Developing Skills across the School, and not just Musical

St Christopher’s was very fortunate to host choral conductor Dominic Peckham in early March. Dominic worked with pupils, staff and parents.

Dominic Peckham is regarded as one of the UK’s finest young orchestral and choral conductors, and he is a leading light in music education. His sessions with our pupils were engaging, innovative, eye-opening and empowering.

Dominic used ‘clap attacks’ and the voice as a way to develop not only musical skills, but also teamwork, leadership and confidence. Senior School pupils learned to sing ‘The Wayfaring Stranger’ in two parts and the Infant and Junior pupils did a fabulous ‘mash-up’ of Billie Jean and Please Don’t Stop the Music.

Dominic holds posts as Assistant Music Director for The National Youth Choirs of Great Britain, Director of Ulster Youth Training Choir, Artistic Director for The Royal Opera House’s youth project RM19 and Artistic Director and Founder of iSing UK – the touring schools workshop company. He regularly works in schools across the UK and abroad leading workshop days and individual sessions to get students singing and working together across all ages. Dominic spent most of June this year filming with Choirmaster Gareth Malone and TwentyTwenty Television for a brand new BBC series celebrating all things a cappella, ‘The Naked Choir’ on BBC2.

We were extremely privileged to have such a celebrated choral conductor working with us and staff found their own voice in engaging workshops, creating their own ‘mash-ups’. Dominic Peckham also energised staff who formed our inaugural Staff Choir and was happily stunned by how good staff sounded when singing five-part harmonies! Parents also had the opportunity to join in an early morning ‘wake-up and sing’ session with their children. They sang with real gusto!