Specialisms Newsletter: Summer 2012

The St Marylebone CE School Specialisms Newsletter Summer 2012 A Specialist School in Performing Arts, Maths, Computing, Communication & Interaction

PLUS all the details from...

Year 9 Performing Arts Festival 2012

Marylebone Jam

...and much more!

This year’s Spring Concert took place on Thursday 22nd March at St Marylebone Parish Church. There were performances from all of the school’s ensembles in the Olympic-themed event.

Young Voices were joined by St. Vincent’s Primary School Chamber Choir to perform ‘The Flame’; Shout Out! performed a specially arranged medley; Jazz Band played a John Coltrane classic; Pops Orchestra gave a great performance of the William Tell Overture; and Concert Band played the John Williams medley of Olympic anthems, ‘Olympics: A Centennial Celebration’.

Additional performances came from the Year 10 GCSE Music students and the Year 11 Band who performed ‘Respect’, reminding us of this important Olympic value. The Community Choir came together again singing ‘We Are The Champions’, and the Symphony Orchestra supported the combined finale piece ‘PLAY!’ which involved every single performer!

Interspersed amongst the musical performances were dance and movement pieces inspired by the Olympics, including the raising of an Olympic torch and a tableau of the iconic Olympic rings.

All of the groups gave excellent performances and the Spring Concert 2012 was a fantastic success—well done to all involved!

Back in October, eleven Year 12 Drama and Theatre Studies students prepared and performed a modern dress abridged version of ‘Julius Caesar’ at the Unicorn Theatre alongside three other schools, marking the 10th anniversary of the Shakespeare Schools Festival and six years of involvement by St Marylebone School. The piece was directed by Jack Stigner in a total theatre style, using no set or props, creating locations and atmosphere with choral action, physical theatre and gestus.

Following the performance the production received great acclaim—Festival Regional Manager Lydia Lewison had this to say: “It was an incredible performance. They were an exemplary ensemble cast: disciplined, professional, focused and supportive of one another. Every movement they made was purposeful and full of energy. It was such a dynamic and exciting production, and the pace and energy never dropped. The ensemble work was fantastic - I loved the crowd scenes where every individual had their own characterisation carried through in their voice and physicality. Also when the actors were washing their hands in blood, and that amazingly powerful assassination of Caesar - it was so clever to use the stage directions in that way, it gave the scene a whole new dimension.

As well as that brilliant ensemble work the individual performances were very strong. Those long, difficult speeches were delivered thoughtfully and clearly and with great timing. You have an extremely talented group of young people there. They were also really lovely to the young cast of the Tempest. It was so nice to hear them give such thoughtful, positive feedback to the boys. That kind of interaction is such an important part of the Festival.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Dominic Fitch, Artistic Producer for the festival, asked St Marylebone to perform as part of The Shakespeare Schools Festival Gala in May, at the prestigious West End venue, The Royal Court. St Marylebone were asked to devise an introduction for the festival’s sponsorship event. Nine cast members worked tirelessly to create an opening to the event to fit the brief provided by the festival organisers, including lines from Shakespeare’s most revered works.

On the day the cast met and shared the Royal Court stage with famous celebrity Shakespeare Schools Festival patrons, Sue Perkins and Jenny Agutter, as well as using the Royal Court rehearsal spaces and facilities to prepare themselves for the evening performance.

In response to their outstanding work, Emily Clarke from the festival had this to say: “On behalf of all of us at SSF, I just want to say a HUGE thank you for taking part in our Fundraising Gala. The introduction to SSF was just incredible. What a way to open the show! The choreography was slick and the students performed with confidence and maturity and really owned the space. Your students, with their powerful physicality, vocal confidence and strong ensemble work, set the bar for the other schools. They really are a talented bunch, and I think they will go very far.”

The Marylebone Jam Now in its 4th year, the Marylebone Jam once again showcased the plethora of popular music talent at SMS. With music chosen, arranged, rehearsed and performed by students, for students, The Jam is a superlative example of the music making that goes on independently in practise rooms, bedrooms and via Skype (so I'm informed!).

Ranging from the loud masterclass of the Sixth Form Band to moving solo singersongwriting performances in Year 7, this event continues to be one of the most exciting music events in the calendar.

