On the 8th of June our school choir, otherwise known as Dunstanza, went down to Dunedin to compete in a regional choir competition called the Big Sing.

Every year, schools all across the country come together in different regions and perform three songs which will be judged, and a select few schools will be lucky enough to attend the finals. There are three song categories that every school must choose a song for. One must be traditional, one must be Māori, and the final song is free choice. 

This year our choir welcomed many junior students who took part in Big Sing for the first time, meaning that this was a completely new experience for most of us. Despite this, everyone performed confidently and it turned out to be a very memorable and rewarding night.

The songs we performed for the competition were Toitū Te Tiriti which is a waiata by Geneva AM, Coventry Carol arranged by Martin Shawn as a traditional piece, and Apple Tree by Aurora as our free choice. We all worked hard on perfecting these songs, especially during the last few weeks prior to Big Sing, putting in the extra effort that really made each of these songs passionate and emotional. 

Later in the evening we performed Apple Tree once again at the Town Hall concert with even more power, and later sang the national anthem with the audience which was a lovely way to end the evening.     

On the trip back, we stopped by a few small area schools such as Outram School, Waihola Primary School, and Waitahuna School where we performed our three songs and answered questions from the inspired young students.

Overall, this was a fantastic trip for our school choir and we all had an unforgettable experience. We can’t wait to get together again next year and welcome even more new faces and start preparing for Big Sing 2027. 

Savanah Wulff and Charlize Elliot

Arts Leaders