HUNDREDS of youngsters have been exercising their vocal chords in preparation for one of the largest musical events in the primary schools calendar.

The Kent Messenger Primary Schools Choir Festival will be held at Mote Hall, Maidstone, this Friday, June 18, with 12 schools from across the Maidstone borough taking part.

More than 300 children will be involved on the night, and for many of them the event is what joining the school choir has been all about.

Jane Anderson, project co-ordinator for the 12th International Maidstone Music and Dance Festival, under whose banner the choir festival takes place, said that the children were buzzing with enthusiasm.

"Some of the schools have said that some of the members of their choir only joined so they could take part in this event," she said.

"West Borough said their choir was thriving because of this event. It is obviously a real high point for many of the pupils."

The schools taking part this year are Brunswick House, Palace Wood, Detling, Headcorn, Molehill Copse, North Borough, Parkway, Platts Heath, Roseacre, Sandling, West Borough and East Borough.

Rehearsal workshops have been held at the schools over the last fortnight, and the children will all meet for the first time as a group today, when they have a last-minute rehearsal for the event.

The highlight of Friday's performance will be The Blue Crystal, a science-fiction story written by Nick Perrin which includes robots and clones and is a story of human interaction with an alien race called Zarcons.

Four schools will perform solo pieces: East Borough's offering is Everyone Sing;

West Borough perform Creatures of the Deep and young Peter the fiddler; Brunswick House perform Nowhere Man and What Have They Done To My Song? and Sandling will perform Hear the Wind, and an Aboriginal song.

Mrs Anderson said: "It is amazing how resilient young people are - they have had to learn the words by heart and will only have one group rehearsal.

"They are all getting very excited and they all seem really inspired by it.

"There are some lovely voices."

The concert, starts at 7.30pm. For ticket enquiries call 01622 695283.

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