CHURCH HIGH PUPILS REACH FINALS OF PRESTIGIOUS MUSIC COMPETITION
13 May 2013
Junior school pupils from Jesmond based independent school, Newcastle Church High, are celebrating today after reaching the finals of a prestigious Blue Peter competition to create a soundtrack to accompany famous Wallace and Gromit movie clips.
Overcoming tough competition from over 400 entries UK wide, the team, made up of Lidya Sardag, Emma-Louise Lithgow, April Faldon and Alice Geoghegan, all aged eight, made it through to the finals of the competition, where they were awarded highly commended status. As part of their prize, they were flown down to Bristol by the BBC for a trip to Aardman Studios, where Wallace and Gromit is brought to life.
The sound clip the girls accompanied ‘The Wrong Trousers: Gromit Leaves Home’ and the girls used percussion instruments including drums, triangle, chimes and rattles in the recording of their track.
Jill Brown, Deputy Head of Church High School, said: “The girls had such great fun creating a soundtrack to accompany the Wallace and Gromit clip and we are delighted that they have achieved so highly.
“At Church High, the girls are introduced to music and composing from a very young age and it forms a big part of the curriculum. We are keen to encourage all our girls to have a go at creating sounds using different instruments – it’s a great way of developing their musical talents.”
During their visit to Aardman Studios, the group of four, accompanied by their parents, enjoyed a special tour to see how Wallace and Gromit and other famous animations are made.
Alice Geoghegan, one member of Church High’s highly commended group who went to the Aardman Studios, said: “I had lots of fun in Bristol on my visit to the Aardman Studios. We got to watch pieces of film, see the Wallace and Gromit models and find out how they make the films – it was just amazing to see how much work goes into each animation!
“I love music and it was such good fun making the sound clip with my friends – we were so happy when we made it through to the finals, we couldn’t believe it!”
Picture caption: Lidya Sardag, Emma-Louise Lithgow, April Faldon and Alice Geoghegan celebrate their success in the recent Blue Peter competition