A 'magical journey' at Theresa Nuzzo School

"A magical Journey through the Arts" was the theme of the musical presented at the school celebration of Theresa Nuzzo School, Marsa. The aim of the presentation was to give pupils an experience of classical music, painting and sculpture, song, dance and mime. It was presented by Grade 4 and 5 pupils who were prepared for this experience during their art lessons.

The programme was introduced by the theme of The Phantom of the Opera by Andrew Lloyd Webber. Then different painters and sculptors dating from the Renaissance to the Post-Impressionist period were introduced in a computer power point and their art was then illustrated through dancing to movements from the ballet The Nutcracker and the Pathétique symphony, both by Tchaikovsky.

A selection of Maltese artists, from the late 19th century to the present, was also included in the presentation. Following this, two pupils sang The Sound of Silence, made famous in 1964 by Simon and Garfunkel. In this way the children could experience both classical and contemporary music.

The last item was a mime entitled The Sorcerer's Apprentice. The story was originally written in a poem by Goethe, and was set to music by Paul Ducas. It is the story of a sorcerer's apprentice who tried his hand at magic before he was really ready for it, but at the end the sorcerer himself saved the situation. The pupils could only present this mime by listening attentively to the music, and they performed excellently.

As the Sorcerer himself says at the end of the presentation: "The Arts give colour to our lives. Maybe that's why God gives such talents to men. Let us appreciate them and encourage them!" And they were certainly appreciated by the students and parents of our school!

At the end of the musical each pupil was awarded a certificate for a particular value or talent, thus replacing for the third year the Prize Day where only academic achievement was rewarded. In this way each child is valued for his or her own sake and not for how much is achieved.