Music,Hyms,Anthem, BBC Music Workshop,School magazines
Those who attended from 1975 onwards will remember songs from the yellow covered 'Celebration Hymnal',I have a copy which I still play. This supplemented the A5 sized Prussian blue coloured hymnal.When did the school start teaching from the BBC radio Music Workshop series?
http://www.broadcastforschools.co.uk/site/Music_Workshop
My group started with Rumpelstiltskin in Mrs Lyons class.It was by far the best of the 6 workshops. The BBC in its stupidity has destroyed all remaining copies & erased all the radio broadcasts prior to podcasting! They receive regular requests from pupils of the '70s & '80s seeking booklets.
The school hymn 'We are the pupils of St Joseph's school' was/is a melodically complex uptempo song. It could be in 10:8 time , ie 10 beats to the bar & has a middle 8 with a series of descending sextuplet (6 note) runs. The composer was Tommie Connor; the reason the melody was so good is that he cowrote big hits The Biggest Aspidistra In The World’ & ‘I Saw Mummy Kissing Santa Claus.’ Here's the words courtesy of Murph's blog:
(Start in a major key like G or C .Very uptempo)
“We are the pupils of St Joseph’s School and to him we sing our praise,
(Key change still major, actually it's all major)
May the holy spirit of St Joseph rule within our hearts always,
(now the middle 8 so change in time signature & it becomes a tongue twister which did have the music teacher repeating it until we had it right)
With St Joseph to guide us, always walking beside us, so secure and protected we will be,
(return similar to opening melody but more forza)
So safe in the love of him who was the father of the Holy Family.
Bless us dear St Joseph,
May our hearts be good,
Teach us to help and love one another just as Jesus said we should.”
With regards to school magazines, there were 2:
the Crusader, which I've tried to find out if its still going. This was purchased from Mrs Taylor.
& Sister Antoinette would sell the monthly Missionary magazine
By Stephen Armourae 3rd Aug 2015
We were ordered to put covers on the books. Of the songs we learned I still love The Tailor and the Mouse, which we sang with a driving rhythm on the choruses. This sounds better than the listless recordings by folk singers.
I dislike the Carrion Crow as it had a tedious nursery melody. Here is the online edition of the book:
http://imslp.org/wiki/English_Folk-Songs_for_Schools_%28Baring-Gould,_Sabine%29
By Stephen Armourae 20th Sep 2015
Funeral of Pope John XXIII - June 1963
When Pope John XXIII died, just after Vatican II, in 1963, the entire school crammed into the sports hall to watch the televised funeral on a tiny Black & White television set. I was lucky as I was quite close to the screen, but anyone at the back of the hall wouldn't have seen a thing. A great Pope - now to become a Saint.
By Barrie Wright 2nd Oct 2013
We missed out on the coronation of John Paul I which
the nuns were excited about when he became Pope: he was the most liberal
along with John XXIII.
Then one morning in October 1978 Sister Theresa had all of us brought into the hall straight from the playground to watch the coronation of John Paul II.
Colour TV then, brought from Sister Theresa's classroom.
Very memorable
Then one morning in October 1978 Sister Theresa had all of us brought into the hall straight from the playground to watch the coronation of John Paul II.
Colour TV then, brought from Sister Theresa's classroom.
Very memorable
By Stephen Armourae 6th Oct 2013
John XXIII was the greatest Pope of the 20th
century. However I disagreed with Vatican II imposed cultural changes:
altering the liturgy, abandoning the Latin Mass etc. It should have been
optional.
After him probably Pious XI for his ferocious opposition to Nazi & Communist persecutions. John Paul I was clearing out corruption in the Vatican Bank and the influence of the Curia. Not a good scholar but one of the best humanitarians.
Professor Cardinal Lorscheider of Brazil was the best who never became Pope
After him probably Pious XI for his ferocious opposition to Nazi & Communist persecutions. John Paul I was clearing out corruption in the Vatican Bank and the influence of the Curia. Not a good scholar but one of the best humanitarians.
Professor Cardinal Lorscheider of Brazil was the best who never became Pope
By Stephen Armourae 22nd Mar 2015
I see we have similar views on the past Pope's. So
happy that John XXIII is now a saint. I spent time last year at his
Altar and Remains in St. Peter's, giving thanks. Have you read is auto
biog?
By Barrie Wright 30th Mar 2015
With the exception of Sister Antoinette who I got the impression was more stridently anti-Communist & pro-Curia than the others. However the way Eastern Bloc countries persecuted Catholics she was justified in her anger.
I found a tiny photo of Paul VI stuffed behind a vase in the right hand corner next to the window overlooking the playground of Mrs Lyons room (that's the year below Sister Theresa's class).
Vatican doctrine was dominated by the long reigns of the conservative Popes Pious XII & Paul VI. The 2 reformers: John XXIII & John Paul I were too short to make a real impact.
John Paul II charisma & international travel had an impact on the Convent. When I visited later, photos of the Pope were on many classroom walls after his visit to Britain. In the early '80's he was a diplomatic force, but most didn't know how much of a conservative he was then
By Stephen Armourae 8th Apr 2015
Christmas Carol Concerts
In my tenure group we had one full scale carol concert at St Lawrence's. Did other 'eras' have these? It was organised and directed by the music teacher Mrs O'Hanlan (who had replaced Mrs Greatrex) in December 1980.She rehearsed the classes separately in the music room and had a dress rehearsal in the assembly hall, with its mural painting of the Last Supper above the piano.
I remember how good we all sounded in the church & the wild enthusiasm of the parents was more than just hearing their kids singing. Nowdays it would be recorded instead of being lost forever.
