As part of Downside School’s partnership with prep and primary schools, last Friday over 60 pupils from Farleigh School, Andover, Kilmersdon C of E School and St Julian’s Primary School in Wellow enjoyed a rousing day of choral singing and fun at the school’s annual Choral Day event.
The choristers began by warming up and learning the difference between their chest and throat voices, with a nifty set of exercises from Director of Music, Mr McNamara. They then moved on to learning Dona nobis pacem, a traditional Latin hymn attributed to Mozart.
After lunch, the school’s sports grads put the visitors through their paces with some rather energetic games of cricket, before the pupils headed back into rehearsals. The afternoon rehearsals were led by Downside’s new Head of Academic Music, Mr Bridges, who taught the pupils Siyahamba, a South African spiritual hymn which translates into ‘We Are Marching’.
The Choral Day finished with sterling performances of both songs in Downside Abbey Church, which was attended by families of the singers and the Head Master.