Acclaimed conductor gets Crowland primary school pupils in fine voice

South View Community Primary School in Crowland had singing workshops with Young Voices principal conductor David Lawrence.

It followed the school’s annual trip to the O2 in London to take part in the Young Voices concert.

Mr Lawrence is an internationally acclaimed choral conductor who has led the London Symphony Orchestra.

More than 200 children from South View’s Key Stage 2 rehearsed with their teachers to prepare for their workshop, practising both songs they were familiar with and new material. The children also rehearsed Let Love Shine Through with Mr Lawrence, which they have been working on in order to take part in National Sing Up Day on March 22.
Parents and teachers also had the opportunity to sing with Mr Lawrence as a choir after the school day.

Headteacher Joanne Tomlins: “Our children gain so much from the Young Voices experience and, whilst they return to school buzzing and chatty, they often feel sad that their involvement in such an amazing event is over so quickly.

“Every year the children begin to look forward to Young Voices as early as September and, as a school, we wanted something further to prolong the ‘awe and wonder’ of the event. We were so pleased that David could join us and when I told the children who would be visiting I saw some jaws drop.”

Inspired pupils were thrilled at the opportunity.
Abigail South-Shaw (8) said: “Mr Lawrence taught us things we didn’t know in our songs in a fun way.”
Callie Smith (8) said: “The whole class loved to be singing with him today. I am definitely coming to Young Voices now. Mr Lawrence is an amazing conductor and I’d like to say thank him for coming all this way to see us.”
And Rachel Weston (8) said: “Singing with Mr Lawrence was amazing. I’ve never had such a good experience. I’m really looking forward to Young Voices.”
 
Mr Lawrence said he had been was given a warm welcome at the school and found the children to be “excitable, full of personality and so easy to encourage”.
He added: “It was a real pleasure for me to sing with so many staff and pupils of a school where clearly singing is part of the culture, and I am greatly looking forward to coming back already!”
 
The day was funded by a grant made available by Lincolnshire Music Hub.

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