On Wednesday 8 February, Walton Academy was delighted to welcome local primary schools to participate in Singsation. The project, run by Lincolnshire Music Service, has brought together key stage 2 children with secondary students to perform pre-rehearsed songs with a professional band. Students from Ingoldsby Academy, Barrowby Church of England Primary School, Huntingtower Community Primary Academy and Orston Primary School performed alongside the Walton Choir and Rock Band, along with Hayley Sanderson and her band.  Hayley is a professional singer, and a regular featured vocalist on BBC Strictly Come Dancing.

Lincolnshire Music Service are rolling out Singsation across the county, hosting ten events this academic year with the joint aims of promoting the joy of singing, and welcoming key stage 2 children to a secondary school as they begin to think about their own transition into year 7. Andy Raine, partnership manager at LMS, noted that this collaborative project has enabled children to experience and take part in a live music event in an affordable way, with primary schools only being asked to fund transport costs to the host venues.

Mr Batey, headteacher at Barrowby Church of England Primary School, said: “This has been the most wonderful opportunity and our children have really enjoyed rehearsing in preparation for Singsation. To see a professional singer and musicians today and perform with them has been a fantastic culmination of all of their hard work.”

Adam Slepowronski, arts coordinator at the academy, was extremely proud of the teamwork that made Singsation such a success. “The Singsation project is a fantastic opportunity to introduce both primary and secondary aged children to a professional, live band. For us, it is also a great way to connect with local primary schools, inviting them into the Walton theatre which is a terrific, flexible, performance space and a real asset to the Walton community.

“This event was a whole school collaborative effort, and I sincerely thank every single person for their role in making Singsation such a terrific success. Special thanks to Leigh Bridge, our arts technician, for his technical support, and to the post 16 students, Joe, Will and Brooke for supporting the band and technicians, and Zia and Lily for photographing the event.

“Yesterday afternoon, the Walton theatre was filled with young people between the ages of 7 and 18 singing, dancing, and sharing the joy of live music. Feedback from the schools, the band, and Lincolnshire Music Service was hugely positive; everyone felt so welcome and looked after, and thoroughly enjoyed being with us at Walton.”

Singsation has been a really exciting opportunity for everyone involved, including our post 16 photography students, who have been learning about the challenges of photographing live events and were able to put their skills to use during the event. At Walton Academy we would like to say a huge well done to everyone involved in organising and taking part on the day, it has been a real privilege for us to host Singsation and we look forward to taking part in more collaborative events with the local community in the future.

Photo credits: post 16 photography students Lily and Zia.