By GEORGE ORIDO

Teachers are known to instruct students on music notes, vocal discipline, elocution, and dance and only conduct their students as they belt their tunes according to rehearsals plan.

So, seeing teachers battle for top positions last week at Tom Mboya Labour College in Kisumu was a sight to behold.

Music teachers from across the country converged to lead from the front by tasting a dose of their own medicine competing amongst themselves before a select team of adjudicators.

The teachers use pseudo names for their schools, and the stage was set and a full programme done, a master of ceremonies with distinguished guests, led by the Education Secretary Enos Oyaya and the new Director of Quality and Standards at the Ministry, Mohammed Mwinyipembe, were in attendance. The hall was full of expectations as Moto Moto Academy hit the stage with their choral verse, The Monkey by John Mati.

The verse is a creative depiction of leaders with tribal inclination.

The leaders discriminate against other tribes that they call, ‘the monkey’. “The monkeys are proud but good for nothing,” went part of the verse.

In the end, Tumaini Academy, that also recited the poem, scored the highest marks in elocution, followed by Mwangaza Academy.

Tumaini’s strength was in good stage arrangement, synchronised voices and beautiful pace that kept the audience on the edge of their seats.

The judges were looking for powerful voice projections, good gestures and facial expressions that captured the mood and essence of the original script.

Owaka won with ‘I Tried’ written by Calvin Adwar. ‘Butterfly’ written by Eric Amuhaya and presented by Benedette Shumuli, came second; as Lensa Achieng emerged in third position.

Yet the class that was essentially a crowd puller was the Class 221A, a set piece Early One Morning that saw the teachers give their all.

Because of the detailed dynamics in the music scores and the short time they had to prepare, the teams were allowed to read from the score sheets as they sang.

Here, Kebwaro GBD School emerged tops with their powerful attack, well-blended voices especially a clear and neat soprano.

For their full commitment and involvement, Garissa Boys and Girls were first runners up while Vision 2030 High School went with the bronze for their appropriate tempo.