Smallwood Manor Pupils Selected for National Children’s Choir
December 18, 2008
Smallwood Manor is celebrating after receiving the news that two of its pupils have been selected to join the National Children’s Choir. Edward Vernon-Stroud (10) from Uttoxeter and Camilla Dyer (11) from Hilderstone in Stafford auditioned for the choir in Birmingham last month — as members of the choir they will now have the opportunity to showcase their singing talents around the world.
The National Children’s Choir was formed in 1998 and aims to allow youngsters between the ages of nine and 15 to experience singing as an expressive art form and gain confidence and self-reliance. Members attend residential courses during the school holidays where they learn about singing techniques and different musical styles. There are now in the region of 100 members of the choir.
To join the choir, Camilla and Edward undertook an extensive musical audition, which assessed both their sight reading and singing ability. To achieve this they needed to demonstrate their ability in an aural test and sing scales, before performing a piece from their music grade repertoire from memory. In this case, Edward performed ‘The Ashgrove’, whilst Camilla opted for ‘The Hermet’.
The pair will now join the training choir and will need to attend at least two residential choral courses, which place a particular emphasis on site reading, before they can move up to the main choir.
The main choir sings a wide range of music from classical to modern and Jazz improvisation to African tribal songs as well as Madrigals and Musicals. The choir is often divided into smaller chamber ensembles for ‘a cappella’ work, which means that there may only be one or two voices to a part, which teaches confidence in pitch and musical self-reliance together with an ability to listen to each other.
As well as offering residential courses, the choir performs regularly and last year undertook a highly successful three-week tour of Australia & New Zealand, which combined sightseeing with concerts and musical events.
However, there’s no time for Edward and Camilla to stop and celebrate — as members of the Smallwood Manor School Choir, they are busy rehearsing for the forthcoming Carols by Candlelight and Christmas Carol concerts.
Speaking about their selection to the National Children’s Choir head teacher Christopher Cann said that both Edward and Camilla were extremely accomplished performers and he was pleased to see that they had won places at such a prestigious musical establishment.
He added: ’Congratulations to Edward and Camilla — places at the National Children’s Choir are extremely sought after and this will give them the opportunity to learn alongside top musicians as well as perform both nationally and internationally.
‘This is the tenth consecutive year that members of the Smallwood Manor choir have been invited to join the National Children’s choir and I’m delighted that our musical achievements are being recognised nationally.’
