Croydon Schools Reveal Results of Folk Project
03-07-2012
My Life, My Song, My Croydon
Bringing cultural heritage to life through folk dance and song
Pupils from Elmwood Junior School, St Cyprian’s Greek Orthodox Primary School, Tunstall Nursery School, Howard Primary School and Winterbourne Infant School have all been taking part in the My Life, My Song, My Croydon project since the beginning of 2012. 
It has been a joint project, delivered by the English Folk Dance and Song Society (EFDSS) in partnership with the Croydon Music and Arts.
The initiative aims to celebrate the cultural heritage of the schools and their pupils through song, singing games, dance, stories and poems. The children shared the results of their work at the Arnhem Gallery, Fairfield Halls, Croydon, on July 3.
During the sharing event, the children performed the traditional songs and dances they learnt and composed during workshops led by EFDSS tutors Carolyn Robson and Hazel Askew.
Legendary folk singer Shirley Collins, who is President of EFDSS, attended the event.
EFDSS Education Manager, Laura Reid, said: “My Life, My Song, My Croydon had been a wonderful project to be part of.
"This project celebrates the cultural heritage and traditional song and dance of the children involved. We explored lots of different cultures, as the children come from many backgrounds. This has led to the creation of a unique performance which will be unveiled to family and friends.
"As the organisation that promotes English folk arts, we feel very strongly that young people should know about the music and dances of our shared heritage and culture to keep those traditions alive and evolving."
Graeme Smith, Head of Croydon Music and Arts, added: "This is one of the best projects I have seen. It uses the processes of folk music to connect English and local traditions to the population of Croydon today in a very powerful way. There is great potential here to build community and address some of the causes of last August’s riots."
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