Pietermaritzburg Children’s Choir Competes in the World Choir Games
Transcription
Pietermaritzburg Children’s Choir Competes in the World Choir Games
Volume 17 ∞ Issue 11 ∞ 1 August 2014 Pietermaritzburg Children’s Choir Competes in the World Choir Games Starting with the dream of resuscitating the Children’s Choir, the idea was born that our little choir – of which four are TWC Senior School girls and three are TWC Junior School girls – would participate in the choral equivalent of the Olympic Games in Riga, Latvia in July 2014. And the dream came true! The Children’s Choir competed in three categories in the Open Competition, attaining silver diplomas in each category (in two of the categories, the Children’s Choir competed against adult choirs.) It was an overwhelming experience to witness 420 choirs from all over the world competing against each other whilst forging new friendships. The camaraderie amongst the many South African choirs made an indelible impression on the choristers and the accompanying adults. Etched in our memories are the sounds of singing from choirs and bystanders echoing through the streets of Riga at midnight. And so the flame has been lit for the next World Choir Games in 2016. 1 Out Of The Hat Welcome back to the start of Term 3. A special welcome to families who are new to the school, and to Fergus Lombard (school driver) and Lyn Harris (student teacher and TWC Old Girl). from 90 nations participating in this great event. In each of the three categories in which the PMBCC competed (two against adult choirs), the choir achieved silver diplomas. The isiZulu girls participated in an isiZulu evening at St Anne’s and the Grade 9s went on a Geography outing to the Markets of Warwick. Although some work had to be done, this holiday was one of getting comfortable on the couch and watching much sport on TV – Wimbledon; World Cup soccer; Tour de France and rugby. It got to the point of having to turn the couch cushion over to get rid of the dent. While many of us were relaxing, there were a number of girls and staff involved in InterProvincial hockey, netball, squash and debating. All the details follow in Hat Chat, and I would like to congratulate all the girls and staff on their performances. E ight girls, accompanied by Michelle Bennett, travelled to India during the holiday as part of the World Challenge. They embraced the opportunity and different culture and we look forward to hearing more about it in an Assembly. Seven girls from TWC are members of the Pietermaritzburg Children’s Choir which competed in the Open Competition of the World Choir Games held in Riga, Latvia. It is the biggest choral competition in the world, based on the Olympic ideals, to peacefully unify people and nations through fair competition. There were 400 choirs As usual, the start to the term has been a busy one. Last week the Gospel Choir participated in a concert at Maritzburg College. They were amongst 15 choirs and the atmosphere was very happy and festive. Grade 10s have continued with their dance lessons in preparation for their dance tomorrow night and I am sure they are all very excited and looking forward to the evening. The Grade 11s spent two nights and three days at Em’Seni Many of our girls are involved in on camp. Their focus was on the President’s Award and, during team work and leadership skills the holiday, Emma Hubble, Cynand they have also attended a thia Kijjambu, Emma Farquharcareers workshop. son and Hannah Edwards completed their Gold Level hikes The Grade 12 focus from now while Laura du Toit completed until the end of the year essenher Bronze Level adventurous tially needs to be on their acajourney. One hike was along the demic studies. Wild Coast, while the other was in I look forward to a happy and prothe Drakensberg. ductive term. F Susan Tasker ive TWC girls took part Lady Principal in a keel boat sailing competition in Durban Harbour. Caitlyn de Valence, Jodie Connolly and Nooreen Nuruddin came second, and We wish Mr Goosen Bronagh Johnson and Sarah Joy and all the girls Quibell came third. Congratulations to Jordan Magrobi (Grade 11) and Anna Brooks (Grade 12) who have had their poetry selected to be published in the national journal, English Alive. The journal is due for publication in August. in the Choir well as they travel to Pretoria to participate in the final round of the ATKV Choir competition. 