Western International School of Shanghai celebrates their music students' successes

Legendary Foo Fighters front man, David Grohl, once said: “Music is the greatest communication in the world. Even if people don’t understand the language that you’re singing in, they still know good music when they hear it.” Here at WISS we have been delighted to celebrate our talented music students over the last few months.

G8 MYP Creative Arts students were very active in engaging in an interdisciplinary unit that combined Music, Visual Arts, and Theatre. As part of this, they gave a highly enjoyable performance of William Goldings novel ‘Lord of the Flies’. Classic songs like ‘House of the Rising Sun’ and ‘People Are Strange’ demonstrating strong development and understanding of an integrated, cross-disciplinary approach to learning.

June also saw our WISS Community Orchestra and Choir hold a farewell recital for our Grade 12 Graduates. It was a wonderful afternoon of music, featuring a variety of musical arrangements. The program included pieces like ‘You Raise Me Up’ by Josh Groban and ‘I Believe I Can Fly’ by R. Kelly. The event was well-attended and enjoyed by all who were present.

June was also a busy one for our WISS Instrumental program, with end-of-year recitals held to celebrate the musical accomplishments of students across various grade levels. The events kicked off with guitar and piano performances, which featured a nice variety of musical styles and tastes. Students performed pieces from popular artists with great enthusiasm and skills. This was followed by a drum recital, which again showcased a collection of musical numbers from an array of acclaimed artists demonstrating the exceptional talents of our students.

A big congratulations to G9 Band ‘Echo’ who were awarded first place at this year’s ‘That’s Shanghai’ magazine’s school ‘Battle of the Bands’ competition at the New Bund 31 Performing Arts Center in Pudong. The group competed against 20 bands from various schools across the city, putting on a stellar performance with hit songs from Muse, The Red Hot Chili Peppers and Nirvana. For winning, they now have been given the opportunity to perform at a the ‘School of Rock’ musical hosted by the Shanghai TV Official Channel SMG.

It has been a wonderful year for the Arts here at WISS. The artistic achievements of our students across campus is something to be proud of. As we look ahead to the next school year, we will continue to build upon and celebrate the Arts to the fullest extent.