The Olympic stage

Year 9 Performing Arts Festival 2012 The Year 9 Performing Arts F e s ti v a l t o o k p l a c e o n Wednesday 20th and Thursday 21st June. The theme for this year’s festival was The Olympic Stage, and Year 9 had two days off timetable to prepare a montage of music, dance and drama. Each class produced an exciting, imaginative and creative response to their brief, and the sheer variety of ideas on display was wonderful to see.

The Celebration Evening provided friends and family with the chance to celebrate with Year 9 as they marked the end of Key Stage 3 and received their Year 9 award. Many students had worked on an Extended Project, and these were on show in the Maths Rooms after the celebration in Church, and highlighted the extraordinary talent of Year 9 pupils at St Marylebone. It was a wonderful two days, and a fitting conclusion to an excellent year for Year 9 students.

During the summer term, Choral Scholars from Key Stage 3 have been taking part in the Songspace project organised by Wigmore Hall Learning. The project has involved over 100 students from five different London schools working with a composer, John Barber, and professional musicians, to create a new song cycle based on traditional French songs.

The Songspace project has done much to inspire vocal and compositional creativity in our St Marylebone students. Our students composed a response to a classic French song, ’Pourquoi?’ composed by Messian, which they also learnt to sing. Their composition is testament to their vocal talents, incorporating extended techniques and close harmony singing. At the culmination concert which took place at Wigmore Hall on Friday 6th July, students performed alongside the other schools taking part in the project. Each school performed their chosen French song plus their newly composed response song, and also joined together to sing some traditional French children’s songs. The concert was added to with performances from famous musicians involved in the project, who also performed French works: Sophie Daneman (soprano), Eugene Asti (piano).

St Marylebone would like to thank project leader John Barber, Julia Roderick, Head of Education at Wigmore Hall and all of the musicians involved in the project for creating such a successful initiative.

The annual Dance Company Tour commenced on Sunday 24th June and lasted 9 days. This was the most extensive tour to date, with students performing in a range of venues including a primary school, a secondary school and outside Westfield Shopping Centre. There were also two performances in the St Marylebone Theatre; one for invited guests from local primary schools and the other for family and friends. The performances featured guest appearances by Westminster Junior Dance Company and Dance Scholars, and included works choreographed by teachers, students and a professional choreographer.

Although I’ve always enjoyed dance, I had never really taken part in anything to do with dance since I had come to St Marylebone but throughout Year 8, I have become so much more involved in dancing. When I participate in dance and commit to it, I feel like I am taking part in something I’m really passionate about. However, before doing dance in Year 8 I never had that strong feeling. It has really changed my experience of school as a whole because I now feel like there is something that I can really be a part of.

The first thing that really got me involved in dance was being in the dance show in January. I really loved the long and sometimes very tiring rehearsals because I knew that I was committed and that it would be completely worth it in the end. And it was. The excitement and thrill that I got when performing on stage was something I had hardly experienced and the buzz was amazing! Since then I’ve been participating in so much more. Recently I was in the Hip-Hop Project where we had about 4-5 weeks to learn a routine choreographed by a really talented choreographer and dance teacher, Omar. It was really fun working with him and everyone else to create a really good hip-hop/street dance piece. After the competition, we came out winners! It was such an amazing experience to participate in and winning it was even better! At the moment I’m in the Sports Day Opening Ceremony which again takes a lot of practise and commitment but I am so sure that it will be worth it all after the performance! I really, really love taking part in these opportunities because they are always such a fantastic experience, and I love putting the effort in and then seeing the great outcomes.

I would really recommend that people take part in whatever they love to do because when you have a passion for something you should seize any opportunities that come. Because at the end of it, it will always be another worthwhile experience, whatever happens.

Ava Chowdhury-Turner 8W

Having the opportunity to join Dance Company has really helped me to develop my dancing skills and techniques in many ways. I feel very confident in performing in front of an audience, not only at school but outside to other schools and venues.

I particularly enjoyed my recent first outside performance with the Big Bus tour in Islington. The Dance Company has helped me to improve working as a team and has allowed me to share my ideas.

I particularly enjoy Dance Company as I can express myself through dance, work with people of different ages. It keeps me physically fit and active. It is a great opportunity to improve my dancing and hopefully will help me work towards achieving an A- Level in Dance if I am good enough in my GCSE.

