[NARRATION – soft, spoken, warm tone]
Tonight we honour a legacy that has shaped a choir,
a community,
and generations of lives.
Over fifty years ago, a young teacher walked into an empty hall
with nothing but a piano, a dream,
and the belief that ordinary voices could create something extraordinary.
From that belief,
The Kentwood Show Choir was born.
[INTRO – gently sung, lyrical tone]
Before dawn broke on Wiltshire fields,
Before a voice found courage to rise—
A young teacher stood with a dream in her hands,
And a fire lit quietly behind her eyes.
A single piano.
An empty hall.
A future waiting, unseen.
But destinies begin in whispers
Before they dare to sing.
[VERSE 1 – smooth classical ballad delivery]
Sheila lifted her hand—
And silence learned to breathe.
A trembling room of hopeful hearts,
All waiting to believe.
She shaped their vowels like sculpture,
Let their harmonies entwine,
Teaching them that music is
A calling — not a line.
Through laughter, sweat, and discipline,
She forged a choir of gold—
And half a century later,
The story is still told.
[CHORUS – elegant, swelling, but controlled]
Oh, the Kentwood Show Choir!
Let your voices climb the air!
For Sheila built a kingdom
Out of music, love, and care.
Through every note, her heart resounds,
Her spirit leads the way—
The woman who lit heaven’s stage
And turned night into day!
[VERSE 2 – warm, expressive, flowing]
Years rolled on like thunder,
Yet her flame refused to bend.
Students grew into adults—
But still returned again.
For once you’ve sung with Sheila,
Your voice forever knows
The quiet truth of excellence
In every song that grows.
Two million pounds for charity—
And countless hearts made strong—
Oh, the world has rarely witnessed
A life more shaped by song.
[PRE-CHORUS – gentle rise, no harshness]
And still she stands, baton in hand,
A lighthouse through the storm—
A keeper of tradition,
Where every soul is reborn.
[CHORUS 2 – classical ballad lift, choir soft behind]
Oh, the Kentwood Show Choir!
Raise the roof, ignite the sky!
Let Wiltshire hear the echo
Of your everlasting cry!
From Christmas lights to springtime shows,
Your legacy burns brighter—
For Sheila’s hand conducts your hearts
Like a master and a fighter!
[BRIDGE – warm key lift, not dramatic]
Lift your voices!
Lift them higher!
Let the rafters ring with fire!
Every child she ever taught,
Every dream she ever caught,
Every trembling debut singer
Found their courage in her gaze.
From Cleo Laine, across the seas,
To whispers in cathedral aisles—
Her influence, like golden thread,
Runs on for endless miles.
(Soft choir whisper: “Sheila… Sheila… Keeper of song…”)
[FINAL BUILD – noble, emotional, not overpowering]
Now let the stage lights rise,
Let the velvet curtains part—
For this is more than music—
It is the beating of a heart!
Kentwood stands magnificent,
A monument in sound—
A fortress built of melody
Where miracles are found!
[FINAL CHORUS – full, rich, balanced]
Oh, the Kentwood Show Choir!
Your voices shake the very ground!
For Sheila carved eternity
Into every chord and sound!
And long as breath can rise in song,
And long as hearts aspire—
The world will know her triumph
Through the Kentwood Show Choir!
(Soft choir descant: “Higher… higher… her music is the fire we sow…”)
[CODA – gentle, reverent, soft strings + piano]
So here’s to the teacher,
The mother of a thousand songs…
To Sheila—
Who taught the world
Where every voice belongs.
And when the final lights fade low,
And silence fills the stage again…
A truth will whisper through the dark—
Gentle,
Certain,
Unbroken:
And long after the last curtain falls,
Her song…
Will still…
Remain.
Michael Forty
Final Version – The Kentwood Anthem
Trials and tribulations – The search was on – all the rest…