CHILDREN from Polwhele House in Truro have been learning their ‘Do, Re, Mi' instead of their ‘A, B, Cs', while performing this year's school production of The Sound of Muesli.

Celebrating 50 years since the release of the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical, The Sound of Music, pupils have produced their own take on the hit stage show, telling the story of playful nun Maria and the Von Trapp family.

In the school's production, Maria has auditioned for a part in the stage version of Sister Act, but after failing to get a part in the show she manages to get a job as governess to the Von Trapp family of seven children with the help of her friend, Niklaus, the lonely goatherd.

Despite some resistance from the older children, Maria soon wins the affection of the Von Trapp family and even manages to cope with Gretl's rather large pet mice.

But villain Major Vettel and his sidekicks, corporals Rosberg and Schumacher, are trying to get hold of the Von Trapp secret recipe for Muesli; recognising the wonderful medicinal properties of the breakfast cereal they hope it could help the Nazis win the war.

With an array of memorable characters such a "Uncle" Max Detweiller, Sister Whoopi, Sister Claudia, Sister Angela and the Mother Abbess helping Maria, Captain Von Trapp and the children, this hilarious tale is full of hijinks and unforgettable moments.

Author of the production and head of English and drama at Polwhele House, Keith Caddy thoroughly enjoyed working on the production with the children. "The children have excelled themselves during this production of The Sound of Muesli," he said. "At Polwhele House we are proud of the fact that our pupils get the chance to perform regularly - whether it be traditional pieces during lessons or popular culture through our end of year productions. They have all grown in confidence throughout this process and should be proud of the final outcome."

As Polwhele House is the choir school for Truro Cathedral's boy choristers, the production wouldn't be complete without some musical performances, with numbers such as The Hills are Alive (with the sound of muesli), Eight Dull Mice, My Favourite Powers, Dough Ray Me, Slime in the Fountain, So long, Farewell and How Do You Solve a Bad Case of Pneumonia? arranged by director of music, Nick Hawker.

Alex McCullough, headmaster at Polwhele House, said: "The annual school production is an opportunity to showcase all of the children's talents in performing arts. Many of our children take part in extracurricular activities like drama during the school year - so it fantastic that Mr Caddy, Mr Hawker and the children have created such an entertaining and enjoyable piece to celebrate their hard work."