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Music
Fatima College has been diversified, through excelling in aspects of sports, academics, the Arts and music. The college’s choirs have developed greatly over the past few years, adapting to more modern facets of the culture of music. They have included a number of genres of songs, such as pop, ragtime, and R&B.Mr. Kwasi Noel and Ms. Myrtle Cumberbatch, have lead the school’s choir to their success through months of hard work and dedication. The choirs have also been asked to perform at a number of venues from 2010 to 2011.
At the 29th biennial Music Festival, Fatima College and Presentation College both sang “Blow Ye Winds”. This was where Fatima regained its title “Top Male school choir”and claimed the Cynthia Lee Mack Trophy in secondary schools (Lower voice) category.
Then, the choir sang at the National Academy for the Performing Arts on April 17th 2010, alongside other champion choirs of both Trinidad and Tobago, as the Ministry of Community Development, Culture and Gender affairs presented the opening of NapaFest 2010. They amazed the audience with such immense talent with the renditions of “Blow Ye Winds” and “The Prayer”.
After gaining some renown, the choir then proceeded willingly to aid a past Fatima College student, Christian Joel, in his concert, “Les Reves du Coeur” (“Dreams of the Heart”). There, they sang with other Music Festival participants and past student, foreign language teacher, and previous musical director of Fatima College, Maurice Brash, who joined Christian and the choir as they sang “The Impossible Dream”.
The choir was asked to sing at a charity event at St. Mary’s College, Port of Spain. The event was a fund raiser for The House of Agape, where a great number of well known singers performed for them, which moved the crowd to tears, with inspirational melodies.
The choir also performed at another fundraiser at Holy Name Convent, Port of Spain, where they sang “We Come From Fatima”, an adaptation to “Waka Waka”. The boys joined with the girl school choir to perform another adaptation to a theatre production “In the Heights” which they also performed at Fatima College’s concert “Gifts of Blue and Gold 2”. They portrayed the stories of those in a predominantly Latino neighbourhood.
Missed the concert? Then get a snippet of the talent that was portrayed here in this review video
The choir has just recently performed at another Holy Name convent event, its Easter concert, where the boys peformed “He Never Failed Me Yet” conducted as usual by Mr. Noel and accompanied by Ms. Cumberbatch.
The choir’s talent spread far and wide throughout Trinidad and Tobago as they have grown and matured. They have spread the gift of music to as many as they can, performing at weddings, the school’s events and other charity events, being a gift to the country indeed. They thank all those who give their love and support, which encourages the choir to do their best.
The choir can be seen practicing in the Audio Visual room at Fatima College at 12:15 p.m., as they prepare for upcoming events. “Nitendo Vinces” which means “By striving we shall conquer”, the school’s motto, which they have indeed proven is quite true.
Written by Marc Morancie
The Fatima College Band
Every year a group of talented young men, ranging from form one to form six, gathers together to produce music of an excellent quality, entertaining at various school events. These young men form the Fatima College School Band and provide accompaniment of high standard for various acts, not only within the walls of the college, but externally as well.
The band has performed at a number of significant events for the year 2010 – 2011, ranging from the elaborate Gifts of Blue and Gold concerts, to acts of school patriotism in the crowd of the intercol football matches. The band’s major events, however, were the college’s annual Carnival Show (accompanying all the young calypso artists) and Sports Day (exciting the students for the well-anticipated event).
Externally, members of the band were able to accompany musical acts put on by the college’s sister school, Holy Name Convent. These acts include two fundraising concerts held in the convent hall, and their Music Festival folk performance.
The band, under the guidance of Mr. S. De Gale, Mr. M. White, Mr. K. Noel and Ms. M. Cumberbatch, is able to successfully perform at all its events and instruments vary from the rhythmic sounds of percussion instruments, drums, guitar and bass to the melodic sounds of the steel pan, piano, flute and violin. All students who play any instrument are encouraged to join. These practices occur regularly preceding any event, and one simply has to consult one of the teachers above listed to join and listen out for practices that are announced over the intercom.