2 School News What’s inside: * Senior School * Junior School * General * Sport Highlights Junior School Senior School 3 On 25 June, the Ballroom Dancing Club hosted a dance social with Grade 9 boys from Maritzburg College. The evening started off with a bit of line dancing, before the budding stars learnt basic steps from the Jive. All had an enjoyable time! Jenette Reitsma - French Teacher Photos by Banjamin Caister 4 GRADES 6 AND 7 SCHOOL PLAY Be Enchanted – Up the Faraway Tree was staged at the very end of last term. I would like to congratulate and thank script writer, director and producer Heather Ashton for a truly delightful show. The script was based on Enid Blyton’s The Magic Faraway Tree. Audiences – in all four performances – were transported to a world of make-believe. It was sheer escapism as trees and toys talked, and goblins and Nursery Rhyme characters were encountered. There was suspense, excitement, disappointment and jubilation – all the ingredients of good story-telling. The cast of nearly 100 girls each had a little moment to shine. All worked conscientiously and creatively in order to ensure the success of the play. Very effective lighting and choreography reflected Heather’s attention to detail and aesthetic sense. The costumes were colourful and altogether charming. Once again Music Director, Leslie Duffy, used the ideas and talents of the girls to produce music – both choral and instrumental – of amazing quality. Guitarists, Robin Brown and Hector Houston, and drummer, Les Willows, added an extra dynamic to the Band. I am most grateful to Helen Rogers and all staff members who gave very generously of their time and ideas. In addition, my thanks go to all parents, grandmothers and friends who assisted with costumes, and the Estates team for building the set, making props and helping with other practical matters. Anne Fine, a former British children’s laureate, expressed her concern some years ago about the fact that children nowadays are bombarded with reality. She contends that children, and indeed all human beings, need a space or a fairyland in which the mind can ‘roam, dream and wonder’. Be Enchanted – Up the Faraway Tree afforded audiences such a chance. PIE (PARTNERS IN EDUCATION) WORKSHOP Foundation Phase teachers recently facilitated a workshop which attracted almost 100 teachers from fourteen local schools. Entitled Add Sparkle to your Grade R teachers, Karin Braithwaite and Janet Classroom the workBailey, with Kay Pillay, Sibulele Ntomo and Lisa shop included many Manuel, all of Berg Street Primary School. practical ideas on how to enhance teaching using common, everyday objects such as plastic bottles. The informal, interactive nature of the workshop led to fruitful discussion and sharing of ideas. Flick Wright Headmistress Jean Clarke of Grade 3 with Melanie Naiken and Merthly Naidoo of Berg Street Primary School. 5 GRADE 2 OUTING TO BUTTERFLIES FOR AFRICA Zoé Panczyk and Kalia Govender thoroughly enjoyed the outing. Julie-Ann Bloy delights in showing off a butterfly poised on her finger. Celebrating South Africa Shannon Holdsworth, Zoë Janas, Lesedi Chokoe, Ayabonga Shezi, Minnie Nota. Libby Chapman, Elethu Manentsa, Zita Sewram. 6 “Mothers and Daughters Womanhood” Dear TWC Mums In celebration of Women’s month in August, The TWC Old Girls are hosting Mary Steward who is going to take us on a journey from Girlhood to Womanhood in her brilliant one woman show entitled Womanhood. All Grade 8 to 11 girls will be attending and we encourage all TWC Mums to take some time out and join your daughters in celebrating the joys of being a woman and all that connects us. Mary’s show is guaranteed to make you laugh and look at the lighter side of your relationship with your daughter. Don’t miss this opportunity to celebrate the joy of life together! Reviews “Mary Steward presents a hilarious journey through the trials and tribulations of a woman's journey from girlhood to womanhood in all its aspects, often addressing questions and answers - to members of the audience. She depicts many characters from seven and nine-year-old nieces to her older mother and elderly aunts, switching expertly from one to the other. A highlight is her depiction of the pressure of that first kiss and the heartbreak of being deserted by the boyfriend thereafter. Spot on is her enactment of how she has to cope, as a busy working