Young Voices: Shropshire schools join choirs at Birmingham Genting Arena

Thousands of young people gathered together as part of one of the largest school choir concerts in the world.

Schools from across the Midlands including Shropshire took part in the event, which started this week at Birmingham's Genting Arena.

Choirs have been in training since September, learning all 12 songs and dances they performed on the night.

The children, aged from about eight to 12, were some of 130,000 involved in the Young Voices 2017 project that sees them tour major venues across the UK and internationally to perform in their school choirs, collectively known as the YV Choir.

The project began in around 1996 when David Lewis, chairman and founder of Young Voices, came up with the idea of making music accessible to all children.

Now, Young Voices hosts 22 concerts around the UK each year – and in doing so raises money for good causes, which this year includes music therapy charity Nordoff Robbins, and anti-hunger and food waste charity FareShare. Schools from Shropshire were well represented at the first of a run of concerts at the Genting Arena.

They included Queenswood Primary School from Ketley Bank, Telford, and William Reynolds Primary School, also from Telford.

The glittering event, which saw the children wave flashing lights throughout, was hosted by presenter Gig Morley and conducted by renowned conductor David Lawrence.

The children sang a variety of songs, from Birdhouse In Your Soul, originally performed by American rock band They Might Be Giants, to Stronger Together, which was first made popular by Gareth Malone and the Military Wives choir.

The youngsters even wowed the audience with their rendition of African song Maliswe, in the Zulu language, accompanied by African drums and instruments.

The song Over The Hills took the audience on a musical tour through the British Isles which ended in the children singing in Welsh.

Some of the songs were also translated into sign language on stage so as to be accessible to those with hearing impairments.

Pupils from Claverley CE Primary School, Featherstone Academy, Newport Junior School, Lightmoor Village Primary School and Newdale Primary School and Nursery were all involved too.

Jenny Thomas, head of the choir at Newdale Primary, said: "To be involved in something like this really gives the children a great life experience and a great cultural experience that they can take with them for the rest of their lives."

The show also included a variety of other performers including street dancers Urban Strides, who have previously appeared on the BBC, ITV MTV and E4.

Beatbox artists The Beatbox Collective also wowed the audience with their impressive vocals, creating a variety of sounds to recreate popular songs from Craig David and Daniel Bedingfield. Irish musician Tabby Callaghan, who finished third in the first series of The X Factor in 2004, also performed his rendition of the Guns N' Roses classic Sweet Child o' Mine. Jazz artist Natalie Williams performed Keane's Somewhere Only We Know and the Nina Simone classic Ain't Got No – I Got Life.

Parents were iurged to get on their feet for the remix of Justin Timberlake numbers which saw Urban Strides and creative director Andy Instone take to the stage.

Ben Lewis, managing director of Young Voices, said: "When we started this event in 1996 we never thought we would end up here.

"The popularity of Young Voices has really snowballed and I think that's because we are giving children a unique opportunity – if you say to children, you have the chance to perform in the same arena where The Vamps and One Direction have performed, they bite your hand off.

"It's a real bucket list achievement to get up and perform in venues like this and it really makes music accessible to children who ordinarily may not have the chance to attend concerts or be part of anything like this.

"Not only that, but it gives teachers resources to be able to bring music alive to their pupils – and in an age where the arts and arts funding is the first thing to be cut, that's really important.

"It's a win-win for everyone involved and the children themselves do an incredible job."

Further performances at the Birmingham venue continue tonight, tomorrow, Monday and Tuesday.

The nationwide tour also features venues in Sheffield, London and Manchester before the project heads off to New York.

Over the years Young Voices choirs have performed with stars such as Alexandra Burke, Joss Stone and Gary Barlow and have raised more than £1 million for children's charities.