School pupils bring Michael Jackson to life and Backstreet Boys back together again with a riveting yearly singing competition. 

Eighteen boarding houses. Eight boys’ houses, Eight girls’ houses, East and West. One winner from each category. Christ’s Hospital’s annual House Singing Competition is one that is ruthless and vicious.
A senior pupil from each house, often referred to as the ‘Music Captain’ is tasked with choosing a song, one that the boarding house (usually consisting of between forty to fifty people) will sing on the day of the competition. 

For six weeks, up until the night of Friday 13th, boarding houses across the avenue practise and train rigorously; singing their hearts out in their free time. And across the school, students chatter competitively, asserting that their house will surely come away from the night victorious. 

The first boarding house to take the stage and kick off the night was Maine A (named after British essayist, Sir Henry Maine) singing Earth, Wind and Fire’s ‘Let’s Groove’. Other notable songs from the night were ‘Out of My League’ by Fitz and the Tantrums and Bruno Mars’ ‘Treasure’ - both of which went on to be the winning songs of the event. 
Many called for special mentions to Coleridge B, who sang Michael Jackson’s ‘Pretty Young Thing’ with stylish charm.

The Year 13s, the final year of the school, are split up into East and West houses - referring to the sides of the school their previous boarding houses were situated on. In this competition, the two houses typically perform a medley of songs. West chose an R&B Medley whilst East named theirs as a ‘Boy/Girl Band Medley’. Ultimately, East won the competition for their amazing creativity, professional acting and gripping romantic scenes. 

Year 12 pupil, Abigail Wamala, said that “Conducting House Singing was a beautiful experience. It was smooth running some of the time, stressful in others - but staying positive the whole time is vital. With things like this, I can turn into a perfectionist but letting go and having fun is very important too!”

Abigail was rightfully crowned ‘Best Conductor’, after her phenomenal ability to bring energy and encourage positive participation from everyone; making the competition not only a bonding experience for her boarding house but also an opportunity to explore new-found talent.