ST Paul’s School Choir is celebrating after taking home gold yet again at the annual Queensland Catholic Schools and Colleges Music Festival at Villanova College, Coorparoo, recently.
It is the third time the Woodridge school has entered a choir in the festival, winning a bronze award in 2006, followed by gold in 2007 and repeating the feat in 2008 with yet more gold.
School cultural development worker Scott Charles said with 59 students ranging from Years 3-7 in the choir, participation was an important part of literacy development at St Paul’s.
Mr Charles said the majority of students in the choir came from families with a non-English-speaking background.
He said many spoke little or no English as they had recently arrived in Australia from Africa as refugees.
“And such learning and singing in English is a huge challenge for the choir as they are not just mastering the notes, tempo and harmony of the song, but singing in a foreign language,” he said.
He said the choir had been working on the songs they performed all year.
“(They) rose to the huge musical challenge of singing in two-part harmony with emotion and depth – with a little choreography thrown in for good measure.”
The choir sang two songs, the first Singa ba Hambayo, a freedom song traditionally sung outside prisons in South Africa during the long battle with apartheid.
The second song, Stand Up and Be Counted, was written specifically by classroom music specialist Harley Mead to inspire young people to work hard and achieve any goal they set themselves.
Mr Charles said the whole community was so proud of the school choir and all its achievements, acknowledging the great work of conductor Jane Bernays and choir assistant Majella McCarthy.
