Twenty-six primary and six secondary schools will be at the Sir Hugh Springer Auditorium, Solidarity House, Harmony Hall, when the preliminaries of the Fourth biennial Schools’ Choir Competition come off next week, February 5 to 8.
The preliminaries will run from 10:00 a.m. until 2:30 p.m.??
Among the 32 schools are the two champions from the 2011 Competition – Sharon Primary and Christ Church Foundation – who will be defending their titles.
Coordinator of the event and peripatetic teacher (Music) with the Ministry of Education and Human Resource Development, Anthony Sargeant, in expressing satisfaction at the interest shown by schools said: "We are overwhelmed by the response and are eagerly anticipating preliminary judging since representatives have given us favourable response and assured us of their participation. The standard and quality of this year’s entries are guaranteed to be high."
Mr. Sargeant added that he expected parents would come out and support their children as they represent their respective schools in the preliminaries.??
The competition allows students to showcase their talent and provides an opportunity for creative expression and socialisation that are necessary for their educational development. Additionally, it places emphasis on correct breath control, tonal quality, accuracy and expression and aims to improve group relationships and sharpen interpersonal skills.
The finals of the Biennial Schools’ Choir competition is scheduled for Sunday, March 3 at the Garfield Sobers Sports Complex.
Prizes will be awarded for 1st, 2nd and 3rd place in the primary and secondary divisions. Special prizes will be awarded in each division for Best Arrangement; Best Original Song; Most Dynamic Choir and Most Improved Choir. There will also be a Composer’s Award for Best Original song as well as a Director’s Award.