Updated 3.45pm
While Eurovision fever runs high as Malta awaits the grand final of the popular contest on Saturday, a group of local young students are celebrating their own win at another European song competition.
The Dun Ġorġ Preca Primary School of Ħamrun (GP) on Friday placed third out of 22 countries in the 13th edition of Schoolovision. Ireland clinched the top position, while Norway placed second.
Schoolovision is an eTwinning project that sees schools from different European countries writing songs and creating videos, then voting for each other’s work during a live video conference, which is held annually one day before the Eurovision Song Contest final.
The school has been representing Malta at the contest since the competition started in 2008 and even placed second twice, in 2017 and 2018.
“This is the 13th time students of Dun Ġorġ Preca Primary School and myself are representing our marvellous cultural country in such a prestigious eTwinning project among European schools,” Maria Antoinette Magro, who coordinates the students and oversees the song’s production, told Times of Malta before Friday's results.
“It is a way of showcasing our school and our island to foreigners who might choose Malta as their holiday destination. We put a lot of work and time in this project but everything is done with so much love, fun, enthusiasm and passion.”
Preparations for this year’s edition actually started two years ago as the school was getting ready to take part in Schoolovision 2020 but, like its better-known counterpart, the contest was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Magro explained there is a lot of brainstorming and planning involved, from choosing a theme, to writing the lyrics and music, to selecting the choir and the dancers, to rehearsals – usually held during breaks or before school starts – to finding the right costumes and creating a music video.
Schoolovision helps these children believe in themselves and feel proud and happy to be able to perform even for a short while and be viewed by so many
The effort, however, always pays off, as Magro believes that the children gain and learn a lot from this experience. The event motivates them to express themselves, gives them confidence and some may even discover their talents during the course of the project. It also promotes team-building and inclusivity.
“Every individual is a great person with lots of talents and capabilities. At times, children do not believe in themselves for many reasons and they might not be aware of their talents. Schoolovision also helps these children believe in themselves and feel proud and happy to be able to perform even for a short while and be viewed by so many,” Magro noted.
“Children with learning difficulties, or behaviour or special needs, are also given a chance to be part of the cast and this has helped several children to become motivated and start believing they can also perform like all their peers.”
The theme of this year’s song, The Mystery of Magic, of course, revolves around magic. A group of students decided on the topic and wrote a poem.
“I met them at a coffee shop during the summer holidays of 2020 and we discussed, planned and came up with the version that music teacher John Anthony Fsadni wrote music for with great passion and enthusiasm. It was a wonderful experience to see these children working so well in a team without any trace of jealousy or pride,” Magro said proudly.
The music video, entrusted to Sebio Aquilina, aimed to create a “truly magical experience” for both the participating children and viewers, and the feedback so far has been very positive, according to the coordinator.
The storyline features the Good Fairy casting her magical powers on a mermaid duo, a message in a bottle, Aladdin’s magical lamp and its genie, and a magic show in which one of the students performs some tricks for his audience. There is also a dance scene in a library because, as Magro says, “books are uniquely portable magic”.
“Books often come to life in the readers’ mind and imagination or in one’s bedroom at night. So we really had to be in a library to dance among books and we have butterflies flying out of a book. This is probably my favourite shot as I cannot live without a book at hand,” she enthused.
