Some pictures of last week’s collaborative concert with Bexley Music and Crosfields School, held at St. Helier Methodist Centre.
What a fantastic afternoon of music-making with Bexley in Howard Davis Park! A team of Academy students joined Bexley’s orchestra to perform a 60-minute set.
The programme included: a Disney medley, Superheroes R Us, Blue Danube, Die Fledermaus, Harry Potter, Jupiter, Uptown Funk, The Avengers, Barcarolle, Capriccio Italien, Give Up the Funk and the Wallace and Gromit theme.
Such a wonderful group of young musicians and the team from Bexley were simply amazing!
The Vocal Department Concert on 27th May sent us all into half term with a song in our hearts. It was a lovely event with singers of all ages delighting us with their solo and choral offerings.
There was a lovely mix of songs, duets and choral items, from individual children and from the rapidly expanding JAM Choir. The concert also featured a special appearance by JAM’s adult vocal group, the JAM Chorale, who knocked it out of the park with a Les Miserables Medley.
It was particularly lovely for parents to hear the performances of the choir, as they had been unable to attend the performance given at Government House for the Earl and Countess of Wessex. Here they had the chance to hear a mixture of repertoire, from a beautiful classic choral arrangement of the American folksong ‘How Can I Keep from Singing’ (a sentiment we all came to understand well during the pandemic restrictions) through to Chattanooga Choo Choo (with audience choreography quickly rehearsed and expertly executed!) with Queen’s ‘Crazy Little Thing Called Love’ and the Disney song ‘How Far I’ll Go’ from Moana also on the menu.
All of the singers were wonderful, all at different stages on their journey as performers. We were particularly moved to hear the fantastic performances from our two leavers, showing the younger ones where it’s all heading, with Lizzie Lincoln and Eleanor Bayford delighting us with their confident renditions of songs from Waitress and Bonnie and Clyde.
The concert was conducted by John Bowley and Nicki Kennedy with Michael Wynne at the piano.
Lufratazzi (2 violins, cello and piano) provided background music for the JFA dinner at the Royal Jersey Showground on Friday 6th May.
The JAM/JMS Jersey Youth Choir was launched yesterday at Government House, singing for Royalty with a performance for the Earl and Countess of Wessex.
We are excited to launch this mixed choir for Jersey’s young singers, and welcome applications from singers from all schools in Jersey. We would like this to be an inclusive choir, with singers from all over the island. We have a strong choir of nearly 20 singers already, currently with boys and girls rehearsing in separate groups, and coming together for performances.
The performance went off fantastically as the choir sang ‘How Can I Keep from Singing’, a beautiful American folksong arranged by Jay Althouse and, from Moana, ‘How Far I’ll Go’, a tongue in cheek rendition of a song about exploring beyond the island!
The Royal couple loved it and took time to talk to our members. The Countess of Wessex spoke about how moved she was when she first heard choral music after the pandemic. Jonty Porter presented them with a gift of a Jersey Pottery bowl for their potatoes.
On Saturday 30th April we hosted our first Musical Mindfulness day, focusing on confidence building and positivity with a musical theme.
Students participated in a series of workshops, and explored Feldenkrais, Alexander Technique, Performance Confidence, Breathwork, Osteopathy and Mindfulness.
You Matter was also on site throughout the day, and the wonderful Bella’s Cafe provided copious cakes!
St Andrew’s School has a strong musical tradition, with many pupils learning orchestral instruments and performing in a wide variety of ensembles. Our Senior Choir leads our Chapel Services each week and in recent years, have sung in Winchester, Salisbury and Guildford cathedrals.
They were delighted to visit Jersey in April, and had the opportunity to sing and perform at Gorey castle, St Saviour’s Church, and St Helier Methodist Church, along with local Jersey musicians.
At Ipswich High School Everyone is encouraged to participate in Music, from Year 1 through to Year 13. There are many opportunities within their extensive Enrichment Programme which allow students to extend their interests or try something new. For performers, clubs are as diverse as RockSchool, Ukulele Club, Senior Orchestra and Advanced Strings, and there are several small, specialist ensembles. Composers’ Club and Music Tech Club appeal to students in all year groups, while singing is extremely popular throughout the school. The choirs offer students the opportunity to sing everything from baroque to musical theatre and the latest pop hits.
Ipswich High School joined us at Chateau Vermont for 21st-24th April 2022. They explored Jersey’s beaches, visited Jersey Zoo and went blokarting with Absolute Adventures. They also performed a fabulous concert at St Helier Methodist Church on the Saturday afternoon, where they were joined by students from JAM.
