650 pupils from Leuven make their voices heard at ‘Sing the City’
Today, Thursday 25 June, Sint-Donatus Park provided the backdrop for a grand singing spectacle. 650 pupils from eight primary schools in Leuven joined forces to let their voices ring out across the city during ‘Sing the City’. It was a powerful and unifying musical moment in the cooling shade of the canopy of trees.
“With ‘Sing the City’, we bring children together in public spaces to make their voices heard, both literally and figuratively. Through the language of music, we foster encounters, a sense of connection and positive energy in the heart of the city. For the hundreds of schoolchildren in Leuven, this was also a wonderful musical finale to the school year,” says Bert Cornillie, alderman for culture and part-time arts education.
Due to the heat, the event was moved from Ladeuzeplein to the shady city park. The city provided extra drinking water and water misting to keep everyone cool. A few schools cancelled their participation in the event because of the heat, but the majority of pupils were determined to brave the heat anyway.
A special song
650 children sang the song ‘Aquaquoise’ together, written by poet Maud Vanhauwaert and composer Mirjam De Wit. Conductor Tom Johnson of Zuidgeluid kept everything running smoothly from a musical perspective, together with the musicians from the SLAC Conservatoire. The song has been ringing out in Leuven’s schools for several weeks now, as teachers were able to teach it to their pupils at school using an online tool.
“The song is a real hit in our class. The children have been singing along at the top of their voices for weeks. Bringing everything together today with so many other pupils is a wonderful grand finale.”
Singing brings people together
With ‘Sing the City’, the SLAC Conservatoire, Zuidgeluid and eight primary schools in Leuven are joining forces to bring children even closer to music, even outside the school walls, and to emphasise the value of musical education. The SLAC Conservatoire is reaching out to all children in Leuven and, through this project, is taking its mission out into the city to give it even greater impact. The aim is to let as many children and families as possible share in the energy, beauty and unifying power of singing together.
“We don’t just sing, we dance along too. That’s much harder than you’d think, but it’s great fun. It’s much cooler here under the trees than in the classroom. And with the water sprinkler and the ice creams, it’s really refreshing.”
“Singing brings people together. It stimulates creativity, supports language development and boosts children’s self-confidence. I’ve felt that sense of connection here today too. We also want to spread the message of togetherness in song in Leuven, together with the schools and all the people of Leuven,” says Lalynn Wadera, alderwoman for education.
What an experience. This exceeded our expectations,” says Esther Wallace, director of Sancta Maria. The musical accompaniment was top-class and the energy of conductor Tom Johnson was truly infectious. We almost felt as though we were at a festival. We even went to pick up our Year 1 children from school during the event so that they could enjoy the atmosphere and the fantastic music too. Thanks in part to the extra drinking water and water misting provided by the city, this was the best place to be in the sweltering heat today.”
“Our mission is to make singing and experiencing music accessible to children who sometimes find it difficult to access arts education, and to do so to a high standard. We’ve seen so many children enjoying singing together today, so mission accomplished,” says Tatjana Scheck, director of Zuidgeluid, which organises the event not only in Leuven but also in Jette and Antwerp.
Onwards to 2030
‘Sing the City’ is a taster of one of the projects from the bid book for LOV2030 – Leuven & Beyond, European Capital of Culture 2030. It aims to grow further by 2030 into a participatory project involving thousands of schoolchildren from Leuven and the wider region.
“The core message of LOV2030 is radical connection. Through art and culture, we want to forge new links that strengthen the fabric of our society and ensure that no one falls through the cracks. ‘Sing the City’ brought this message to life today. I look forward to more,” said Alderman Bert Cornillie.