The Big Sing - Spirit of the North (Jun 2018)
On 26th June, 55 members of North Lakes School Choir and Grasmere Group journeyed to Gateshead to celebrate the Great Exhibition of the North by participating in this year’s Sage Big Sing – The Spirit of the North.
This year we departed early so that we could explore some of the special art installations that had been commissioned for the Great Exhibition on the North on the Quayside. The weather was fantastic and we enjoyed our packed lunches overlooking the River Tyne. We caught a glimpse of the biggest water fountains in Britain just before the Millennium bridge tilted (blinked) to let a small cruise boat through. This was an added bonus as Y5&6 had been studying bridges earlier this year and were able to see this great example of modern engineering in action. Grasmere group also explored the fantastic sensory room at the Baltic Contemporary Art Centre – it was breath-taking!
Inside the Sage’s huge stage many live musicians were singing and playing the accompaniments and backings for our tunes and songs. They were all dressed up in their best northern themed outfits, as were many of our choir! Our costumes included: Victorian Children, Sheep, Footballers and the Angel of the North! Over 1,300 young voices from all over the North East and Cumbria sang their hearts out at “The Big Sing: Spirit of the North”.
We sang lots of songs throughout the afternoon including: Hold Back the River, Kalinka, Wonder, Sing!, One in a Million and Spirit of the North - a particular favourite. All songs were workshopped with the brilliant Lindsay Hannon. This was one of the last opportunities for our Year 6 singers and they were a credit to the school.
Once again, our pupils were great ambassadors and great representatives of the North! Many thanks to all our helpers: Mrs Evans, Mrs Phillips, Mrs Robinson, Mrs Soulsby, Mrs Beaty, Mrs Atkinson and all of our school staff, who were singing and dancing in the aisles alongside the children!
By Mr Soulsby
