Year 2 was working extremely hard for their music project performance, ‘London Lives’. The actors and narrators diligently memorised their lines, while other pupils have learned songs in Olde English, Bengali and Cockney rhyming slang, as well as a poem and a Bollywood-style dance. They were supported by a team of accomplished artists and musicians: Gwyneth Herbert, Temujin Gill and Sohini Alam. Gwyneth worked with all the pupils to help write the original signature song ‘London Lives, which was sung at the beginning and end of the performance.
‘London Lives’ tells the story of how the languages spoken in London have evolved through time. A magic time capsule took four adventurers on an amazing journey from the time of the Great Fire of London in 1666, to the East End where Cockney rhyming slang originated in the late 1800s, jumping forward to the migration of the Bengali community settling in Brick Lane during the 1960s and 70s and finally, to modern London, which is rich with a beautiful mixture of different cultures and languages. This creative journey moved from a place of ‘not understanding’ to realising that no matter what language we speak, we can all find ways of understanding and respecting each other, as we all call London our home. On Thursday, 30th March, 2023, the pupils put on an amazing performance and made their parents in the audience proud! It was an experience that all involved will remember.
