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Our students are “Happy” with remote performance

Our amazing musical students haven’t let a pandemic stop them from making music together and the result is an amazing virtual performance already viewed thousands of times.

The Concert Band musicians were brought together for a brilliant rendition of Pharrell Williams’ ‘Happy’ and the lockdown band is in perfect harmony even though we played on our own and didn’t see each other until the final video was created.

Our DIrector of Music Peter Strudwick came up with the idea when band-members were missing the chance to play together and also wanted to spread a bit of sunshine in these difficult times. 

The wonder of today’s technology means we were able to create a perfect rendition of Happy from a host of individual performances.

The band members had a final bitter-sweet rehearsal in the week before lockdown started when we played through all of our favourites, not knowing when we would play together again. There was laughter and tears.

Emails were sent to individuals along with a backing track they could play to - and each one recorded themselves playing - with a few appearing twice with different instruments.

Mr Strudwick ended-up with about 50 videos to edit - taking around 50 hours -  and the results have been viewed 4,500 times on the music department’s Facebook Page.

It has given huge amounts of pleasure to all those involved as well as to an ever-widening audience and we have succeeded beyond anything Mr Strudwick could have imagined.

He is ready to do it all again as he is already planning a rendition of the Earth Wind and Fire song September. Then he is hoping to invite former members to join the current players and stage an ‘Instant Concert.’

The link is https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K1T5IGFWKj0&feature=youtu.be or the video can be seen on the Springwood High School Music Department’s Facebook page here