Young Musician of the Year Competition
On Friday 19 April, brilliant talent from across our Trust gathered to perform at the grand final of our Young Musician of the Year Competition.
This is the first year of running the competition, where students from every academy in our Trust could enter. We had over 200 submissions from young people in Stoke-on-Trent, the Wirral, Greater Manchester, Bradford & Leeds. The talent was magnificent to see and it was a challenging task for our judges to shortlist the 40 semi-finalists!
We had a wide range of submissions from singers, pianists, instrumentalists, drummers and bands entering. A big thanks to our impartial and expert judges who helped shortlist for the regional semi-finals, which took place in February/March at special art venues across Manchester, Leeds and Stoke-on-Trent.
Last Friday’s show represented the very best young musicians in our Trust, who should be extremely proud to have reached the grand final.
Joining us at the final were three special judges:
Zakiya Leeming - Artist & Producer at Royal Northern College of Music
Graeme Genty - Director of Schools & Curriculum for Rochdale Music Service
Nick Jones - Head of Strings at Chetham's School of Music
A big thank you to our judges and, of course, our dedicated academy staff who helped facilitate this special event. Likewise to the family and friends who came along to show their support!
Executive Headteacher, Steve Brice, and organiser of the competition, said of the event:
“Music education in schools is vitally important. You don't have to look far to find countless articles and research papers that cite how music links to better brain development, how it improves motor skills and concentration, how it promotes emotional intelligence, how it links to language development and mathematical thinking ... but we also mustn't forget that, for some students, music departments and making music can engender a strong sense of belonging, fulfilment and joy.
Behind every word sung or note played was countless hours of practice. Behind every piece we heard was a young performer who had the courage to express themselves and to show vulnerability, and the skill to transport us somewhere else through their music.
The idea for a Trust-wide Young Musician of the Year competition was the brainchild of Matthew Asher (Head of Music at Co-op Academy North Manchester). I didn't need any persuading that this would be a fantastic thing to organise. I'm really grateful to Matt for all his support throughout the competition, and for his very hands-on support at the live events themselves.
The arts can be both powerful and transformative. Some of the young musicians we heard from may well go on to pursue this as a career - and goodness knows they have the talent to succeed ... whilst others may follow other pathways, knowing they always have their musical skill to pursue for pleasure and to develop throughout their lives.
Either way - I am certain that we have helped to create an experience for them, through this competition, that will stay with them for a very long time!”
Check out the winners for each category below!
Primary
Primary Young Musician of the Year
Elijah Amon, Year 3 | Co-op Academy Portland
Singing - Uptown Funk (by Mark Ronson ft Bruno Mars)
Primary Runner Up
Arad Mirzaie Year 5 | Co-op Academy New Islington
Piano - Golden Autumn (an Iranian piece by Fariborz Lachini)
Primary Runner Up
Aniya Gillat, Year 5 | Co-op Academy Glebe
Singing - Set Fire to the Rain (by Adele)
Key Stage 3
Key Stage 3 Vocalist
Rosa Whitton, Year 9 | Co-op Academy Priesthorpe
Singing - On My Own (from the musical Les Miserable by Claude Michel Schonberg)
Key Stage 3 Instrumentalist
Samuel Amissah, Year 8 | Co-op Academy Belle Vue
Singing - Never Enough (from The Greatest Showman by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul)
Key Stage 4
Key Stage 4 Vocalist
Lillia Tariket, Year 11 | Co-op Academy Leeds
Singer - Lost Without You (by Freya Ridings)
Key Stage 4 Instrumentalist
Yilei Chen, Year 11 | Co-op Academy Manchester
Piano - Liebestraum (by Liszt)
Secondary Young Musician of the Year
Daisy Allen, Year 8 | Co-op Academy Swinton
Singing - Fall On Me (by Christina Aguilera & A Great Big World)
Band of the Year
Friday Night Band, Year 11 | North Manchester
Jazz band - Young Hearts Run Free (written by David Crawford, originally by Candi Staton)
You can watch the entire show below