mother, with preparing the school lunches for the Please see the advert for details of what promises to be an entertaining morning for you and your daughter. Alternatively, contact Pru Deenik for details on (033) 342 0752 Ext 119 or [email protected]. children, bathing them, answering the telephone and preparing her work assignment. All this is done with the minimum use of props, and very appropriate sound effects and lighting. Every woman could and would identify with the joys, sadness, pathos, irony and problems and it will indeed be enjoyed by the men in the audience as well.” Maurice Kort – Durban 2009 Mary Steward presented Womanhood at the Inaugral Ladies Night at Umhlanga College. It was such a success that within the year she We look forward to seeing you there with your daughter.… Warm wishes Michelle Lesur Chairlady TWC Old Girls was back for the next Ladies Night! Womanhood was an outstanding success, with ladies identifying with the stereotypes presented during the development from girlhood to womanhood. Mary's clever use of music to add a further dimension to the memories that came flooding back added to the fun of the evening. People were crying with laughter and the happy buzz that was created the next morning around the school was worth every bit of organising an event like this." 7 The Wykeham Collegiate Eisteddfod 2014 The Music Department is excited as our Eisteddfod is once again about to take place. We have five full days of adjudication which is a wonderful indication of the health of music at TWC. Some of the adjudicators are: Mario Nell, from Stellenbosch University, for Piano; Brett Udal, from Hilton College for drumkit, guitar and strings; Sandra Breschi, from UKZN, for woodwind; Vanessa Tait-Jones, a professional singer from Durban, for voice. All sessions are open and we welcome anybody who would like to listen, whether from the school or beyond. It is useful for pupils to listen to those playing a grade higher than theirs in order to see what lies ahead. We look forward to a productive and musical few days. Jenny du Plessis Monday 4 August 8:30 Grade 3 and 4 Recorder Group 8:45 Woodwind Beginners 9:15 Woodwind Pre-Grade 1 10:00 Tea 10:15 Woodwind Grade 1 Group 1 11:00 Woodwind Grade 1 Group 2 11:45 Woodwind Grade 2 12:20 Lunch 13:00 Woodwind Grade 3 13:50 Woodwind Grade 4 14:45 Woodwind Grade 6 15:20 Tea 15:30 Woodwind Advanced Certificate Tuesday 5 August 8:00 Junior Band (in the Atrium) 8:30 Woodwind Grade 5 Group 1 9:30 10:30 10:45 12:45 14:30 15:00 15:15 Woodwind Grade 5 Group 2 Tea Woodwind Grade 7 and 8 Group 1 Lunch and Break Woodwind Senior Band (in the Atrium) Tea Woodwind Grade 8 Group 2 Wednesday 6 August 8:30 Drumkit 9:00 Strings 9:30 Guitar Group 1 9:50 Guitar Group 2 10:15 Tea 10:30 Voice Grade 1 and Grade 2 10:45 Voice Grade 3 11:20 Voice Grade 4 12:10 Voice Grade 5 13:00 Lunch 13:30 Voice Grade 6 14:10 Voice Grade 7 Thursday 7 August 8:30 Piano Beginners 8:45 Piano Pre-Grade 1 Group 1 9:00 Piano Pre-Grade 1 Group 2 9:15 Piano Grade 1 Group 1 9:25 Piano Grade 1 Group 2 9:50 Piano Grade 1 Master Class 10:10 Tea 10:30 Piano Grade 2 10:50 Piano Grade 2 Master Classes 11:30 Piano Grade 3 Group 1 11:50 Piano Grade 3 Group 2 12:30 Lunch 13:00 Piano Grade 3 Master Classes 14:00 Piano Grade 4 Group 1 14:25 Piano Grade 4 Master Classes 15:05 Piano Grade 4 Group 2 15:30 Piano Grade 4 Master Classes Friday 8 August 8:30 Piano Grade 5 9:00 Piano Grade 5 Master Classes 10:00 Tea 10:30 Piano Grade 6 10:50 Piano Grade 6 Master Classes 11:40 Piano Grade 7 12:10 Piano Grade 7 Master Classes 13:10 Lunch 14:00 Piano Grade 8 14:30 Piano Grade 8 Master Class 8 9 Junior School HOLIDAY RESULTS TABLE TENNIS We congratulate Yashka Rabichand who competed in the South African Table Tennis Tournament during the holidays in Bloemfontein. Although Yashka is only 10-years-old, she and her partner participated in the U12 section where they received a third place and a bronze medal. MOUNTAIN BIKING Once again Sarah kept herself busy during the holidays by participating in many Mountain Biking Events. Sarah participated in 5 categories in the Youth Mountain Bike Sarah Ryan Festival winning all 5 of her events. She also received first place in the Gooderson Drak Gardens Mountain Bike race. On Sunday 27 July she rode in the “Shoot-Out” Mountain Bike race in which she came second overall. TENNIS We congratulate Vania