Framlinghamian 2023 - Flipbook - Page 180
CELEBRATING THE SCHOOL YEAR
under the leadership of Pip Robinson. This
Duran, Whitney Houston – yes, they
year, remarkably, every pupil entered for
were all there! Even a DJ set. A word of
these demanding exams, from Grade 2
praise, too, for Dr Higgins’ ukulele band
up to Grade 8, achieved a distinction.
– quirky, fun and with a genuine zest for
I imagine you will have already circulated
performance. Meanwhile, Finlay Bloore
around both the Art and Design &
and Katherine Williams performed at The
Technology exhibitions in Paul’s Court.
Royal Albert Hall in the National Youth
If you have not, I urge you to do so. I
Choir’s 40th Anniversary Concert, and
approach these shows in expectation - I
both passed the Royal Schools of Church
know they are going to be good - yet
Music Gold Award. Oscar Franklin was
still I am overcome by the imaginative
shortlisted in the national Young Drummer
power on display, the accomplishment
of the Year competition.
of the execution, and the sheer breadth
of materials and media utilised. Fine
I can tell you from personal experience
art, ceramics, textiles, jewellery, wood
that many schools much larger than this
and photography: it is wonderful to
simply do not allow the latitude to explore
witness the freeing of creativity and self-
music with the freedom and 昀氀air we so
expression.
rightly celebrate here.
There has been so much to admire in
These are not easy times in which to
Music, as ever. The choirs explored
be young: the uncertainty of rapid
gospel music to riveting e昀昀ect in the
societal and technological change; the
summer concert at St. Michaels. Important
lingering shadow left by lockdowns;
days in our calendar - the carol service
the casual cruelty of social media, and
in the cathedral at Bury St Edmunds,
the impossible perfection of carefully
Remembrance Day, and Con昀椀rmation -
constructed Instagram stories; the
have been enriched and uplifted by the
dominance of the screen. No wonder
beauty of the singing of both the main
young people can feel disconnected and
choir and Capella Lumina, and by a
isolated.
repertoire that happily deviates from the
We don’t have all the answers, but we
strictures of the choral tradition.
do have a community that simply through
Popular and contemporary music have
the advantage of living and working in
had their place too. From scholar’s
close proximity with each other demands
concerts and BTEC live, to the Music
connection. We o昀昀er the real, not the
Review on the Front two nights ago.
virtual: ‘lived experience’, to adapt a
Perhaps most notably, there were two
fashionable phrase. Through the FLOW
joyous and energetic cabaret evenings in
programme and more widely, we work
March, when we went ‘Back to the 80s’,
hard to support our pupils’ mental
which for someone of my generation is
health and wellbeing in positive and
all too easy - George Michael, Duran
proactive ways: a weekly wellbeing
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