Rosie Watson 8W

Jubilee Celebrations The Maths department took the opportunity to celebrate the Jubilee in style. The Year 7s took part in some excellent themed Maths activities, such as ‘Royal Top Trumps’, ‘Target 60’ and ‘Can Will and Kate get to the Church on time?’! One of the most enjoyable activities was the Royal Murder Mystery, where students had to solve Maths problems to discover who in the Queen’s family tree performed the murder.

We also had some special visitors along to see that all the lessons were right and proper!

Imperial War Museum Trip On Friday 22nd June, three classes of buzzing Maths students emerged from the train station of Lambeth North, filled with anticipation and excitement. They were off to the Imperial War Museum for a trip that was destined to be a day they would never forget.

In Secret War Gallery they saw display cases lined with memorabilia and secrets, whispers from the past, objects, and pictures that reflected the work on ciphers completed in class and echoed with the cries of soldiers long gone. There was an ‘Enigma’ machine used by the Germans in World War II, there were portable communication systems as big as suitcases and hidden listening devices inside brushes and pens.

Historical events were linked to Maths lessons and everyone was fascinated by the knowledge and passion displayed by Mr McIvor regarding the “Little Boy” – a toscale representation of the Hiroshima bomb that devastated the lives of so many.

In the Cold War Gallery students learned about the 25 megaton missile developed by the Russians – 1,500 times more powerful than Little Boy. This was the kind of weapon that brought fear to the world during the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1963.

After all this death and destruction came lunch and an opportunity for pupils to explore the rest of the museum, climb inside planes and experience a virtual air raid. It was a great day that showed how maths can be applied to all aspects of life, the good, the bad and the ugly.

LILY DOUGLAS, KITTY LOW, AMY LEUNG AND MILLIE O LIONSIGH BAILEY (YEAR 9 MI5 AGENTS)

Every year, our top students take part in the UK Mathematics Trust Individual Challenge. These involve 25 maths based problem solving questions. The results are in for the Junior Challenge (Years 7 and 8) where 37 of our students received awards.

Particular congratulations go to Anglela Sun (Year 8) for getting the highest marks in her year group. Further to this, Kira Miller (Year 7) received the highest mark overall. Well done girls!

Engineering at St Marylebone The beginning of May saw the completion of the Engineering Education Scheme, with all of the teams from London schools attending the Celebration and Assessment Day at Halcrow in Hammersmith. Our Marylebone team submitted their report, delivered their presentation, and showed off their display stand to the assessors and other engineers.

After six months of working after school every week, the team were rewarded with excellent feedback on their project about designing a dam in Burkina Faso. They gained especially high praise about their presentation and were rewarded with the highest mark for their presentation across the London schools.

The students have also been awarded with the British Science Association Gold Crest Award, recognising that the students did over 100 hours work on this project. This achievement is equivalent to achieving an A at AS Level.

Our team must be congratulated on their achievement this year. They have gained many new skills throughout the course of this project and will take it through to University and beyond.

A video featuring St Marylebone School’s Team can be found on the school website at http://intranet.stmarylebone.westminster.sch.uk/community/ news.htm

10 members of Year 7 and 8 had the opportunity to represent St Marylebone School at a both enjoyable and educational workshop at Queen Mary’s University, to experience a day of engineering. When we first got there, we didn’t really see engineering as a job, but just something you do when your car breaks down! But a lecturer came to talk to us about his research, and how important engineering is every day.

We then went on to the first workshop, a parachute building one! We were all in teams and we had to build a parachute out of bin liner, string, and sellotape, but we had very strict rules. We had to protect a cup of rice as it landed without spilling any. We then launched our parachute. Both our teams did well and managed to protect the rice and landed it as close as possible to the target.

After lunch we had an amazing tour of the entire University, where we got to see the library and shops and even where the students live. It’s like a little village that has everything! Finally we had the bridge building workshop which was similar to the parachute one. We had to build out of straws that would hold as much weight as possible until they broke. Overall, it was an inspiring, educational trip that I would recommend any one who has the chance to go…to go!

