Students make a song and dance

1:55pm Friday 28th March 2008

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MORE than 90 Herefordshire teenagers - students from six county secondary schools studying for their GCSE music exams - took part in a music, song and dance day at Hereford's Courtyard recently, engaging in all the activities on offer with enormous enthusiasm.

Three groups circulated around the building, singing songs from Africa and Eastern Europe led by Hilary Smallwood; learning the basics of South American Samba rhythms led by local percussionist Peta Yapp; and dancing their socks off to the vital and energetic Punjabi Bhangra drumming of Vijay Mehay.

Their teachers joined in as well, declaring the day a total success, expanding their pupils' experience of music from global cultures and injecting a renewed sense of commitment to their academic studies.

The day, the fifth annual event of its kind, was organised by The Music Pool and Herefordshire CYPD as a collaboration with The Courtyard's education department.

It culminated in a display of Samba, a two-part Bulgarian song for everybody to join in with, and all 93 students Bhangra dancing on stage.