On Saturday 10th March, Longbenton High School GCSE music students enjoyed a trip to the Sage Gateshead to hear a concert entitled the Best Of Broadway performed the Royal Northern Sinfonia and four guest professional musical theatre stars. As well as providing a cultural experience to visit this prestigious local venue and to hear the in-house professional orchestra, this concert was of particular relevance to our students as the GCSE course includes the study of ‘Music for Stage and Screen’. Within the concert programme was a performance of Stephen Schwartz’ hit Defying Gravity from the musical Wicked which the class have analysed in close detail as part of their study of the new GCSE Music specification. The concert brought the song to life, whilst also exposing the students to an additional array of repertoire within this genre which they may also be able to draw upon within their upcoming exam this summer. The students were enthralled by the performance; it was fantastic to see them so engaged by this experience. Whilst some were first time visitors to the venue, they navigated the impressive building like regulars, conducting themselves faultlessly as excellent representatives of our school throughout the visit.
