Thursday 7th July saw Woodham Academy’s first Performing Arts event since March 2020. The traditional Summer Concert returned once again, with performers ranging from new members of Year 7, up to Year 11 students, who had just left school following the completion of their GCSE examinations.
Despite a number of difficulties with running rehearsals earlier on in the year, due to Covid restrictions, students still managed to prepare a packed programme of music, drama and dance, and did an excellent job of showcasing the many and varied talents within the school community. Notable performances came from, among others, Sam Leary and Clara McWhinnie, who performed their version of ‘The Climb’, with impressive vocals from Sam, and a Makaton sign language accompaniment from Clara. Year 9 student AJ Wild performed twice, both with a band of Y9 music students Millie Andrews, Amy Richardson and Olivia Fojt, and later on leading the Snare Academy percussion group. AJ was also presented with a certificate for his success in his most recent drum exam, achieving a distinction at Grade 4 level. Woodham Drama Group performed their rendition of ‘We Don’t Talk About Bruno’, and Woodham Dance Academy contributed a selection of dances with some excellent choreography and lifts! Returning Head Girl Jennie Harrison did an admirable job of hosting the evening, before closing the show with her rendition of ‘Thank You For the Music’, a fitting way to end what has been an impressive music career during her time at Woodham.
Next academic year looks to be an equally exciting year with lots of performing arts activities available for students at Woodham, with Christmas and Summer concerts already calendared, as well as Performing Arts Academy’s production of Roald Dahl’s Matilda Jr, which is due to take place in March 2023.