A group of music students at Edge Grove have just returned home from a prestigious music tour in Sri Lanka where they were fortunate enough to work with over 300 other students.
Playing on many local instruments they had never seen before while performing to classes of local children, the school’s musicians led individual groups in singing a round and developing songs further by using different musical elements and original ideas. The pupils were the first ever school children to perform at the prestigious Mount Lavinia Hotel in Sri Lanka.
Also performing for the Rainbow Centre, a charity that provides loving support to children living in extreme poverty in south western Sri Lanka, Edge Grove’s young musicians ran a three hour session teaching musical elements and notation as well as helping new groups of local children to learn an original version of the traditional ‘I like the flowers’ song, that they had written using Sri Lankan geographical elements. At the end of the session, The Rainbow Centre children were able to accompany the original song with their various rhythms on percussion instruments that were donated by Edge Grove School from its pupils’ fundraising.
Having taught in Sri Lanka for many years previously, Ben Evans, Headmaster of Edge Grove School commented on the tour: “We are really proud of our pupils who also performed at Ecole International School in Kandy and the sessions were so successful that they were even asked for autographs by the local children! The children also had an amazing experience rehearsing in a beach hut before performing to a full restaurant of locals so they really created memories to last a lifetime.”
As well as performing and working with the Sri Lankan pupils, the children at Edge Grove were fortunate to experience a taste of Sri Lanka too, including traditional drumming, visiting the amazing Peniwala Elephant Orphanage, and being treated to a private Kandy Traditional Dance and Music show.
Evans continued: “Our pupils even made friends with a parakeet who they named Maverick and who had a penchant for waffles! A sensational time was had by all.”
Edge Grove’s Musicians were: Daisy Beer, Carlotta Fazzini-Jones, Jimi Bakare, Harry Bilgora-Kelly, Amber Pinkerton