YOUNG VOICES CONCERT
MANCHESTER ARENA
TUESDAY 3rd MARCH 2015
‘Young Voices’ is the name of a series of concerts held annually in some of the
biggest cities across the UK. It is a fantastic event that enables children to participate
in a major concert at a major venue. We have taken part in this event for the last two
years, and I’m pleased to announce that this year we will be taking part again. You are
receiving this letter because your child has already displayed an interest.
Some of your children may have taken part in last year’s concert, and I hope that their
memories were great ones. Certainly, feedback from the children in school has been
excellent. For those parents and children for whom this is all very new, I can say
without hesitation that it offers them an experience and a memory that they will never
forget. They receive the opportunity to perform alongside thousands of other children,
with a live band and some up-and-coming solo artists, singing a mix of really
interesting music. To get more of an idea of the event, I recommend that you visit the
Young Voices website at www.youngvoices.co.uk where you can see video clips from
BBC news, as well as further information for parents.
Our Young Voices concert will be taking place on 3rd March 2015 at the
Manchester Arena. Although this may seem quite far away, there is a lot of
preparation to do in advance – starting now!
PARENTAL PERMISSION
We have to submit our final choir numbers by the end of September. After this point,
no more children can be added. Therefore, we require parental permission as soon as
possible if you wish your child to take part. The parental permission slip is at the
bottom of the ticket order sheet attached with this letter. Please send this permission
slip into school as soon as possible, and Friday 26th September at the latest. After
that point, no further choir members will be accepted. Also – we require commitment
from the children. Once they are signed up for Young Voices, we fully expect them to
stay the course.
TICKET ORDER FORM & T-SHIRT ORDER FORM
Tickets for this event are always very popular! There is huge demand from parents of
children taking part, and it is first come, first served. Therefore, the sooner we can
place our order, the better. Tickets are priced at £19.50 each, and the order form
should be completed and returned to the school office with payment (cash or cheque).
Any cheques should be made payable to Rectory CE Primary.
There is also a Young Voices t-shirt available for purchase, which children wear at
the concert. This t-shirt costs £10 and an order form is included with this letter. A free
tiny torch will be given with every t-shirt order. The torches really add to the lighting
effects during the concert! If you do not wish to buy your child one of these t-shirts,
they can still take part but must wear a plain white t-shirt instead (or last year’s t-shirt
if it still fits). No coloured tops are allowed.
The school office has informed me that parents can arrange to pay in instalments if
necessary. Please speak to the office for further information.
Please note that there is no requirement for parents to buy tickets or t-shirts to enable
their children to take part, although we obviously hope you will want to come along
yourselves and enjoy the concert.
PREPARATION
To prepare the children, we are going to be running a Singing Club free of charge
after school from 3:30 to 4:30 on Thursday afternoons. This will take place
throughout the 2nd half of the Autumn term and the 1st half of the Spring term.
Children participating in the concert will be expected to attend. They will be given
copies of the song lyrics and a CD of the tracks to practise with at home. I cannot
stress enough that children cannot just turn up to the event and sing! There are many
songs (and a few dance moves) to learn and song-sheets are not permitted.
THE DAY OF THE CONCERT
On the day of the concert, children will be transported from school by coach in time
for rehearsals in the afternoon, before having a packed tea. The concert itself starts at
7:00 pm. Children will be brought back to school by coach afterwards, getting back at
around 10:30 – 11:00 pm, depending on traffic. Because of the long day, we are only
opening this opportunity up to our older junior children (Years 4 - 6).
In conclusion, please send your completed permission slip into the school office by
Friday September 26th.
Also, please send in your ticket order form and t-shirt order form along with
payment to the school office by the end of October at the latest.
I hope you will agree that this event is a hugely worthwhile experience for your child.
If you have any further questions, please don’t hesitate to come and speak to me.
Thank you in advance for your support,
Mr Weston
KS2 Leader, Year 6 Teacher & Young Voices Veteran