School of rock stars

10:41am Monday 2nd April 2007

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To see a photo gallery of the star performers, click here.

AN X-Factor style night brought the curtain down on a music competition which got Blackburn with Darwen schools rocking.

Hundreds of teenagers, parents and teachers packed into the hall at St Wilfrid's High School, off King Street, Blackburn, for the final of the contest aimed at boosting children's business acumen.

The Enterprise Rocks Music Championship saw 17 bands and solo acts performing cover tracks in a battle to be the best.

An X-Factor style panel of judges was made up of Steve Pytlak, an E4A advisor, Angela Foster, who plays bass for the Burnley Alliance Silver Band, and Carolyn Haworth, a former music teacher at Clitheroe Grammar School.

But the judges only had half the vote as the audience also had a say.

The night was the culmination of a project across six high schools in Blackburn with Darwen that saw pupils colaborating to produce a CD.

E4A, which organises enterprise challenge days, charged pupils with everything from marketing plans, the CD's sleeve design, as well as recording the tracks themselves.

The Enterprise Rocks CD costs £8, from the schools and Reidy's music shop, Penny Street, Blackburn.

Stumble Motion's rendition of Chuck Berry's Johnny Be Good was voted the best.

In second place was 1000 Storeys and in third, Charlotte Melia.

Steve Pytlak said: "I had listened to the CD before, and I must say they were all better live than the recorded versions."

Stumble Motion frontman Josh Jubb, 15, said: "It feels electric. We worked so hard to win."

Proceeds will go to various charities.