The longstanding Leng Medal competition has received a 21st Century glow-up as its very own YouTube channel is launched.
The well-loved singing competition, run by the Sir John Leng Trust, sees school pupils from across Dundee compete to win the gold medal for singing a Scots song.
It was first started back in 1901 and is believed to have run every year since, with exception of the years during the two World Wars.
The gold medal event traditionally took place in Dundee City Council’s Music Centre, on Bell Street, every February.
However following the building’s closure, the past two years has seen it being held within DC Thomson’s Meadowside building on Albert Square instead.
The new YouTube channel has been set up as a platform where teachers, pupils, and parents can get tips on how to sing eight specially-selected Scots songs to help prepare for the Leng Medal competition.
The songs on the channel have been put together by former gold medal winner Carole Sim Sayce, a former principle teacher of music in Dundee who now lectures in musicianship at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland.
Carole said: “I am delighted to be able to give something back to music-making in Dundee and to be able to contribute by assisting the Sir John Leng Trust in promoting the hugely important and valuable tradition of solo singing of Scots songs in Dundee schools.”
Donald Gordon, clerk to the Leng Trust, added: “The governors are very pleased to have accepted Carole’s offer to make these videos on YouTube.
“We hope that more songs will be available in the coming months, and this set of tutorials will assist pupils and their teachers to choose, learn, and perform a song in competitive singing.”
The Leng Medal YouTube channel can be found here.
Conversation