By KLTV Newsdesk
Musicians and Performers are working alongside staff at Castle Hill School in Newsome to prepare for their upcoming first-ever virtual music festival.
Castle Hill School is a special educational needs school that caters for children and young people with complex needs, and last year they hosted their first-ever music festival.
With live entertainment including, music, dance and performance, the day-long festival was so successful that staff at the school decided to make it an annual event.
Plans for the event were well underway way before the lockdown, and not to be deterred by the current situation, staff have been liaising with the performers to create an online festival that will be aired on the school’s YouTube channel from 11 am on Friday 19th June.
The festival will include performances from ‘Funky Fitness and Fun’, a ‘move with me’ dance sessions, a ‘give me a song’ song event, some much loved ‘sign and sing’ numbers from the school’s assembly repertoire plus some fun and songs from Shabang, a performance duo from Slaithwaite that specialise in working with children with additional needs.
Castle Hill School will be inviting their partner schools to spread the word about the festival to their pupils so they can join in the fun too.
Rachel Stevenson, a class teacher who is leading on the music festival, said: “The purpose of the festival is to promote involvement, visibility and acceptance in the community, creating more social opportunities for our students.
“That’s the serious side. But it’s also about having fun, and being involved, feeling like you’re part of something exciting, something bigger than just you.
“Music is magical and powerful – it inspires joy and a feeling of belonging – and a festival creates a universally exciting environment!
“This year, despite our physical separation, we have the same purpose. It is particularly important that we remember our friends who may, now, be out of sight, and remind them they’re still part of a greater community that cares.”
Steve Perren, Principal of Castle Hill School, said “Castle Fest was a great success last year and I’m sure that our event this summer will be equally inspiring.
“I’m really looking forward to seeing all contributions from the wide selection of gifted performance artists who are due to participate in our virtual spectacular.
“What a great opportunity to beat lockdown blues and to celebrate together!”
You can watch the trailer for the festival below: