Two current Wairarapa College year 11 students, Daniel Dew, 15, and Joshua Kidd,15, and one past student of the school, Chase Douglas,15, have been selected for the New Zealand Secondary Students Choir. Dew and Kidd, who both sing baritone for the Wairarapa College Cantata, said they are excited to getthe opportunity to sing with the best in the country and further their own singing skills. They are both multi-talented musicians, with Dew playing drums, piano, guitar, and saxophone, and Kidd plays piano to grade six level. "I was stunned at the start, and now I am excited. I really get into the old stuff like classical singing and I really enjoy performing," says Dew. He has been in the school choir for two years and has ambitions to study jazz in the future. Joshua Kidd was in the school choir last year and has taken vocal lessons to develop his musical talents. "My piano teacher wanted me to take lessons to improve my hearing skills and that helped my singing," says Kidd. He says he would like to continue with his singing as well as take on other cultural pursuits at school, such as drama. "I just like singing with heaps of people and the sound being harmonised," he says. The three Wairarapa College students were part of a group of four that went to auditions in Palmerston North late last year. Wairarapa College music director Karene Biggs said the choir experience will give the boys a good platform for possibly moving up to the National Youth Choir. "It's extremely good. We sent four and three got in. It's pretty amazing for our school. It also shows everybody that males can do well in singing," she says. The appointment to the national choir is for two years, and members range from year-nine students to first year university. T he sixty members in the Secondary Students Choir are chosen from schools throughout the country.
