Performing Arts Workshop

Children in Year 3 at Reynolds Academy visited Waltham Toll Bar Academy for a workshop morning of songs and dances from Matilda: The Musical.

Students at Waltham Toll Bar Academy are performing Matilda as their school production later this year at Parkway Cinema in Cleethorpes and invited the pupils at Reynolds Academy to join them for a Performing Arts workshop.

The morning began with special performances from Waltham Toll Bar Academy and Toll Bar Sixth Form students. We started the performance on a high with Myles Johnston, Isaac Smith and Joshua Ellis-Thompson on the drums, guitar and vocals.

We then had an exceptional performance from Year 13 student Isabella Rowson from The Greatest Showman. Year 9 student Kelvin Xue shared a beautiful piece on the piano.

Amelia Phelps had the students captivated with her performance on the violin. Joshua Corfield then performed an acoustic version of Harry Styles. The Toll Bar Band then finished the performance which had the Year 3 students rocking along.

Music Curriculum Leader, James Longden then taught Reynolds Academy pupils the melody and lyrics to ‘Revolting Children’ from the musical. Many of the students knew the words already, being fans of the recent movie adaptation of the same musical.

Following this, Co-Director of Arts and Head of Drama, Gemma Carter then taught them the dance moves to this part of the musical. They were taught each step and kept up brilliantly.

Mrs Carter said: “I was very impressed with the confidence that Year 3 had with us. It was clear that a lot of them already had a fondness for the musical, which was great to see with them really getting into the singing and learning the dance moves.”

The year 3 students were then lucky enough to get a preview of the classroom scene ‘Revolting Children’ performed by our Toll Bar Matilda cast. The year 3 students then got the opportunity to act out a scene from the stage show with help from Waltham Toll Bar Academy students.

They were then able to perform their rehearsed scenes for everyone and performed their practiced song of ‘Revolting Children’ that they had prepared earlier in the day for the Waltham Toll Bar Academy students who will perform it themselves in June this year.

Year 3 Teacher at Reynolds Academy, Victoria Edwards said: “The children were so engaged with the activities and it was wonderful to see that so many who are usually quite shy and reserved came right out of their shell and got stuck into the workshops.”

Mrs Carter added: “Rehearsals for Matilda are well underway and the students have been working incredibly hard. It was lovely to work with the Year 3 students and we look forward to welcoming them to watch our matinee performance in June”.