Eisteddfod 2016 - all systems go!

The 2016 Eisteddfod has started with great promise this year, with Guernsey's youth paving the way for some excellent music making!

Congratulations Elliot for the U15 Pop

Kicking off the afternoon was the U14 Piano class which showed a great array of promising young pianists, especially winner Francois Cloete. This was then followed by the U15 pop class. Pop for young voices is a tricky thing; the genre often demands a particular sound that young students aren't ready for, or the subject matter is often particularly adult - some of you may remember last year my frequent talk of how singing teachers, in particular, need to really think about whether the music the children are singing is appropriate. That being said, this class was fantastic, with a great selection of song choices and with every singer performing incredibly well. The adjudicator gave some very good feedback on how the singers need to act with these songs and tell the story, from beginning to end. It is true - songs have words, and you need to convey that you know what the words mean! He went on to be very complimentary about the young singers' understanding about the pop genre, and the stylistic qualities that go with it. In a high standard class, it was Elliot Hearne who won the trophy with a Distinction performance of "Ain't no Sunshine" by Bill Withers (and I'm told it's his birthday today, so that's a nice little surprise present for him!). I do want to mention, what I thought was a truly beautiful performance; Matilda Cole performing 'Hallelujah' by Leonard Cohen. At only 7 years old, Matilda's innocence and beautifully clear pure voice just gave this song a different spin which I really enjoyed. The afternoon continued with the Chamber Music Duo/Trio/Quartet (secondary school age), and the Secondary School Choir classes. What stood out in this class was how great it was to see young musicians performing together, as noticed by the adjudicator. He said, "Music is about making music WITH other people, and FOR other people", something which massively benefits, in particular, young musicians. He spoke to the chamber musicians about learning to 'breathe' with each other, so that you truly play as a complete sound. A fantastic idea he suggested, was trying, as a group, to begin the piece with your eyes closed, so as to truly master working as a team and feeling the music - a tip adult musicians could also learn from, FYI! Closing with the school choirs, it was lovely to hear such good choral singing from all three schools participating. And it was also great to have such variety from the different choirs, showing off the best of their unique abilities - good balance, varied programmes, classical choral sounds and a little bit of scat, it was all in there!

As an adjudicator, Peter Hewitt has demonstrated that he really understands singing, which is great to see. As a chorister and flautist, he has some fantastic knowledge into the mechanics of singing and performing, and breathing in particular - can't say I agree with his statement that the Beau Sejour Theatre is 'quite good, so you can project quietly quite well....' - hmmm, experience has taught me otherwise on that one! I think he needs to get up on stage and have a sing and see how dead the stage is! However, Peter is a very calm and very articulate adjudicator, and I like the way he explains to the audience exactly what he personally is looking for in each class, and is always positive in the first instance - I'm looking forward to hearing more of his insights.

Ruby Jane Gill as 'Woody', and myself as 'Andy' (+trophy!)

The evening session was set to be a fantastic night of entertainment, and boy, did it deliver! We started the night off with a fast and furious xylophone duet, followed by John Morris's technical wizardry in the Jazz Piano. We then succumbed to the magic that is the Songs from the Shows Class, both the Open (all ages) and the Under 18. It is unusual for any Songs from the Shows Classes to appear in the music section before the first weekend of the Eisteddfod is over - for those of you that were wondering, it's because this year the Dance World Cup has it's qualifiers in Jersey, starting from the 9th March, which has meant a massive headache for Fran Bourget in trying to organise the classes so that people can still compete (and sadly it does mean there may be a fair few more drop-outs than expected this year) - In a way though, it was really great to open this year's Eisteddfod with a bang! I myself got up on stage tonight with my student Ruby for the Songs for the Shows Open, and accompanied another student of mine Charlotte Hardwick, singing with Michael Sullivan in the same class. I think the Open Songs from the Shows is a fantastic class, and it's a shame there aren't more entries in it. I actively encourage teachers to suggest to students from different age groups, or siblings/parents, or like me, teachers and students to participate in this class. I'm very pleased to say that Ruby and I won our Class with a Distinction for our rendition of 'You've got a Friend in Me' (and yes, I let Ruby take the trophy home!)

Following the Open Class, we were on to the Under 18's Songs from the Shows Class, and as Peter Hewitt would go on to say later, 'It's remarkable how much these kids can do." And it really is! Every year it is so obvious that there is an exceptional amount of talent in this island. It was really lovely to hear him talk about the fantastic teaching as well as the great performances, as we rarely see how much hard work all the singing teachers do to get students to their full potential. Peter went on to talk seriously about how it's important not to push too hard when singing, which is a subject that's really been on my mind a lot recently, as a vocal coach. A lot of pop and musical theatre these days expect a belting sound, which actually, for young voices is not always safely possible. And, contrary to popular belief, belting is not shouting and shouldn't cause the singer any strain - maybe it's a technique that needs a bit more serious attention, to make sure that we really protect our stars of the future from vocal damage. Back to the class. The U18's showed us a fantastic cross-section of the musical theatre genre, with everything from beautiful ballads to comedic audience participation. Toby Giles won the Class with an 89 - unfortunately I didn't get to see him, but I'm assured by my audience sources that he was a very worthy winner! I'd would like to mention my two personal favourites: Harry Guibelio for his hilarious portrayal of Mr Wormwood in "Telly" from Matilda, and Elizabeth Beacom's heart-wretching rendition of "Still Hurting" from The Last Five Years. Elizabeth really shone for me, I have to say - I've known her since she was a very young girl, and to see her give such a mature performance and sing the best I've ever heard her sing was truly wonderful.

All in all, it's been a brilliant start to the Music Eisteddfod 2016 - we've already seen some of the best young talent Guernsey has to offer, and we've only just begun! (As Fran says, "1 down, 25 to go!)

L-R: Miriam Botzenhardt, Charlotte Hardwick, Kirsty Dempster and Jenna Tostevin, waiting backstage, ready to perform