, despite a slight delay to the event which is normally held in October, pupils have been enthusiastically learning lyrics to their chosen songs since the School year began; singing has been heard across the School during many break times! Pupils have spent time lots of time in house together, in the hopes of impress adjudicator Mr Matthews, Director of Music at Hurstpierpoint College.
The competition began with the Part Song programme, which saw a select number of pupils from each house performing a Queen song in acapella. The results of the Part Song saw Haslewood House in first place, followed by West House in second, and South House in third place. Mr Matthews remarked that he was impressed with the quality, confidence, and energy of the performances.
Following the Part Song half, each house then performed with all pupils. A huge amount of enthusiasm and artistic licence went into each House Unison performance, including some fantastic dance moves and props. Director of Performing Arts, Mr White thanked pupils for the commitment and vibrancy with which they rehearsed and performed. Rapturous applause ensued as the Unison winners were announced, with South House delightedly taking first place with their rendition of Runaway Baby (Bruno Mars) followed by Monty House in second place with Fly Me to the Moon (Frank Sinatra) and Hawkins House in third place with Breaking Free (High School Musical).
Lower School House Singing Competition
The Lower School competition was held in October and was an ABBA Extravaganza! Lower School pupils performed in their houses and provided some highly enthusiastic and exciting performances. Judged by The Head, Rowena Cole and Oliver White, Director of Performing Arts, they were marked on five elements: diction, rhythmic accuracy, internation, presentation and the wow factor! The competition was thrilling and featured fantastic smiles, brave acapella, and brilliant tambourine moves! After lengthy deliberation, Blue House took first place with their performance of Super Trouper, followed by Purple House in second with Dancing Queen, and Red House in third with Waterloo.
House Film Awards
Pupils have also been creating their own feature films within house, for the House Film Competition. With no brief, other than it being less than nine minutes in length, the creativity and imagination of pupils was really put to the test! With fantastic scripts, clever editing, great energy and tip-top acting, pupils were commended for their outstanding submissions and attention to detail.
The winners for House Film were as follows:
Best Poster Design – East
Best Sound Design – West
Standout Performance – Daniyal Khan
Best Cinematography – East
Special Recognition – South
Best Picture – North
