The Lion King Jr. Programme

F rom the M usic D irector

N ants ’ ingonya ma bakithi baba ! H ere comes the lion , my people , the F ather of my nation ! This year’s Junior School musical The Lion King Jr. offers children an exciting opportunity to explore the rich cultural traditions of South Africa, communicating Simba’s struggles, perseverance and ultimate triumph. Through The Lion King Jr., children are invited to step into various animal roles as they tell the story of Simba through song, with the added challenge of creating an authentic sound through English, Xhosa, Zulu, Swahili and Setswana languages. With these languages came pronunciations to learn, and interpretations of their meaning and context. This musical allowed our students to grow as musicians, with learning opportunities in part singing, polyrhythms, chants and opportunities for soloists to really stand out from the crowd. We worked hard on creating the percussive heart beat that is so integral to the Lion King’s original score. Students rehearsed each week and used the music to help them tell the story not only through dance and drama, but through their diction and projection. Through learning the songs at home, we were able to use our time efficiently to polish and practise the pieces to the performance standard you are about to see. Once the lyrics were learnt, we worked out how each of the characters would sing, sometimes thinking a little outside of the box. We look forward to bringing our characters to life through the show, not only by our costumes, staging and makeup but by our voices! This talented cast can not only act and dance with enthusiasm, but sing with diction and clarity, blend within a chorus, use expression, breathe appropriately and musically, use accurate lyrics with pitch and rhythm and at the same time sing with a beautiful tone…and did I mention in a different language? A lot to think about when you are under a spotlight in front of a full house! It is always a joy for me to watch our Junior students step up into new characters and raise the bar with their vocal, performance and comedic abilities. Thank you to the cast, crew, production team and entire company for making my job so much fun, and for your many hours of preparation for this amazing show. Choosing the leads was difficult, yet pleasing to see the high standard of singing in the Junior School. The students in the chorus and lead roles have shown continuous and infectious enthusiasm, energy and in tune singing throughout the rehearsal process – many showing great independence in learning their songs before rehearsals had even begun, and leadership in rehearsals. I am very proud to have worked with you all, and I hope that you have enjoyed yourself throughout the rehearsal process as much as I have.

Melissa Black Music Director

2018 Junior School Musical — The Lion King Jr.