I was in the front pew & the only one I remember there was Ashwin Sharma.
For 'Come All Ye Faithful' O'Hanlan taught us the descant melody for the 'Sing choirs of angels' verse.The effect was so profound that I still have difficulty singing in the standard melody for the vers
Segregation! P.E.!
I left in 1964 at the beginning of Junior 4 to move to the I.O.W. I can still remember
a scary PE teacher called, I think, Mrs. Delamare? Also I seem to remember when girls and boys were segregated and I got punished for speaking to a boy (shock horror) over the hedge into the next playground. I also seem to remember that the punishment was spending the afternoon in the boys'
school! ((It was great!) Does anyone remember Miss Taylor? Another scary teacher!.It didn't stop me from becoming a teacher but I don't think I'm a bit frightening!
I left in 1964 at the beginning of Junior 4 to move to the I.O.W. I can still remember
a scary PE teacher called, I think, Mrs. Delamare? Also I seem to remember when girls and boys were segregated and I got punished for speaking to a boy (shock horror) over the hedge into the next playground. I also seem to remember that the punishment was spending the afternoon in the boys'
school! ((It was great!) Does anyone remember Miss Taylor? Another scary teacher!.It didn't stop me from becoming a teacher but I don't think I'm a bit frightening!
By Barbara Sheridan (née Smith) 17th Feb 2002
I can remember playing Dare truth or promise and I
had to go into the boys playground and pinch a cap. Oh boy was I in
trouble - with the boy concerned, Sister Emmanuel and Sister Theresa
By Rosemary Paddington 9th Feb 2012
The nuns disapproved of talking across that hedge
once they segregated classes at the age of 6 onwards. You had coal
bunkers we had Jesus and Mary atop mounds covered in something similar
to watercress!
By Stephen Armourae 22nd Mar 2015
The morning entrance had a garden on the left hand side, path had terracotta tiles. The entrance was the old stables apparently. It was filled with old odds & ends with a large landscape painting about 12 ft long shoved at the back in the Hudson River School style.
This opened onto the girls playground.On the left the entrance to the kitchens which had a couple of sandstone coloured steps and some coloured glass.Further down the toilets section. Right side had the coal bunkers, straight ahead the girls block.
On the left side again the entrance into the boys playground. A wall made of dark stones appear to be obsidian with the hedge above it.
By Stephen Armourae 22nd Mar 2015
Sister Denise
Sister Denise was really scary and it's quite frightening to think she was actually a nun. I hated sewing and she used to smack my ankles if I didnt comply. She also got angry with my bruv one afternoon before Xmas so as a punishment she left him out in the snow all afternoon and he ended up in hospital. He was 8. I think that sums the whole school up.
By Emma Watt 7th May 2002
Re: Sister Denise
Hear Hear
As far as I am concerned they (the nuns) were all a bunch of frustrated old women who got their kicks with their sadistic behaviour towards the kids - Sister Theresa in my experience in paricular. I am sure that if the early/mid sixties when I was there were today the SUN would have a field day
Hear Hear
As far as I am concerned they (the nuns) were all a bunch of frustrated old women who got their kicks with their sadistic behaviour towards the kids - Sister Theresa in my experience in paricular. I am sure that if the early/mid sixties when I was there were today the SUN would have a field day
By Chris Ward 14th Jul 2002
Interesting that most of those who've posted have
good memories of both these nuns despite recognising that both of them
did have a scary side they are remembered for being inspirational
teachers.
Its the lay teachers Mrs Lyons and Mrs Newman who were the worst due to a malicious or sadistic streak in both of them
Its the lay teachers Mrs Lyons and Mrs Newman who were the worst due to a malicious or sadistic streak in both of them
By Stephen Armourae 24th Sep 2013
Also what part of France did she come from? She would often exclaim "Awwww" when expressing disapproval.
She took us from a French lesson, when I was in Mrs Lyons class, as Sister Antoinette was ill. She said there was no word in French for 'rainbow.' My dictionaries contradict her!
By Stephen Armourae 22nd Mar 2015
School Dinners
Like 'em or hate 'em...we want to hear your comments...
By Friends Reunited (née Team) 9th Oct 2008
Edited 9th Feb 2012
Totally agree about Shepherds Pie. can never be
replicated believe me I've tried. I still eat my cottage Pie /Shepherds
Pie with baked beans.......Oh the memories.
By Liane Eden (née Boggis) 18th May 2009
it was the only dinner I liked. Also if I have ever
suggested that baked beans can be eaten with shepherds pie I have only
ever recieved looks of horror as though I must be mad
By Rosemary Paddington 9th Feb 2012
My first day there I was sick when trying to eat the
raviolli. The chocolate custard was always lumpy but delicious to
children. Kids prefer sweet foods but they insisted on serving
vinegared red cabbage! The nuns who did the cooking (anyone know their
names) would force pupils to clear their plates no matter how foul it
tasted. "People are starving in the world" was their favoured mantra.
Their shephards pie was amazing. Never tasted anything like it. A French recipe maybe?
Their shephards pie was amazing. Never tasted anything like it. A French recipe maybe?
By Stephen Armourae 21st Sep 2013
How I dreaded the day when it was Semolina and Red
Jam! Even today, I have never tasted anything quite so revolting. But
in those days there was no inflation, as dinners were 2/6d (expensive in
1958) per day from 1958 right through to 1965, when I left.
Loved the Friday chips though!
Loved the Friday chips though!
By Barrie Wright 2nd Oct 2013
By Stephen Armourae 22nd Mar 201
No comments:
Post a Comment