Fifty children from two Birmingham primary school choirs will perform at two events to mark Commonwealth Day in Birmingham on Monday, March 10.

Their performances will include a song written by a Birmingham music teacher inspired by speeches made by the late Queen Elizabeth II at the opening of recent Commonwealth Games.

Birmingham’s Commonwealth Day activities are part of an international programme of events across all 56 Commonwealth countries celebrating shared Commonwealth values and an opportunity for 2.4 billion people to come together.

Choirs from Colmore Junior School, Kings Heath and Tiverton Academy, Selly Oak will perform at two events organised by Birmingham Commonwealth Association in performances supported by Birmingham charity Services For Education whose Music Services each week teaches music to 32,000 Birmingham children.

Twenty-five children from Colmore Junior School will perform at a special Commonwealth Citizenship Ceremony at Birmingham Registry Office at 2pm when around 30 adults and children from Commonwealth nations will be granted Citizenship of the United Kingdom. The Ceremony will be attended by Deputy-Lieutenant for the West Midlands Sir David Thompson QPM DL, representing His Majesty’s Lord-Lieutenant for the West Midlands, and The Lord Mayor of Birmingham, Councillor Ken Wood.

That evening, children from Tiverton Academy will perform at the Commonwealth Dinner organised by the Birmingham Commonwealth Association in the Symphony Ballroom of Birmingham’s Hyatt Hotel attended by Dawn Ward CBE DL, representing the Lord-Lieutenant of the West Midlands, other representatives of West Midlands Lieutenancy, consulates and diplomatic missions, Birmingham City Council leaders and councillors, civic and faith representatives, community leaders and senior business figures.

At both events, the choirs will perform a specially composed song – Come Together Everybody – written by Birmingham music teacher Sarah Baker, commissioned and permission given to perform by Services For Education. The song includes the words of the late Queen Elizabeth II in her messages of family, friendship and togetherness given at the opening ceremonies of recent Commonwealth Games. The aim is for it to be performed world-wide in Commonwealth countries – as has happened in Malawi.

In the morning, The Annual Commonwealth Day Service will be held at St Philip’s Cathedral, Birmingham. It will be attended by The Lord-Lieutenant of the West Midlands, Derrick Anderson CBE, The High Sheriff for the West Midlands, Faith leaders and other dignitaries with entertainment provided by the Nishkam School choir and B:Music Workplace Choir.

Keith Stokes-Smith, Chairman of Birmingham Commonwealth Association, said he was delighted that three Birmingham schools were participating in this year’s Commonwealth Day celebrations.

“Commonwealth Day is celebrated worldwide, and it is fitting that Birmingham – which is home to so many representatives of Commonwealth nations and territories – should mark the Day with such a wide variety of events,” said Mr Stokes-Smith.

“I am delighted that it will also be an occasion that a choral work composed here in Birmingham, inspired by the words of the late Queen at Commonwealth Games’ opening ceremonies, will be performed in our city. It is a fitting tribute to the work and beliefs of the late Monarch who inspired so many young people.”

ENDS

Additional information

Citizenship Ceremony: Media representatives are invited to attend the Citizenship Ceremony on Monday, March 10 at Birmingham Register Office, Holliday St, Birmingham B1 1SZ. You are asked to arrive no later than 1.30 p.m. The Citizenship Ceremony starts at 2.00 pm and lasts for approx. 60 minutes. The Choir Leader of Colmore Junior School is Tim Williams. Sarah Baker will conduct Come Together Everybody. The school has arranged for photo consent forms for all members of the Choir. For further details on the Citizenship Ceremony, including media opportunities, please contact David Clarke DL (details below).

Commonwealth Dinner: Tiverton Academy will perform at the Commonwealth Dinner, Symphony Ballroom, Hyatt Hotel 2 Bridge St, Birmingham B1 2JZ. The Choir will be led by Choir Leader Claire Vaughan, a specialist in early years and primary school music. Sarah Baker will conduct Come Together Everybody. Claire Vaughan will conduct the Choir in the performance of We can work together (composer: Paul Field). For further information on the dinner, including media opportunities, please contact David Clarke DL (details below).

For further information:

David Clarke DL
E: david-c@clarke-associates.co.uk;
M: 07808 735255

About Services For Education:

An education and training charity based in Birmingham, Services For Education brings music and learning to life. Services For Education employs more than 200 staff delivering music tuition to children, and expert training and development to teaching and school support staff. It has annual income of £6.9m (Y/E August 2023). Part-funded by the Arts Council, England it also has its own fundraising and subsidised commercial operations.

• Services For Education’s Music Service, one of the largest in the country, works with 98% of Birmingham schools and each year teaches music to nearly 32,000 children – as well as running 113 free ensembles. It provides 27,000 musical instruments free-of-charge so all children have access to playing and enjoying music together and its Youth Proms at Symphony Hall give 4,000 young musicians the opportunity to perform to an audience of more than 10,000. It also runs music schools, has a world music department, provides private music tuition to all ages as well as working with partners to deliver music and choral opportunities to disadvantaged and vulnerable groups. Its award-winning Online Music Educational Resource was completed and launched free to schools in 2021 to appeal to a young IT-connected audience attracted to learning online and to complement traditional tuition.
• Services For Education’s School Support Service provides expert training and development to teaching and support staff in nearly 600 schools in the West Midlands and increasingly across England, to improve practice and ensure teachers are best equipped to respond to developments in curriculum and policy. As a leading provider of safeguarding education, Services For Education works with 400 schools delivering training in-person and on-line. It also delivers innovative programmes to support the physical and emotional health of children and young people through Health for Life and other community-based activity. servicesforeducation.co.uk

Issued on behalf of:

Services For Education
Unit 3 Holt Court
Holt Street
Birmingham Science Park
Aston
Birmingham B7 4AX