Battle of the Bands @ Peponi School

On 19th June 2024, I took six students to the Peponi School Battle of the Bands - a competition aimed at showcasing quality ensemble music playing and to bring various schools together. But I must give context to this. At the beginning of the term, four Year 9 students came together, without any intervention from me, and decided to form a band. These are Sofia Farrukh (9B), an experienced pianist who recently decided to learn the bass guitar, Kailan Zanrosso (9H), an astute drummer who recently did very well in his LCM Grade 2 drum kit examination, Marty Ketel (9S), a brilliant guitarist who happens to be self taught and Darya Burgess (9S), an accomplished Grade 5 pianist who also plays the ukulele. I am extremely proud of these students because they literally took the music room by storm, practising most lunch times and even finding time out of school to practise together.

So, at the competition, they really played well and though they came 4th, which is due to the fact that the competition was very stiff, they were very positive about their performance and outcome and are really looking forward to playing together again at other competitions and events. Of special note is Marty, who really impressed the audience and the judge because he played lead guitar and was also the vocalist in their performance of “Looking out the Neighbourhood” (Joy Again). Be sure to catch them performing during Prize Giving Day on 4th July 2024! They are definitely a band to watch out for!

Ms. Grace Nangabo

Head of Music