Gateshead students enjoy performance by local artist Kema Kay
Newcastle’s Kema Kay gave Year 9 students at Heworth Grange School a live performance before giving some of them tips and advice on writing their own lyrics.
Heworth Grange School in Gateshead, part of Consilium Academies, was delighted to welcome local musician, actor, dramatist and producer Kema Kay for a student workshop this week.
The artist came to Heworth Grange on Monday and performed in front of Year 9 students.
He then led a lyric and song writing workshop for selected students in Year 9, helping them to come up with some excellent lyrics together.
Kema Kay was brought up in the West End of Newcastle, developing is love of rap, singing and song writing at a local youth project; he now performs in venues around Newcastle.
Commenting on his visit to Heworth Grange School, Kema Kay said: “I thought the students were well-behaved and creative.
“The Year 9 group wrote a verse about the struggles of living in a council estate and wanting to make something of themselves - that relates to my story of how I came up.
“Seeing what equipment they have as a school was inspiring - Heworth Grange takes creativity seriously.”
Erin Anderson, Associate Assistant Headteacher at Heworth Grange School, said: “The students thoroughly enjoyed the performance by and workshops with Kema Kay and we are very grateful to him for visiting our school.
“I am looking forward to hearing some of the music that will accompany these lyrics from our talented Year 9 students.
“At Heworth Grange, we are committed to providing the best experiences for our students and we hope that this visit will inspire them to pursue their creative and musical dreams.”