SSLP: Year 7 hit the high notes with Gabrieli Roar

Year 7 JAGS students enjoyed a morning of joyous singing with the Gabrieli Roar programme.

As part of the Southwark Schools’ Learning Partnership, JAGS hosted a special event, welcoming students from St Saviour’s & St Olave’s School, Dulwich College, and Streatham & Clapham High School.

Led by Artistic Director Paul McCreesh, Gabrieli Roar provides support and encouragement for youth choirs aspiring to achieve more. The programme helps young singers excel, build confidence in their abilities, and develop a lasting love of choral music.

A huge thank you to our Music Department for facilitating such a wonderful morning!

Below, our Year 7 students share their experiences:

Moji: 

“JAGS collaborated with four other SSLP schools in the VWA, taking part in the wonderful workshop Gabrieli Roar. It was an exciting opportunity to meet students from other schools.

“We were divided into different groups based on our preferred vocal pitch. Afterwards, we enjoyed delicious chocolate-chip cookies and orange juice, then spent time in the quad getting to know each other.

“I loved how, instead of being in our usual groups, we had the chance to meet new people in Year 7 and ask them about their school experiences. I am very happy to have taken part in this and would love to be involved in more collaborations in the future.”

Saanvi:

“This experience is one we will definitely remember. We had a lot of fun along the way while learning four songs! We started with vocal exercises to get our voices ready. I think we can all agree that our favourite was the ‘buzzy bee’ one – where we imitated a bee on a rollercoaster going up and down.

“Then, we sang an informal song, more like a rhyme, ‘I Like to Sing…’ The next song I particularly enjoyed was ‘Oh La La Lay’, a jazzy, slow piece. At break, we ate delicious cookies and drank juice – I think everyone loved this part! After, we switched genres to an opera-like song in another language. It was quite challenging, but we were actually really good at it! For our final piece, we performed a respectful song to finish on a soft note.

“Overall, we really enjoyed the experience and learned a lot.”

Anshika:

“There are many fun aspects of collaborating and doing activities together, but one of the most enjoyable parts of our Gabrieli Roar workshop was networking and connecting with students from other schools! It is also such an important feature of a workshop—getting to know new people and making friends outside our usual school cohort, with whom we spend all day, every day.

“This was very exciting, as we were working, talking to, and singing with people we didn’t know, and possibly making new friends. This is also one of the best and easiest ways to meet new people! We stepped out of our comfort zone, and it was super fun—go Gabrieli Roar!”

Sanaa:

“Overall, it was a wonderful experience—one of the many opportunities available at JAGS. These kinds of experiences help us build confidence, have fun, and make new friends—not only from JAGS but from other schools too! It lasted for about four hours, yet I remained active, clapping along to the rhythm and singing from my heart.

“We had breaks in between, and I enjoyed the opportunity to get to know students from our partner schools. JAGS experiences are, and always will be, embedded in my heart. The memories of such joy will never be forgotten.”