Manchev who played in the Coca-Cola Tennis Tournament during the holidays and was the “runner-up”. EQUESTRIAN Channel Lötter competed in an Equestrian Show, hosted by Canterbury Equestrian Centre, in which she competed in 2 80cm Classes and received 2nd place in We played our first match against the Championship class. the Cordwalles Boys and our TWC Open A team won 21 – 15. It is rewarding to see that the girls participate in events not only Results of Tennis matches during the school term but also played on Monday 28 July: during the holidays. Open A1 vs Epworth TWC won 25 – 3 HOCKEY Open A2 vs Wembley TWC lost 15 – 21 Open A3 vs Laddsworth TWC won 24 – 12 Open B2 vs Clarendon TWC won 16 – 12 The TWC A Hockey Team played in a Festival held at St Anne’s on Sunday 27 July. They played very well, drawing 3 matches and winning 2. Gaynor Weir U11 A1 vs Howick TWC won 28 – 0 U11 B1 vs St John’s TWC won 15 - 13 U11 B2 vs Longmarket TWC lost 10 – 19 10 Senior School HOLIDAY RESULTS NETBALL The U17 KZN Team had two equal strength teams at the IPT. Chloë Veness and Caitlin Militz were in separate teams. The KZN teams finished 16th and 22nd out of 24 teams. Joné Marx played in the U16 KZN Team and they finished in the top 5. Tour Team from the UK The TWC girls hosted Park House school from Berkshire UK over the weekend. The U17 netball girls and U16 hockey girl played the touring teams. SQUASH 7 girls played in IPTs over the holidays. Brit Dorning, Catherine Barrett and Beth de Carle played for the U19B team and they came third. The U16B won their section which included Tessa Foster and Alice Comrie, Shannon Firman and Jodie Conolly played in the U14A team and was placed fourth. HOCKEY Sarah Dixon, Jemma Veenstra, Meagan and Nicola Deenik played in Hockey IPTs over the holidays. The KZN Inland U18A team finished with silver and the KZN Inland U16 team finished 5th. Nicola Deenik Nicola Deenik was selected for the SA U18B team and played against Australia during the holidays. She also umpired the finals at the U16 IPT. SAILING Five TWC girls took part in a keel boat sailing competition in Durban Harbour this weekend and came second and third respectively. The Grade 8s who competed were Caitlyn de Valence Jodie Connolly, Nooreen Nuruddin, Bronagh Johnson and Sarah Joy Quibell. Nicola Deenik 11 TENNIS HOCKEY The TWC U16 squad played the U17 Park House team. The girls had patches of very exciting hockey. The TWC team controlled the midfield which put the opposition on the back foot. A couple of breakaways by the opposition were successfully closed down by the defensive team and distributed out wide into space. Results: The league has begun in full swing with most of the teams having played this week. The girls play one pro set singles and doubles match in their respective leagues. Each match won is equal to one point. The doubles league players play 3 matches of 7 games each. TWC U19A vs GHS U19A TWC U19B vs GHS U19B TWC U15A vs TWC U15B TWC U15C vs St Anne’s U15B vs St Anne’s F Cailin Harries opened the firing TWC F line with a field goal deflection after the 8th minute of play. Jamie Pearce was well positioned on the left post to score the second goal. Sam Yeats finished the first half scoring off a short corner to On Wednesday 30 July TWC make the score 3 – 0. In the secstarted the basketball season ond half a couple of opportunities against St John’s. Matches were were denied by the UK keeper, closely contested. but it wasn’t long before Jemma Veenstra saw the gap and scored Nine matches were played with two field goals. The end result: TWC winning 5 of the games 5 – 0 to TWC’s team. played. won 5 – 1 lost 0 – 6 won 6 – 0 lost 0 – 6 won 45 - 18 A League B League A League B League Doubles League BASKETBALL TWC 1 Lost 27 – 24 TWC 2 Lost 16 - 13 TWC U16 A Won 16 - 5 TWC U16 B Lost 21 - 9 TWC U15 A Lost 17 - 33 TWC U15 B Won 20 - 5 NETBALL TWC U14 A Won 8-5 TWC U14 B Won 8-2 On Saturday 26 July the U17 team played against Park House. The TWC netball team had a slow start to the match, but soon settled and went on to win the match 33 – 6. It was great to see some of TWC young talent getting the opportunity out on court. TWC U14 C Won 9-2 SWIMMING We wish Catherine Royden-Turner and Chelsea Meiring all the best as they take part in the 2014 South African National Short Course Swimming Championships next week in Pietermaritzburg. Sport Department 12