The girls obviously enjoyed themselves because the following Monday evening twenty eight girls turned up, with six more on the third Monday. At this stage Ian and Louise had decided that the Choir would be called "The Faythe School Rock Choir" and the girls were really enjoying the choice of songs.
Ian told the girls that he hoped they would be ready to sing at the School Mass on Thursday. Every night they rehearsed under the watchful eyes of both teachers as Ian played the guitar and Louise played the keyboard. This was the first night Louise asked for any volunteers who wished to sing solo. The girls were all very nervous but after many tried out, Ian and Louise picked out a few girls to sing together and one or two to sing parts on their own with the Choir backing them.
On the Thursday morning of their first ever performance, they girls walked down from school to Bride Street Chirch with Ms. Mullins and Mr. Turner. They were obviously nervous as most of them couldn't stop chattering. By 10 o'clock there was much bigger than normal crowd in Mass and after the first song the entire Church burst into applause......the girls were on their way.
At the end of Mass there was a standing ovation from the entire crowd and many people came forward to the Altar rails to congratulate the Rock Choir.
Rehearsals continued and the adults knew that the Choir was now on a firm footing when over the May and June 'Bank Holiday weekends' the girls themselves voted to practise and on each Monday over twenty five turned up.
By this stage Mr. Turner had organised hoodies for the Choir but was insisting that they would be 'dunfunty grey with brown embroidery'....yeeeuch!
The second performance was at a Sunday morning Children's Mass on Sunday 17th June. By this time the hoodies had arrived and just as well (for him) that Mr. Turner took Ms. Mullins' 'fashion tips' as the hoodies were 'baby pink with petrol blue enbroidery.' Not only did the girls look the part but they also sounded great too!!
The final performance of the year took place in the school hall on Tuesday 19th June when the 'Rock Choir' joined up with the 'Golden Oldies' from the South End Family Resource Centre for a show named 'Golden Rock.' The hall was full and the audience were treated to an hour and a half of top class singing from two very different groups firmly based in, and around, the Faythe.
The Choir are currently enjoying their summer break but all concerned are looking forward to 2012 - 13......ROCK ON !!
Huge thanks are due to one of our Dads, Darren Fortune, for taking the vidoes shown above.
