'An amazing celebration of the talents of our young people' - Pupils from 11 Derbyshire schools sing together at joint concert

The event, which was divided into two parts taking place on Tuesday, March 5 and Wednesday, March 6, saw pupils from various Alfreton schools performing a wide range of songs at the David Nieper Academy’s stage.

Schools involved included David Nieper Academy, Stonebroom Primary and Nursey School, Shirland Primary School, Alfreton Park School, Woodbridge Junior School, Croft Infant School, Copthorne Community Infant school, Leys Junior School, Fritchley Primary School, South Wingfield Primary School and Christ the King Catholic Voluntary Academy.

Each school rehearsed their own songs to perform on the main stage at the academy. Pupils from all of the schools also learnt three songs which they then rehearsed together on the day – to perform to full house audiences in the evening.

The audience was treated to the David Nieper Academy Rock band kicking off both concerts by performing a fantastic and rousing rendition of the James Bond theme tune.

Croft Infant School delighted listeners with their performance of ‘I once saw an elephant’ and another notable treat was the performance by pupils at Alfreton Park school who performed the ‘School song’ which told the audience of the many things that the pupils do at their wonderful school and also their school values of “we are caring, we are brave”.

In addition, pupils were amazed by the talent on display by the DNA Dance Company who performed Hold on, a piece they have successfully entered into a number of competitions.

The finale of each concert was the combined choir performing, ‘You’ve got a friend in me’, Three little birds’ and a beautiful performance of ‘Pure imagination’.

As part of the time in the academy, all pupils had the opportunity to take part in a number of activities led by staff and students at David Nieper Academy, these included Dance, Computing, Maths and Art, where pupils made some wonderful flying fish.

Dr Kathryn Hobbs, the CEO of Christopher Nieper Education Trust, said: “We were delighted to welcome pupils and staff from ten local schools over two nights to take part in our annual Joint Concerts.

"The joint choirs were amazing. It was lovely to see over 120 pupils from six schools joining together each night to enjoy performing with each other for their families and friends. A wonderful end to each evening.

“The audience and staff were very impressed with the talent and enthusiasm from all of the children, and all left the concerts with big smiles on their faces.

“A big thank you to all of the staff from each of the schools for their hard work in preparing and running these events as well as to the children who performed and made these fantastic concerts possible.

“It was wonderful to welcome pupils and staff from ten local schools to share together and perform with the students at David Nieper Academy in our Joint Concerts. These events are an amazing celebration of the talents of our young people in the Alfreton area. It is also lovely to welcome so many friends and family to share in the enjoyment of the evenings.”