The Sounds of Longhill
The music department and its students have been incredibly busy this term, with a variety of musical events happening in Brighton and London.
The first of these was Voice in a Million, which took place on a cold, miserable March day at Wembley Arena. 29 boys and girls from Longhill, aged from 11 to 15, travelled excitedly to Wembley to take part in this annual event, the idea of which was to create a children’s show which would raise awareness of the plight of children in care around the world and the issues and problems facing prospective adopters. Children from schools from all over the country make up the 5,000-strong choir, who this year sang songs such as Hold Back the River (James Bay), I believe I can Fly (R Kelly), Like a Prayer (Madonna) and Someone Like You (Adele). One of the musical highlights of the show was a song called Children United, which had been especially written for the event. Another highlight was the Destiny Africa Children’s Choir, from Uganda, who performed on both evenings of the event.
Head of Music at Longhill, Ms English, told us, “Staff from other schools commented on how amazing Longhill students were. They said that our students were open, confident, friendly and happy to exchange musical ideas with children from other schools. Our students were enthusiastic and mindful of younger students taking part. They were a real credit to the school.”
The next event on the calendar was Sound City 4, which is where the Brighton & Hove Music Education Hub brings together the leading organisations for music in the city into an annual showcase of bright young talent. A group of Longhill boys, aged from 11 to 15, were invited to take part in the event, working in collaboration with students from Blatchington Mill and Cardinal Newman schools. Composer/performer Kushal Gaya held workshops for the boys to practice an original composition, which they performed at the Brighton Corn Exchange. Year 10 student Alex, along with Year 9 student Jessy, added some diversity to the performance with their improvised dance routine, which was well received. Year 8 student Callum was enthusiastic about the project, “I like singing and the rehearsals were fun. I enjoyed working with other schools and I’d definitely do it again!”
The final event in this musical trilogy was Sounds from the City, which returned to the Studio Theatre at the Dome for a 16th consecutive year. Since its launch, this two day festival has provided a platform for over 300 acts, some of which now enjoy national and international success. The talents of over 25 young bands and solo performers were showcased, with Longhill’s own Point Blank – Lewis, Anthony, Nic and Pearce – playing their distinctive style of indie rock to an appreciative audience.
What a deep well of talent we have at Longhill; we look forward to hearing more from our talented musicians!
Sound City 4
Point Blank
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