Liam Day, Juilliard Alumnus and Sub-Principal Trumpet with the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra visited Regents International School Pattaya on Tuesday 1st December.
The visit was made possible thanks to the Juilliard-Nord Anglia Performing Arts Programme launched earlier this year. As part of this prestigious collaboration, students at Regents were treated to a special visit by Day, who demonstrated the versatility of the trumpet and inspired students with his musical abilities.
Liam Day jamming with Secondary music students in the tuck shop area.
The activities began with a Secondary School line-up, during which Day transformed functional announcements into extra-ordinary musical moments. After being introduced to the students he then continued to whip up excitement during curriculum lessons, and engaged the students in making music with him. The trumpeter then finished off his time in the Secondary School with a jam session, featuring some enthusiastic Year 10 students who sang and arranged their own version of the popular song ‘Cheerleader’ during a break-time flash mob.
According to Surotama and Zoe in year 10 Music, Day’s presence ‘brought a lot of life to our break time. Seeing him interact with other people was great… It was an eventful day that brought many smiles and activities to our school.’
Liam Day performing for Primary students during their lunchtime.
In the afternoon, Day was invited to continue on his music-making journey through the primary school, where the younger students were very keen to learn about the trumpet and to ask him questions. Kristen Callaway, Head of Primary Music said of the day that ‘the students loved it, and it helped to reinforce the buzz about this amazing collaboration and what it offers our children!’
‘Day appeared to have a Pied Piper-like effect in the playground. As the magnificent sound of his bright, blasting trumpet resounded out, children flocked to come and hear the source of this exciting sound. It was clear that children the Primary school were fascinated with his skill, intrigued by the mechanics of the instrument, and thoroughly enjoyed joining in with his performances by making their own body percussion accompaniments and discovering the power, beauty and fun of playing the trumpet.’
For the students, a visit to the Primary canteen over lunch also proved more interesting than usual. ‘Liam spent a great deal of time talking with individual students – an incredible opportunity for them to learn from a world-class musician.’
The visit culminated in a free afternoon concert, and parents were invited to experience first-hand the high calibre of musical performance that will now be available to the school community as a result of the NAE-Juilliard collaboration. Day performed a range of jazz, classical and modern works, showing off the versatility of the trumpet and captivating the audience of young and old alike.
Richard, another student in year 7 commented: ‘Liam’s visit was one of the best experiences I have had in this school. I feel really happy that I listened to him playing the trumpet. My favourite part was the Jazz Song “Fly Me to the Moon” that he played at the concert.’
One of the school’s community partners Hand to Hand, were also able to attend the free concert and got to speak to Day afterwards.
Liam Day with the students from Hand to Hand, one of Regents’ longtime community partners.
Day said of his time at Regents: ‘It was such a pleasure visiting Regents… It was a wonderful feeling to share some of what I learned from my time at The Juilliard with this incredible school. I was greeted by excited, smiling faces every step of the way and that made it so easy to put myself out there for everyone to hear. Thanks to the help of the incredible teachers and staff we were able to reach almost the entire student body in a short time. The line of smiles, questions and thank yous after my final performance gave me the kind of rewarding feeling that I wish I could have after every performance.’
To find out more about the Juilliard-Nord Anglia collaboration, and other performing arts activities contact the school on 038 418 777.
