King's School Rochester Weekly News
A Vocal Masterclass with 'The Sixteen'
A group of King’s School Rochester singers were given the opportunity to take part in a vocal workshop and informal performance with renowned vocal group, The Sixteen, last weekend. Singers Romy, John and Shiv reported back on their experience:
'Having the opportunity to sing amongst The Sixteen was an amazing and inspirational experience. The very first thing I noticed was how smiley and warm the environment was within the choir itself. It definitely makes a difference to the dynamic of the group and how everybody sings together. The main thing I learnt during the workshop and whilst listening to The Sixteen rehearse, was that being in a choir doesn’t just mean singing, it means many voices singing as one. The communication that all the singers had with each other whilst navigating a complex piece was amazing to hear. If I had to take one thing away from the experience musically, it would be to listen to each other in a choir setting and work together as one voice.
My favourite part about the workshop with Mark Dobell, a tenor in The Sixteen, was being able to ask him questions about how he got to where he is now and the advice he would give to us as young aspiring musicians. It was very affirming to know that actually you don’t have to have a ‘Plan A’ and stick to it for the rest of your life, and that you don’t even have to know what you want to do. He said he didn’t even know he wanted to sing professionally until university. We were told to simply just say yes and get involved in everything and eventually you will find something you love to do, whether you incorporate music as a profession or just something you love - and I can say for myself that hearing that was very helpful.' (Romy, Remove Storrs)
'It was a great experience and to learn from a member of The Sixteen was an incredible opportunity. After learning new techniques we had the chance to perform with The Sixteen and watched them rehearse, which was really extraordinary. The experience was very insightful and enjoyable. Singing Panis Angelicus with such a professional choir was an honour and the sound we created was incredible.' John L6P and Shiv L6W
A Velvet Cap for Arjun!
Congratulations to Arjun B (8W) who was awarded a Velvet Cap in the Whole School Cathedral Service this week. The Velvet Cap is the highest award possible in co-curricular activities where pupils have represented their country at top level and Arjun received his for representing England in Badminton. Arjun is an established international badminton player, having represented England on numerous occasions in the last two years. He has just returned from the Four Nations tournament held in Glasgow last weekend and he will follow this up with competitions in Croatia and Denmark during May. Alongside this Arjun shows his class consistently at national level. In February he won the England Badminton U15 Gold tournament in Gloucester, an outstanding achievement considering he's only 13! With a new sponsorship deal secured with Yonex and weekly training at the England Badminton Centre in Milton Keynes, Arjun has excellent support from some outstanding coaches and we are looking forward to seeing what the future holds for him.
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On Wednesday, the Upper Sixth had their annual careers day. This invaluable day models assessment centre days in FTSE 100 companies, exposing pupils to the various stages involved in selecting candidates for graduate schemes or degree apprenticeships as well as offering valuable practice for interview days. Well done to our candidates who got the job, Fabian and Charles, and the two runners up, Aayusha and Edward. Thanks to the parent and OR interviewers who kindly gave up their time to make the day possible. Further thanks to Lisa Settle from Ryland Communications and to the Old Roffensian Society for donating the prize money, which always gives the day an extra fizz!
Harry Wins Silver at Junior Inter Regional Regatta
Harry G (U5) competed at the Junior Inter Regional Regatta in Nottingham on Saturday, winning silver in the Open J16 double sculls (2x) event, rowing as a composite for Bewl Bridge Rowing Club and King’s School Rochester. All of Harry’s hard work and commitment paid off as he completed the 1500m race in an impressive time of 5:28.23. Well done, Harry – we look forward to seeing more great results in future races!