There's been a change of tune at Johnnies over the last few weeks as the boys have been warming up their vocal chords for the annual House Singing competition!
It was definitely a spirited afternoon in the chapel last Friday as we gathered to celebrate brotherhood and unity at John McGlashan with a bit of friendly competition. Backed up by our knowledgeable panel of judges including Sam Leaper (JMC Alumni & Six60 Scholarship Recipient), Peter Adams & Bridget Telfer-Milne (Otago University), Mr Hunter and I laid down the gauntlet - and we were impressed with the response!
For those unfamiliar with the event - each year, Balmac, Burns, Gilray and Ross prepare a mass item to sing together as well as putting forward a band to represent their house. It was great to see the group numbers ranging from old classics like 'Stand By Me' to newer hits like 'Riptide' - an instant classic among the boys.
Each house belted out their song of choice with gusto, even throwing in a little clever choreography to boot. I'm sure the parents out there will appreciate its pretty rare to see so many teenage boys smiling at once.
Moving over to the bands, it was great to see the unique flavour and style of each house coming to the forefront as we heard everything from Smashing Pumpkins (Ross) and Earth Wind and Fire (Gilray) to NZs own L.A.B. (Burns) and a healthy dose of the Beatles (Blamac).
This was definitely a Tour De Force for John McGlashan's musical talent - which had left the judges in a tricky situation as they took their time to deliberate on the result over the course of a couple of full school songs. Or perhaps they were just in awe of the raw power of 500 boys all singing 'Country Road' in unison - it's not something you hear every day!
And the winners were absolutely stoked! Congratulations Burns House on taking away those coveted house points - in no small part thanks to an incredible performance of L.A.B.'s 'Cassanova' by their band with George O'Connell coming out of left-field on lead vocals.
The competition was neck and neck until the end, with Ross in second by just a fraction of a point, followed by Gilray in third and Balmac in fourth.
Well done to all the boys who went outside their comfort zone and gave it their all. We're looking forward to seeing a few budding young vocalists around the music department in the near future!
Open Event Registration - Interested in enrolling?
Employment opportunities - click if you're interested in working at McGlashan.