A76176_Bancrofts_Insight Autumn 2020_v03

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Music in “Lockdown”
The Music Department was one of the early Covid casualties
as their showcase Drapers’ Hall concert in March had to be
cancelled. The past term, however, has continued to be busy.
We have enjoyed regular concerts: a soloists’ concert featuring some
of our top musicians; a junior soloists’ concert and an end of year
concert which featured performances from some of our visiting
music staff as well as members of staff who have recently taken up
instruments as part of a staff “Grade-one-athon.” This involved staff
being coached by pupil musicians with the aim to get them to at
least Grade One standard. This end of year concert also featured
ensemble items from Bancroft’s Musicians and the Bancroft’s Singers
as well as a farewell fromThe Common Denominators, a staff band
whose performances at school fundraisers and Sixth Form Open
Mic Nights has proved popular over the past couple of years.
Twenty of our musicians joined together as a virtual orchestra for
the Pirates of the Caribbean project. Mr Kelsell said,“I am grateful
for all pupils who submitted a video. I recorded a guide track with a
click for them to play in their headphones whilst they recorded their
own video on their instruments. I then collated and edited all these
together in Final Cut Pro, it took ages! I had some pointers from
Florian Cooper (Director of Music at Brentwood).”The response
from the pupils has been positive, ShreyaValera said,“It turned out
really well. So great of you to put it together.”
You can watch it on:
Members of the Bancroft’s Singers have worked hard to produce a
version of You’ll Never Walk Alone from the musical Carousel (and also
‘adopted’ by Liverpool fans). For those who are unfamiliar with the
song, the lyrics are poignant, reflective and, perfect for the situation in
which we find ourselves as a community.
Huge thanks to all members of the Singers who took the time to
record their parts and a special thank you to Mr Kelsall who spent
hours editing. Please do take a listen and we hope you enjoy!
UCL Performance of Frogs
Jemima Henderson and Tanya Liu, L6E
Back in February, Sixth Form Classics students,
accompanied by Mrs. Baker and Ms. Stewart, attended a
performance of Aristophanes’ Frogs at UCL University
College London (UCL).
The play tells the story of Dionysus travelling down into the
Underworld with his comical slave, Xanthias in the hopes
of reviving a dead playwright to reignite the golden days of
Athenian tragedies.Whilst remaining true to the original text, the
University adapted the play to suit a modern audience, featuring
contemporary ideas such as current political and social affairs.
Another modification made was to the setting of the play which
took a minimalistic approach compared to the traditional view
of the Underworld. One character who was particularly different
from the conventional portrayal was Euripides, another successful
playwright, who was played by a woman – which would not
have been allowed in ancient Greece. An essential part of Greek
theatre was the role of the chorus who act as a moral guide
for the main characters and the audience of the play and, in this
interpretation, the chorus remained on stage for most of the
performance and were vital for understanding certain moments of
dialogue, particularly for those not studying the play. Overall, the
performance encapsulated the essence of the original text whilst
also engaging a modern audience’s interest in the traditional Greek
comedy with themes from present-day society.
T H E P E R F O R M I N G A R T S