Cambridge primary pupils are on song with top a cappella group at The Perse

5 Jul 2019

Children from Cambridge primary schools were given the opportunity to perform with leading a cappella group The Sons of Pitches at The Perse.

Pupils from Fen Ditton Primary School, Morley Memorial Primary School, Queen Edith Primary School and Queen Emma Primary School came to The Perse for a special singing lesson with the group, who rose to fame after winning BBC Two series The Naked Choir in 2015.

The Sons of Pitches were then joined on stage by the school groups as they performed the songs they had learned during the day for a concert in the Peter Hall Performing Arts Centre.

Fen Ditton sang Pharrell Williams hit Happy and Morley Memorial gave a rendition of Ed Sheeran’s Perfect, while Queen Edith performed Shotgun by George Ezra and Adele’s Rolling in the Deep was sung by Queen Emma. After taking a break to enjoy Sons of Pitches sing several numbers, all the children came back on stage to lend their vocal support to a rousing finale of Justin Timberlake smash Can’t Stop the Feeling.

Sons of Pitches beatboxer and Old Persean Mide Adenaike (2013) said: “It went down really well with the children and we really enjoyed it. We gave them some homework to go and learn the lyrics to the songs before they came along and we tried to teach them about things such as dynamics and how your voice sounds different whether you’re smiling or not smiling, and also about stage presence.

“We were very pleased with how they did as we hadn’t given them an a cappella track to learn from so it was an extra challenge for them singing along with a bass singer and a beatboxer.

“It’s great when they’re so attentive and responsive. With singing, there’s always been a hurdle of making it seem cool and people feeling inhibited, so we love helping making people more confident in this way.”

The event certainly hit the right note with the visiting children. Fen Ditton pupil Nevaeh said: “It was really good. I love singing and I liked it when we got to sing with everybody. I haven’t seen The Sons of Pitches before but they were so good!” Her schoolmate Emily added: “Getting to sing with Sons of Pitches was the best bit. It was nerve-racking but really exciting to actually perform on stage in front of a lot of people.”