Luma Abbas Year 7

After our successful deployment of the St Marylebone Video project last year, we secured funding to run the same project again this year. It was suggested that we run the project with just two schools this year, chosen as St. Luke’s Primary and St. Barnabas Primary School. Miss Parkes and Miss Shaikh decided to hold two insets at each of the primary schools, teaching them how to use the camcorders and video editing techniques. This was to enable the school to have more ownership of the project and the ability to train other staff in the school. Additionally, the project gained further support from the Year 9 ICT scholars who visited the schools to help with filming.

At the end of the project both schools taking part in the project were invited to an afternoon in the St Marylebone School Theatre where their work was shown on the big screen. The students were also each given a DVD of their work. After evaluating the project with both the teachers and students it was evident that it was successful and the skills learnt will be used again in the future by the schools - some of the students even commented on how they would help their parents make DVDs of holidays and use their new skills in after school clubs so the project will truly have a lasting impact.

Church Choir Lilly Tyler and Mimosa Canneti Stephen Lawrence was a black British teenager from Eltham, south east London, who was murdered in a racist attack while waiting for a bus on the evening of 22 April 1993. A gang of white youths attacked Stephen chanting racist slogans.

This term, St Marylebone School Church Choir were invited to sing at a special memorial service for Stephen Lawrence. We were so proud to have the opportunity to sing at the Stephen Lawrence memorial service. We were all very respectful and understanding to the family members and friends of Stephen Lawrence.

Whilst everyone entered the church, we sang a selection of songs from "A Little Jazz Mass" by Bob Chilcott.

During the service we sang a South African arrangement of "Instruments of Peace". Family members and friends of Stephen Lawrence smiled at us singing and seemed to enjoy it very well. When the service began, Stephen's brother did a speech followed by a couple of other relatives. At the end of the service, we all put our hands together for a prayer about Stephen and any other young children that might have experienced the same death as Stephen. It was an event we will always remember.

“Your voices were uplifting and brought warmth. Thank you for taking the time to support Stephen’s Memorial Service. Your attendance at the service made it very special.” Doreen Lawrence

Day Of Games

Fifteen Year 9 students have been working with College Park students and practitioners from the Graeae Theatre Company on the ‘Day of Games’ project across six sessions this term. The project aimed to create five different accessible games (one from each school taking part in the project) which could then be played against other schools at the Day of Games event which took place on 10th July. The event included an opening ceremony, at which the students performed a piece of movement theatre work based on the Jubilee line (!) and sang a school anthem which had been specially composed for the event as part of the project.

The St Marylebone game was an accessible version of ‘Wink Murder’ which had been cleverly adapted to use touch rather than sight for the ‘murders’ and gave additional support to the detective. Points were awarded for the most creative ‘death’ and for correctly guessing who was acting as the murderer.

The girls took part in the Day of Games, competing in the newly created games for medals which were awarded in a medal ceremony at the close of the day. As you can see from the pictures, St Marylebone students did very well and were awarded a variety of medals!

Exam Results Last term a number of students were entered for external instrumental exams. Everyone worked really hard in the lead up to the exam and their dedication paid off with some impressive results. Congratulations to all the students named below who all passed their instrumental exams!

JEHAN AKHTAR KATHLEEN CRANHAM ISABELLA DI STEFANO LILY DOUGLAS ZUZANNA GRZESKIEWICZ JESSICA HARE ROSIE HUBBARD

ALICIA LAI JOVANA PEPIC FAZANA RATTA ALISHA WALTERS GENEVIEVE WILLIAMS SERENA YAGOUB

In The Next Issue...

All the details and photographs from Key Stage 3 Nomadic Theatre Company production of ‘The Trojan Women’

Pictures from the St Marylebone School Symphony Orchestra 2012 Concert Tour to Berlin

The outcome of the Year 8 Maths Factor Challenge

All the news from this year’s performances at the Edinburgh Festival

Dates for your diary The Boyfriend and The Dream Edinburgh Festival Performance, Surgeon’s Hall, Edinburgh 3rd—11th August 2012 Prizegiving St Marylebone Parish Church, 7pm Thursday 25th October 2012

Term Dates Term 1: Thursday 6th September 2012 Year 7 & Year 12 start Friday 7th September Year 11 & Year 13 start Monday 10th September 2012 Year 8, Year 9, & Year 10 start Inter-term break: Monday 29th October - Friday 2nd November 2012 Term 2: Monday 5th November - Friday 21st December 2012