Winners of BBC 2 series The Naked Choir share their talents with Perse singers

25 Jan 2019

Old Persean Mide Adenaike (2013)

Top a cappella vocal group The Sons of Pitches passed on their expertise to Perse pupils during a special masterclass prior to their concert in the Peter Hall Performing Arts Centre.

Featuring beatboxer and Old Persean Mide Adenaike (2013), The Sons of Pitches rose to fame when winning BBC Two series The Naked Choir in 2015 and went on to be the in-house group on Sky One show Sing: Ultimate A Cappella.

The Perse Voices choir, formed of pupils from Years 7 to 9, was treated to a performance from The Sons of Pitches before being shown how to create an unaccompanied a cappella sound and transform their voices into a human drum kit, courtesy of Mide.

The Sons of Pitches then worked with the Acappelicans group, who had the honour of performing some numbers during the concert. They showed the students different techniques they could use with their voices as well as ideas for vocal arrangements for their songs.

Mide, who began beatboxing at 16, said it was a pleasure to return to The Perse and give a workshop with his colleagues.

He said: “I feel quite honoured to be giving something back to The Perse after what the school gave me for so many years. The new performing arts centre feels like a serious venue as well and it’s great to be able to play here.

“We ran a workshop for a couple of the younger year groups, teaching them some of the key elements of a cappella, such as harmonies and chords, and then the beatboxing side of things, before bringing it all together to make a really cool piece.

“It’s one of those things where people can be a little bit shy at the start, but they see that you can make these noises with your voice and that intrigues them and draws them in. They were definitely very receptive.”

Mide added that The Sons of Pitches enjoyed working with the Acappelicans and he praised them for their ability and attitude.

He said: “I remember seeing the Acappelicans when I was still at The Perse. They were quite a young group that started when I was in the Upper Sixth. I hoped that they would keep going and I think they’re a very talented group of people.”

Acappelicans member Julia De Luca (Upper Sixth) felt the masterclass had been a great experience.

She said: “We sang to them and they gave us some tips on arranging which was really helpful. We then did a workshop together where we built up a song by layering different textures with a bassline and different chords and thought of accompanying ideas and shapes with your mouth to alter the sound. It was very inspiring.”

Listen to Mide explain how The Perse played a role in his beatboxing career below.