Our daily routines and educational practice are rooted in the twin values of Dignity and Respect.
Phone: 01296 651382Email: office@waddesdonschool.com
After a year away from the stage, our annual music festival Waddfest has returned – in online form. Year 12’s Chloe took part and she tells us what it was like being part of such a spectacular show.
Having been at Waddesdon since September, I have luckily been given many opportunities, especially in the music department, that I hadn’t been given before. Due to Covid, the way WaddFest went forward this year was different from how it had been done in the past but nevertheless, it was a great chance to not just perform but to listen and enjoy such talent from the students, ranging from Year 9 to older students who came back to help and produce some great music.
I really enjoyed the whole process of WaddFest, starting with the song choices, which I found to be a difficult job, having to pick songs to not only show my ability as a musician but will also captivate the audience. I got the chance to have a lead vocal song within the class band, where I chose ‘Valerie’ and also an acoustic song, where I chose to sing and play ‘Remedy’ by Adele. It was nice to have a contrast between the two songs as both of them have a completely different feel. With all the uncertainty and a limited time frame to prepare for the performance, our class of Year 12s worked hard and efficiently together to prepare and rehearse a set of songs with lots of help from Mr Judson, who arranged the event and worked tirelessly putting it all together.
Working as a team definitely made the whole experience much more enjoyable for everyone. I found it very beneficial that I had the chance to help set up the stage and all the equipment, which taught me not only how to set it up but also opened my eyes to how much effort and hard work goes into putting on a performance. It’s great to see music from a different perspective and to understand all the roles involved, which I think is just as important as the performance itself.
Knowing I hadn’t experienced something like WaddFest before, I didn’t know what to expect, but it exceeded any preliminary thoughts I had about it. One moment that stood out to me was during the performance of ’Valerie’: the atmosphere in the room was different from any other performance I had done previously. The audience of musicians were on their feet and singing along which definitely gave me a boost of confidence and I personally thought it felt like it brought a sense of community between everyone. Another moment that stood out was watching others perform songs that I know they have worked so hard on, their happiness and dedication for sure rubbed off on the other musicians.
WaddFest has brought so many people together and put smiles on so many faces and now I’ll look forward to jumping into the next performance opportunity with both feet, knowing I’ll be working with such a great bunch of people.