HIGH school pupils in East Dunbartonshire have created a virtual orchestra performance, after coronavirus cancelled their senior orchestra residential course.

Pupils came together as part of East Dunbartonshire Instrumental Service to help perform ‘Reach’ by S Club 7 in a video posted on social media, arranged by staff member Elspeth MacKay and edited by ­music instructor, Martin Thomson.

Martin said: “We unfortunately couldn’t get to do our senior ­orchestra performance last week.

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“We had done Reach at our annual Christmas concert, and we usually go on to do something like Tchaikovsky or something classical later in the year but we weren’t able to practice because of the lockdown.”

The video, which features 50 pupils taking part in the performance, was edited by Martin over the space of a week.

He said: “It takes a long time but I think there was added security for the kids because they could do another take if they got something wrong.

“When we put the call out, we though that if we had 10 pupils get back to us that would be a good response, so to have 50 pupils get involved with it was amazing.

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“For such a small authoritiy like East Dunbartonshire, the quality we have produced is very high.

The video has already gained praise online, including from local MSP Rona Mackay, below.

She tweeted: "This is just incredible! Congratulations to @music_edc and the amazingly talented Senior Orchestra – and I wish you all the very best for the future.”

The virtual performance is also something that Martin expects to continue, after lockdown forced schools to close.

He said: “We have no firm guidence on how or when schools will open, so it’s difficult to say how music will be taught going forward.

"I certainly don’t see music instructors being put back into schools until after Christmas - that means that this type of techonolgy is needed to keep kids playing.”