Last week, 600 children, along with staff from 27 primary schools across Nottingham City, Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire, all part of the Transform Trust Choir, congregated at the prestigious Albert Hall to sing (and sign) songs from around the world to their friends and families.
This joyous collaboration is now in its third year, enthusiastically led by its founders, Tanya White (Associate Headteacher and Music Lead) and Lindsay Clark (Headteacher Designate and Enrichment Lead).
The annual Albert Hall event is managed by Lucy Reid, Inspire’s Music Services Manager, and the Inspire Music team (Inspire is the Hub Lead Organisation for Nottingham and Nottinghamshire), who provide a band of talented local musicians, arrange the music, and lead the singing on the day.
Training for school staff choir leads in each of the 27 schools is delivered by the Nottingham and Nottinghamshire Music Hub and the Derbyshire Music Hub. Importantly, this wonderful event is made possible largely thanks to generous funding from Zen Educate and a subsidy from the Arts Council.
Tanya explains the mechanics and the importance of this collaboration:
“I believe that music is food for the soul. It is an inclusive, creative and thoroughly enjoyable aspect (and, I believe, an essential part) of school life. Our trust-wide choir creates endless opportunities for our children to experience connectivity outside of their own school and community. We learn signing and other languages (this year we learned the Japanese song ‘Sakura’ in Japanese), explore a variety of cultures, and have a wonderful time together.
“The Music Hubs, coordinated this year by Inspire, support our schools by selecting appropriate songs and providing invaluable in-person training workshops for our staff teams. Building confidence and expertise in our staff is essential to the success of this project. The lyrics, music scores and backing tracks are uploaded to Transform’s SharePoint, enabling schools, led by the trained staff members, to participate and practise independently and affordably.”
Kelly Lee, Transform Trust’s Chief School Improvement Officer, said:
“Today has been a truly joyous and memorable occasion for everyone. Yes, music is at the core, but there’s so much more to this event. Seeing the children’s faces as they entered this magical space was very special. They met other children outside their own school who shared a mutual love of singing and saw slightly older, inspirational young people perform who are excelling in music. The songs we sing, and the essence of the Transform Trust Choir, chime with our values of ‘Respect, Kindness, Equity and Creativity’. Occasions like this also help to build social and emotional skills, as well as spark imaginations and aspirations.”
The children were equally keen to share their opinions of the day:
Charlotte, a Year 5 pupil, said, “Singing makes me feel happy and powerful, and nothing else matters”, whilst Alex, a Year 2 pupil, likes “being part of a choir because the songs are good, and it makes me feel calm”, and Gregory, a Year 2 pupil, loved learning the Japanese song ‘Sakura’.
The finale, the Roar/Brave compilation, was clearly one of the most popular performances with the pupils as they brought the house down. Jasmin, a Year 5 pupil, was keen to encourage more children to join, stating, “I was a little nervous at first, but that soon disappeared. I would say to anyone feeling a little scared to just come along and try it – everyone is friendly, and it gives you such a good feeling!”
Arguably the proudest member of the audience, Rebecca Meredith, CEO of Transform Trust, said:
“I say this every time we bring our children together, but I truly think I have the best job in the world. Looking at our children as they sing their hearts out fills me with so much joy and hope. We are custodians for such a short time, and it is our responsibility to provide opportunities for all our children to shine.
“I am so grateful to everyone here who has contributed to today’s success and the growth and legacy of our Transform Trust Choir. We want to thank the generosity of the respective Music Hubs, the Arts Council and Zen Educate, who have enabled us to provide this opportunity for the children and their families. There’s an incredible amount of hard work and determination involved, and it is certainly paying off – I cannot wait to see what happens next.”
