2019年12月13日に今年度もKIHS学内スピーチコンテストが開催されました。

年末になりますが、冬休みに入る直前に学内のスピーチコンテストがありました。

スピーチコンテスト担当のGareth Warham先生のレビューとCompetitionTwo (Intermediate)優勝者のスピーチ全文です。

This year was the first in the new format – Competition One (Beginner) and Two (Intermediate).  It was also the first time running in December so we could include some Christmas fun.  At the start of the show, Mr Takimoto shared an inspirational message to help the speakers. Then, Competition One could begin.

Competition One

The first speaker, Mareka (Level 1 – Year 1), discussed one of modern societies biggest issues; plastic garbage.  Even though her nerves tried to put more pressure on her, she finished strong with an extensively researched speech.

Next, Ikki (Level 1 – Year 1) stepped up to the stage.  His confident delivery and relaxed body language would result in him producing a textbook speech – exactly what his speech was about.  His use of props and engagement with the audience pushed him forward, and earned him a prize.

Wakana (Level 1 – Year 1) arrived at the front looking nervous, but after a matter of moments she had everyone enjoying themselves.  Her energetic and theatrical delivery of the characteristics of a superstar gave the competition a spark of energy, which resulted in a prize.

The final speaker in Competition One was Chihiro (Level 3 –Year 1). Her composed and informed lesson on equal societies made the audience think so much they gave her a prize.

Competition Two

After a short break and entertainment from the magical fingers of Koki on the piano (Year 2), Competition Two could begin.  Aika (Level 5 – Year 2) began with a story about following your dreams, which made many of the audience nod in agreement, although she ended up just outside of the podium places.

Next, Suzuna (Level 5 – Year 2) came to the stage to share her extensive research on the Wheel of Emotion and being positively reflective of how lucky we are.

The next speaker, Gianni (Level 5 – Year 3), arrived at the stage to thunderous support from his classmates.  He went on to explain how music can be so much more than just a hobby, which connected with the audience so much that many score him highly.

Yuma (Level 5- Year 2) came to the stage full of nerves and looked out of place.  His speech, however, was not.  His intelligent analysis of modern politics and the histories that have caused it left many in the audience thinking about the current political climate.  Yuma pushed through his nerves to finish with pride.

The only Year 1 student in Competition Two, Sakura (level 5), arrived to give her speech with a soft voice.  The topic was not so soft.  Her thoroughly researched warning of the dangerous of getting a student loan to study at university left the audience thinking long and hard about their own options for higher education.

The serious topic of bankruptcy was followed by one of inspiration.  From the beginning, Joe’s (Level 6 – Year 2) passion for artistic flare was obvious.  He discussed his desire to become an international photographer in such a way that many in the audience began thinking about how far their own passions will take them.

The artistic topics continued as Maya (Level 6 – Year 2) performed a near flawless speech about the importance of supporting artists as well as enjoying their work.  Her examples were clear and made her point easy to understand for all levels.  Her balance of research and opinion pleased many of the judges and her smooth delivery allowed everyone present to enjoy her words.

Finally, Lena (Level 6 – Year 2) stepped up to deliver a thought-provoking message that is causing so many divisions in the world today – judgement.  Her clear voice and calm gestures allowed many in the audience to understand the issues she was highlighting.

The Entertainment

In previous years, this was the end.  In the new December competition, the theme of Christmas gave other students the chance to entertain.  Alisa (Year 3), Julie (Year 3), and Chiho (Year 2) sang a Christmas medley of everyone’s favourite songs with many trying to join in and sing along.  Then, a group of quizmasters headed by Yuki, Ayuka, Miyuka, and the speedy Soratsugu (all Year 3) asked some unique and often baffling questions, which had many (including the teachers) scratching their heads in puzzlement.

The Awards Ceremony

The time for prizes finally arrived.  The scores were incredibly close but winners were found.  This year’s prizes of \10,000 for first, \5,000 for second, and \3,000 for third were the highest ever given at KIHS.  However, after the entertaining and informative speeches were given no one thought they were undeserved.  Mr Takimoto came to the front and, after the theatrical drumroll, the winners were …

★Competition One★

　1^st         Ikki

2^nd         Wakana

　  3^rd         Chihiro

   ★Competition Two★

1^st         Maya

 2^nd         Joe

 3^rd         Gianni

 

Maya’s Winning Speech

Maya Uchida

When you go to the concert you will be impressed with such an incredible performance and get goosebumps. You can feel their emotions and you will realize that the artists want to give you an unforgettable experience. Because of their amazing performance, most of the audience may think that performers don’t get nervous and don’t make any mistakes because they are professional. The audience is the one who is listening and enjoying the performance so they do not get nervous. However, stage fright is a serious condition that can happen to many artists, whether they’re performing on an intimate stage with a few people, or surrounded by thousands of people singing along with them in an arena.

Many artists have to think of how to entertain people in a memorable way for the audience and they’re tasked with remembering lyrics, dance steps, and other distractions while performing, such as smokes and fire sparks. Many artists have confessed to having stage fright in during their carrier. Examples include Adele, Katy Perry, Lady Gaga, Rihanna and Zayn Malik. Famous people have stage fright because they are concerned about their reputation.

Some people strongly criticize them because of a bad performance or make fun of their mistakes, so they are more likely to have stage fright. Making fun of people and bullying people in SNS has become a problem in this society. People will feel mentally devastated having been bashed on SNS, such as Twitter. We should not blame them; instead we have to support them for the good of our entertainment.

Now, how did they overcome stage fright? Here are a few examples, even though Adele still has stage fright, she reminds herself that she has amazing courage to perform. Also, Rihanna does throat relaxing exercises and drinks something mixed with orange juice and soda water. To overcome stage fright, the technique depends on the individual person. We don’t know the right way to conquer fear, but having courage and getting used to it is the fastest way to overcome stage fright.

There is also a bright side to stage fright: many artists can gain more courage than before and compose better songs by expressing their intense emotions when they feel passionate about something. In addition, having stage fright means they are able to prepare well for something and I think it is an important experience in life. Many artists think that music is very important to their life because they want to show and share their passions and experiences to everyone which means they need the big courage to stand up for themselves and overcome their fear.

Wherever you go, do you notice that there is music around us in our daily life? For example, you need to take a train when you go to work or school and when the train comes there is music that announces the train is approaching. Also, when you go shopping at the store, you can hear music everywhere. We have music thanks to artists who compose songs for us. Artists share our opinion that music is part of our life. Music expresses human feelings, which have melodies of sadness, happiness, anger, and loneliness. They also have histories and stories about what happened in the past and it leads to the present day.

Music has a special kind of power that artists use to overcome stage fright by performing in front of everyone, so that is why they want to entertain people through their art. We should keep supporting them for the sake of our music and a better life.

Thank you for supporting me through my stage fright.

以上、今回優勝した２年生 内田　マイアさんのスピーチ全文でした。

今回出場を見送ったみなさん、刺激を受けて2020年は挑戦することを願っています！

また、今回惜しくも入賞できなかったみなさんも緊張の中、よく頑張りました。Way to go!!

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