Students from Sister Cities Connect in Musical Workshops

The Choir, which visited from Rockingham’s sister-city Ako, consisted of 18 children and was led by one choir master with support from four parents and school teachers. 

The workshops were held at the Gary Holland Community Centre on Wednesday 27 March 2019 and featured students from Hillman Primary School, Rockingham Lakes Primary School and Rockingham Senior High School.

Workshops were divided into two sessions, with primary schools singing It’s a Small World in Japanese and English during a morning session and secondary students singing the Ako Song in Japanese and I Still Call Australia Home in English during the afternoon. Following the workshops, students returned for evening performances where the songs were sung in full voice with over 400 people in attendance.

City of Rockingham Deputy Mayor Deb Hamblin said the workshops gave all students the chance to connect and form lasting relationships.

“The Ako Children’s Choir is a supremely talented group and it was fantastic to see them link up with local students from across the City of Rockingham,” Deputy Mayor Hamblin said.

“Not only did the workshops and the performance give students a platform to showcase their singing talents in a supportive environment with family and friends, it also provided them with an opportunity to break down cultural barriers as they worked together to learn songs in both English and Japanese.

“The City of Rockingham has had a long and mutually beneficial sister-city relationship with Ako and I hope to see many more local schools engage with our friends from Ako in the future.”

​Image: Choirmaster Tomoko Abe​ leads the students in song during the workshops.