"Don't Stop Believing..." - the words of Journey's 1980s classic power ballad, made popular by Glee recently, are still ringing in my ears after last night's memorable Young Voices concert at Sheffield Arena, attended by all of year 5.
Postponed from before Christmas, the songs still kept a festive feel, and I couldn't help disagreeing slightly as the children sang, "Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!" - but the santa hats helped toadd to the slightly surreal atmosphere.
This is our second year supporting Young Voices, who in turn support CLIC Sargent Cancer Care for Children. In the past seven years, Young Voices have raised just short of a million pounds for the charity, and with performances last night, it's easy to see why people are willing to dip into their pockets.
We arrived at the Arena after lunch and settled into our seats ready for a lengthy rehearsal. During the rehearsal, we were introduced to some of the artists who were also taking part in the concert:
14-year old soul singer Dionne Bromfield
Supergroup All Angels
19-year old singer-songwriter Josh Osho, and
Streetdancers - Urban Strides.
Many of the songs that the children sang were sung alongside these special guest artists.
After a tea break, the excited children reconvened in the Arena, ready to sing to a packed house.
Starting with "The Moment", a song written especially for Young Voices by the musical director,
the 4000-strong Young Voices choir sang and danced their hearts out, including paying tribute to Michael Jackson and reminding us of the weather we've thankfully left behind in 2010.
My thanks go to the children for being fantastic all afternoon, to Mr Eaton and Mrs Taylor for joining us on the trip, and to all the parents for cheering and waving.
Roll on next year!
(Pictures and videos to follow later today)
Posted on
Wed, January 26, 2011
by JPW