Junior School Concert - PYP Music Blast

The PYP Music Blast, a Junior School concert which was held on Friday, 17^th May 2019, aimed at celebrating the learning acquired by the PYP inquirers over the year in the form of innovative music artistry. The concert saw participation from over 150 students ranging from day care to grade 5, creating yet again, a milestone PYP performance for the academic year 2018-19.

The students were under the expert guidance of Ms. Louisa Dazeley, Mr Arshad Ali and Mr Subhadip Sarkar who played principal roles in inspiring, identifying and molding them in their creative fronts. The concert was a host to multiple languages. For instance, students from the Day Care performed Azadi ki Khuli Hawa Mein (Hindi) and Open and Shut (English). The PYP choir group, on the other hand, recited We are a Family (English), Tenala Tetala (Telugu), Son of Man (English), Make a Difference (English) and Ae Watan (Hindi). Students also performed Che Che Kooley by researching and demonstrating music from other culture, in this case being West Africa.

While grade 2 performed the song Vibrations, grade 3 composed four-beat rhythms using SketchASong on their iPads. These rhythms were then imitated using beatbox and/or body percussion (au choix) and finally transferring into their choice of instruments. The presenters for grade 2 was Ziyan and for grade 3 were Aiza, Aliya and Zinya who introduced performers from their respective grades with impressive speeches.

One of the parents in the audience appreciated the performance by quoting, “We heartily congratulate you for a great musical experience today at the concert. Thank you for the innovative ways to connect music to physics. Our son told us how sound is caused by vibrations. Simply by observing his seniors perform on stage opened a new learning for him!”

Performances by grade 4 and 5 were also equally praised, especially for taking responsibility in developing their singing skills and playing instruments collaboratively. The self-initiation to practice and take complete ownership of their individual roles was quite evident during the concert.

All music teachers and parents present exhibited happiness and pride at the exhibtion of student learning, and uninhited performances. Mr Subhadip remarks: “On seeing my students on stage showcasing their musical abilities with utmost confidence and independence, I felt proud of them more than anybody else! It was a brilliant display of collaboration, perseverance, commitment and hard work. Students were extremely disciplined and well-behaved throughout the show, which was a challenging task for the young minds. I feel privileged to be a part of this community of enthusiastic music lovers, who inspire me every day!"