PADDINGTON ACADEMY STUDENTS SHINE IN VIRTUAL GREEN LOVE! PERFORMANCE

Students celebrate virtual premiere of Green Love! with thousands of their peers in schools from across United Learning

Group-wide music and performing arts project designed to develop students’ musical skills and raise awareness about climate change

On Friday 15th October, students at Paddington Academy joined together virtually with thousands of their peers from across United Learning to see themselves in the online premiere of Green Love! Songs to save the world.

Green Love! is an ambitious music and performing arts project designed to develop students’ musical talents and encourage them to think more about the environment and how, together, we can protect it. The project culminated in the professional production of a unique thirty-minute film, featuring performances recorded in the 40 schools involved.

Last academic year, students at Paddington Academy immersed themselves in the world of music and dance, enjoying in-school rehearsals and virtual, group-wide Green Love! assemblies delivered by The Voices Foundation and Beat Goes On.  Collectively, they learnt six original songs inspired by sustainability and composed by celebrated musicians Alexander L’Estrange and Joanna Forbes L’Estrange, as well as accompanying body percussion rhythms.  Having mastered the lyrics and foot-tapping rhythms, students recorded their final in-school performance in the Summer Term.

To celebrate their hard work, students enjoyed an early premiere of Green Love! on the afternoon.  This was followed by a ticketed online showing in the evening, where students’ friends and families were able to watch the special performance, held in support of Ibba Girls’ School in South Sudan.  The film is available to watch on YouTube here: Green Love! - Songs to Save the World.

Mohammed Amin, a student at Paddington Academy said:  “I enjoyed working as a whole class to learn some difficult rhythms and can’t wait to see what the finished film looks like!”

Rebekah Dale, Head of Performing Arts at Pddington Academy said:  “It was a great opportunity at the end of a difficult year to be able to work as an ensemble, putting all our body percussion skills to the test and starting to bring back singing for worthy cause.”

Catherine Barker, Head of Music and Performing Arts at United Learning, said:  “Congratulations to all our pupils who took part in Green Love! Each and every one of them gave a superb performance, which has not only led to the creation of a fantastic film but has, I’m sure, inspired us all to help tackle climate change and lead more sustainable lives.

“As our schools return to normal ways of teaching and learning, this virtual production is testament to how pupils and teachers alike can join together during times of difficulty to spread awareness about an important cause and foster their creativity. It’s an incredibly inspiring feat that everyone involved should be immensely proud of.

“Thank you to all our teachers and support staff who showed such enthusiasm in delivering Green Love! to our young people, and likewise to our longstanding partners Joanna and Alexander L’Estrange, The Voices Foundation and Beat Goes On who made the project such a success. Ensuring our young people have access to opportunities like this is all part of how we deliver an Education with Character at United Learning and I am very much looking forward to seeing how we can build on this for the future.”