Lodge Park students join hundreds to perform at The Albert Hall Conference Centre in Nottingham

Music students from Lodge Park Academy in Corby were thrilled to join hundreds of other students from the David Ross Education Trust (DRET) recently as they met to rehearse and perform at the annual DRET Secondary Music Festival. 

575 students from across DRET started their musical day on Thursday 7 March by splitting into two groups - singers and instrumentalists - to rehearse ‘Hope and Glory’ by Pete Letanka, a piece written as a reimagining of ‘Pomp and Circumstance March No. 1’ by Elgar.

Students were also treated to a concert by the renowned Berkeley Ensemble who performed their favourite 14 compositions from DRET’s Composition Challenge, including a piece by Emily Burlington, an A-Level music student at Lodge Park.

There were four separate concerts from all 11 DRET secondary schools in the afternoon, which saw the Lodge Park Academy choir perform ‘For the Beauty of the Earth’ by John Rutter and ‘Shallow’ by Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga.

Members of the Berkeley Ensemble adjudicated and commented that the choir had “a beautiful sound” and “the storytelling was fantastic - it really felt like you were telling us something important”.

Year 12 singers performed ‘Problem’ by Ariana Grande as an acapella quartet, receiving full marks from adjudicators. The communication between the four performers was described as “amazing” and adjudicators also stated that the students had a “fantastic stage presence”.

All students performed ‘Hope and Glory’ together, rounding off the day with a wonderful finale.

Reflecting on her composition being performed by The Berkeley Ensemble,

Emily Burlington, A-Level music student at Lodge Park Academy, said:

"I loved working with them and hearing it the way I imagined.

“It was good how receptive they were of my feedback, and I am so grateful to them for engaging with me and helping me to improve my work."

Sue Jones, Executive Principal at Lodge Park Academy, said:

 “This was a fantastic opportunity for our students to collaborate with their peers from across the trust while receiving guidance from renowned, professional musicians.

 “At DRET, we are committed to providing a world-class education for all our students and providing access to a broad range of enriching cultural experiences such as this one is essential. Performing helps to build confidence and enables our students to fulfil their potential.

 “We are incredibly proud that Emily’s composition was selected to be performed live at such a prestigious and historical concert hall and it has been inspiring to see the talent and dedication from all students in the Composition Challenge.

 “Our students were, once again, an absolute credit to the school and we are delighted that they represented themselves so well while sharing their passion for music.”