Poetry By Heart is a competition that requires students to memorise and perform poetry. But it is so much more than this, Poetry By Heart is all about developing confidence with poetry in an enjoyable, accessible, and engaging way that leads to its lifelong enjoyment. Tanglin Trust School has a history of winners in this competition. In 2022, Meher B was the winner of the ‘Freestyle’ category and Ashwin S came in a close second place. 

How it all started
Poetry By Heart begins in lessons with every student learning a poem in just one hour! We then invited students to spend their own time selecting and rehearsing a poem ready for the initial stage of the competition. Over 40 Middle School students entered the Tanglin Poetry By Heart competition and it was so challenging whittling it down to the final three students: Ishaan K, Aarav S, and Tanvi P. 

Six weeks later, we received a message informing us that all three had won their International Category, beating competitors from across the world! To make this wonderful news even more exciting, international finalists were invited to present their recitations on stage at The Globe Theatre, London, for the first time to celebrate a decade of Poetry By Heart.

Invitation of a lifetime
And so, just before Tanglin began its summer break, three of our senior students were in London accepting the invitation of a lifetime. To begin the celebration, Aarav, Ishaan, Tanvi, and I were invited to watch a performance of Comedy of Errors the Sunday afternoon after a gala dinner to familiarise themselves with The Globe Theatre and ready themselves for the big performance on the next day.
 
As we made our way to The Globe Theatre on Monday morning, we talked excitedly about their performances and final adjustments. After a private tour of the theatre, we had front-row seats to the performances and watched over 100 competitors recite their poems in front of a packed theatre. 

A sensational performance
As the afternoon began, it was our students’ opportunity to take to the stage. Tanvi’s ‘Classic’ entry required her to memorise two poems (one pre-1914 and one post-1914). Her emotive recitation demonstrated a wonderful capacity to manage pace and timing to powerful effect. She was followed by Ishaan and Aarav who had entered the ‘Freestyle’ category. They chose to learn one poem but added the challenge of performing it together. They worked as one to share lines, coordinating their presentation with success.

In short, the Poetry By Heart event at The Globe Theatre was sensational. Other guests and finalists came to congratulate our winners on their moving performances and thoughtful recitations. Tanvi, Aarav, and Ishaan were fantastic ambassadors for the school and have, I hope, come away with the understanding that when you learn a poem by heart, it becomes part of you; any time, anywhere, you can breathe it into being again.

When asked to describe their lasting impressions of the experience, our winners shared the following with me:

I really enjoyed the poetry by heart trip, my fondest memory would be reciting our poem in the globe theatre. I found it so incredible performing on the stage we learn so much about in school. We did a lot of fun sightseeing activities and learned a lot about London and the Globe Theatre’s history. I would highly recommend everyone to give Poetry by Heart a go. I tried Poetry by Heart in Year 7 but didn’t get through to the second round. But I persevered and gave it a go in Year 8 and got to go on this amazing trip.

Visiting Shakespeare’s Globe was a rare experience, and my gratitude goes towards Poetry by Heart. I did not know much about the Globe prior to visiting, but we were provided with a quick but interesting tour of the history of the site. Minutes before my performance, I remember feeling an urge to go and see the crowd from the stage, and I felt more excited than nervous. It’s a feeling you can experience only if you perform. It was nice getting to know Aarav and Ishaan too, even if it was for a short time. Would I recommend signing up for Poetry By Heart? Absolutely! You can’t imagine where submitting a recording can get you, I’m a great example of this!

The Poetry By Heart trip was an amazing experience. My fondest memory was definitely performing in Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre. We were led through an exclusive entrance that took us to the backstage area, and I remember standing there waiting for our turn to walk through the big doors onto the renowned stage, filled with excitement. Some actors’ life dreams are to perform in the Globe, and after this trip, I can understand why. People are intently watching you from all directions, some seated near the ground and some above, in grand balconies. Your voice reverberates through the theatre, strong and loud. It feels as if you are the only thing that matters for those brief minutes. It was magnificent. I also enjoyed going sightseeing in London with my friend, Ishaan, and making a new friend, Tanvi. I would 100% recommend students to take part in Poetry By Heart because it was not only fun but also an experience you will never forget. My biggest takeaway would be to never doubt your ability and try even if you think you won’t make it because there is always a chance that you might.