The magic of music from the movies came alive in a special gala night performed by children at Newington Community Primary in Ramsgate.
The theme of songs from Oscar winning soundtracks struck gold with an audience of families and residents from Chartwell House care home in Broadstairs.
Called a Night at the Oscars, it was the choir’s first gala performance and determined and enthusiastic rehearsals resulted in a polished, lively and entertaining programme, under the baton of music teacher Warwick Eldred.
The school was transformed for the evening with balloon arch, red carpet and gold back drop.
All-time favourite songs included Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head, Somewhere Over The Rainbow, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Circle Of Life and Skyfall.
Each number was introduced by the children who had carried out research into the songs and prepared the information that they wanted to share with their audience.
The busy timetable at Newington had prevented some children from being able to attend every rehearsal but pupils showed true showbiz spirit by learning the songs at home ready for the performance.
The impressive finale involved a secret ‘flash mob’ performance by staff who performed I’ve Had The Time Of My Life” from the 1987 film Dirty Dancing. Children then encouraged their families to finish the performance with a dance.
Head Teacher Hannah Tudor was full of praise for the children and staff. She said: “Our fantastic show was a perfect example of a wonderful feel-good community event.
“We gave the choir a real public platform on which to perform. We encouraged them to be at their very best and they were. It was wonderful to have members of the wider community there and we are really keen to develop a special relationship with Chartwell House and invite them to more school events. The children loved having the residents there to watch them perform.
“Mr Eldred talked to parents about the challenging songs that he had chosen for the choir to perform. Forever aspirational for our children, he said that songs like Skyfall are ambitious and not usually performed by primary school children.
“However our choir was committed to practicing the songs to get them “just right”. It was his confidence in the children that led him to choose such an ambitious set list.
“We are always keen to give our club programme relevance for all children so we take the time to plan opportunities for the choir to perform so that they are really seeing the purpose of singing together.
“At the gala show we know that they really felt that they had achieved something brilliant – they really bought a smile to the audience faces.”