Delight as Falkirk district school wins national title in the Scottish Primary Schools Glee Challenge 2023

The choir from Wallacestone Primary impressed the judges on Sunday to bring home the winners trophy in this year’s Scottish Primary Schools Glee Challenge.

The school was one of two local choirs to reach the final with youngsters from California and Shieldhill primaries having joined forces for the competition. They were competing against Our Lady and St Francis, Motherwell; St Ninians, Dundee; Ashley Rd, Aberdeen; Tulliallan, Fife; Denholm, Scottish Borders; St Mary’s RC, Edinburgh; St Ninians RC, Edinburgh and Tulloch, Perth.

Sunday’s final was a real celebration of song, music, dance and performance in Scotland’s schools watched by a packed audience in Caird Hall.

Each choir performed two songs, one from a set list of two songs and one a song of their choice. Scottish boyband Just the Brave also performed for the crowd.

Wallacestone Primary were named this year’s Scottish national champions.

Bill Breckenridge, co-founder of the Frisson Foundation which organises the Glee Challenge, said the judges felt the Wallacestone Warriors’ overall performance was “outstanding” and that their second song, Coldplay’s ‘Fix You’ was “beautiful and had a gorgeous choir sound”. One of the judges commented that he had “almost shed a tear” during the performance.

As well as receiving the trophy, the school received £350 of vouchers to buy music equipment and supplies and a free subscription to Charanga, a music and teaching platform.

Jonathan Crawford, headteacher, said: “We are really proud of our children’s success and the way they have approached Glee with such a positive attitude. They have been working incredibly hard over the last few months in school and at home. I am really grateful to our fantastic team of staff who have shown such commitment to giving our children this opportunity and to our parents and other staff who have come along to support them.”

The youngsters from Wallacestone secured a place in the last phase of the competition after being confirmed as one of the three highest scoring runner up choirs. They

joined pupils from California and Shieldhill in the final – after the joint choir between the Braes’ schools qualified by winning the central region final last month.

Bill added: “It has been a fantastic ten year celebration, we’re so grateful that so many people turned out in support. Wallacestone Primary were deserving winners and it was a unanimous decision by the judges. However, it is important that all choirs were winners in their own way and each school should be extremely proud of their achievement.”

Motherwell’s Our Lady and St Francis Primary and St Mary’s Primary School in Edinburgh were runners up on Sunday.

The Scottish Primary Schools Glee Challenge is Scotland’s largest most inclusive school singing and choir initiative and is organised by charity The Frisson Foundation. It

provides opportunities for primary school children across the country to build their confidence and realise their potential through music.

This is the second year in a row when the winners’ trophy has come to the Falkirk district, as last year Moray Primary in Grangemouth claimed the top spot in the competition.