Pearce emerged triumphant as the first winners of the newly revived inter-House Music competition when their version of the hit song from the 1980s film classic, Dirty Dancing, found favour with the judges.
Run for the first time in five years, the reformatted contest featured specially formed ensembles drawing boys from across all year groups.
Each House’s ensemble had to choose a piece based on the theme of the Oscars and then arrange and rehearse it. The competition culminated with a performance of all the pieces to the whole Lower School (Years 7-10) at a special assembly in the Shearly Hall.
Congratulating all the ensembles, Headmaster Neil Enright said: “The boys faced a tricky task: they had first to take into account the particular talents within their House when selecting their piece; then they had to arrange the music themselves, and finally, they faced the challenge of performing together in front of their peers.
“This competition constituted a great opportunity for boys of differing ages to work together and foster that shared sense of House identity. It is an experience that will no doubt stand them in good stead for other Music competitions in the future.”
The judging panel comprised QE music teachers Tom Jack and Jen Brown, as well as St Albans High School for Girls’ Director of Music, Miss Emma Price, who led the panel and delivered both the feedback and results.
Pearce won the day with their rendition of (I’ve had) The Time of My Life. The judges felt the boys performed well in all areas, but specifically highlighted the strong sense of rhythm and timing providing by Pearce’s drummer, and the timing and quality of their saxophone solos.
Runners-up Harrisons’, who played Jai Ho from Slumdog Millionaire, drew plaudits in particular for their use of Indian drummers for a call-and-response segment, as well as for their generally strong performance.
Overall, Miss Price commended the boys on some very good playing, whilst proffering useful practical advice to consider for future competitions.
Year 13 pupil Abbas Adejonwo, who was part of the Harrisons’ team, remembers the old Music competition, in which boys performed pieces individually. He recalls finding the experience somewhat daunting as a Year 8 boy, and he welcomed the different arrangements adopted for the revived competition: “It was an exhilarating experience competing in this new format. It really instilled a sense of teamwork – and I am very proud of my House.”
The Music competition complements the broad range of inter-House competitions now running through the year, with points won at this event added to the overall House Competition totals.
In order of appearance, the performances were as follows, with the competition positions in brackets:
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- Leicester – Can you feel the love tonight? from The Lion King (third)
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- Broughton – I dreamed a dream from Les Misérables (fifth)
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- Stapylton – Moon River from Breakfast at Tiffany’s (sixth)
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- Underne – Themes from Gladiator (fourth)
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- Pearce – (I’ve had) The Time of My Life from Dirty Dancing (first)
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- Harrisons’ – Jai Ho from Slumdog Millionaire (second)