Last Friday, pupils at Tranby joined together virtually with thousands of their peers from across United Learning to see themselves in the online premiere of Green Love! Songs to save the world.

Green Love! is an ambitious music and performing arts project designed to develop pupils’ musical talents and encourage them to think more about the environment and how, together, we can protect it. The project culminated in the professional production of a unique thirty-minute film, featuring performances recorded in the 40 schools involved.

Last academic year, pupils at Tranby immersed themselves in the world of music, enjoying in-school rehearsals and virtual, group-wide Green Love! assemblies delivered by The Voices Foundation and Beat Goes On. Collectively, they learnt six original songs inspired by sustainability and composed by celebrated musicians Alexander L’Estrange and Joanna Forbes L’Estrange, as well as accompanying body percussion rhythms. Having mastered the lyrics and foot-tapping rhythms, pupils recorded their final in-school performance in the Summer Term.

Tranby was one of only four schools to work with one of the composers in person, spending a day with him and a team of professional recording engineers.

To celebrate their hard work, pupils enjoyed an early premiere of Green Love! on Friday afternoon. This was followed by a ticketed online showing in the evening, where pupils’ friends and families were able to watch the special performance, held in support of Ibba Girls’ School in South Sudan.

Please click here to watch the film 

Year 10 Abigail, a pupil at Tranby, said:

‘’Being part of United Green Love was amazing. We spent a full day in school rehearsing with Alexander L’Estrange and his team. It was such a good experience being taught by him, I felt I learnt a lot and he really brought out the best in all of us.’’

Alex Wilson, Headmistress, said:

‘’It was fantastic to see our pupils engaging with Green Love. They threw themselves into the whole project which included a visit to Tranby by Alexander L’Estrange. Giving pupils opportunities like this, where they can develop their creativity, confidence and global awareness, is a key part of our commitment to deliver an Education with Character.’’

Catherine Barker, Head of Music and Performing Arts at United Learning, said:

“Congratulations to all our pupils who took part in Green Love! Each and every one of them gave a superb performance, which has not only led to the creation of a fantastic film but has, I’m sure, inspired us all to help tackle climate change and lead more sustainable lives.

“As our schools return to normal ways of teaching and learning, this virtual production is testament to how pupils and teachers alike can join together during times of difficulty to spread awareness about an important cause and foster their creativity. It’s an incredibly inspiring feat that everyone involved should be immensely proud of.

“Thank you to all our teachers and support staff who showed such enthusiasm in delivering Green Love! to our young people, and likewise to our longstanding partners Joanna and Alexander L’Estrange, The Voices Foundation and Beat Goes On who made the project such a success. Ensuring our young people have access to opportunities like this is all part of how we deliver an Education with Character at United Learning and I am very much looking forward to seeing how we can build on this for the future.”