A reminder to members of HUB that we will be having an extra rehearsal this Thursday 22nd January at 3-4pm in CGG in order to prepare for our visit to St Mary’s Church in Hayes in a couple of weeks.
Starlight Express trip
Thank you to those of you who came on this trip. We hope you enjoyed it!
MusicFests are informal concerts where students from any year group can perform pieces of their own choice to a friendly and supportive audience. We always have a huge range of music, from students’ very first public performance to students who are already hugely experienced musicians. We have all styles of music from classical to rock to musical theatre and students’ own compositions. There are solos, duets and groups. One of the loveliest thngs about these events is when students from different year groups work on something together. They are also a great opportunity for GCSE and A Level Music students to practise their performance skills. MusicFests are always a much loved event on the Hayes Music calendar.
Here is the video from a recent MusicFest so you can get a flavour of what it’s like:
15 January – Music department trip to see Starlight Express
4 February – HUB trip to St Mary’s Church, Hayes
25 February – MusicFest
19-21 March – Whole School show (Mary Poppins)
25 March – Spring Concert
6-10 April – Music tour to the Netherlands
Starlight Express trip is on Thursday! (15th Jan)
If you are going on this trip, please check Satchel One so you know where and when you need to be on Thursday and what to bring.
It is really important that we leave school by 12 on that day so that we can get to the theatre in time for the show.
If you were not at the trip meeting yesterday, please make sure that you have read through the PowerPoint on Satchel.
Any questions, please ask.
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang trip – Thursday 21st May 2026, 7:30pm
There are a few places still available on this trip. Final deadline for payment is Friday 16th January.
The trip email was sent out to parents/carers just before the end of term. Please let me know if you are a committed member of at least one of our music clubs but your parents/carers do not receive the email.
Thank you to everyone who performed, and thank you also to those of you who helped with setting up, tickets and tidying up afterwards.
Music clubs will resume in the week beginning Monday 12th January (except for Musical Theatre which will start on Thursday 22nd January due to the Starlight Express trip on the 15th).
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang trip – Thursday 21st May 2026, 7:30pm
There are a few places still available on this trip. Deadline for payment is Friday 16th January.
The trip email was sent out to parents/carers just before the end of term. Please let me know if you are a committed member of at least one of our music clubs but your parents/carers do not receive the email.
All music clubs are performing at this event so please make sure you are practising your part(s) at home.
The rehearsal schedule for the day of the concert (Wednesday 17th December) is below. Please make a note of when you are needed and make sure you have your instrument/music in school with you on that day.
Your teachers will know why you are absent from lessons that day, but it is your responsibility to find out what you missed and catch up.
Usual lunch rehearsals will take place up until the concert.
Here are some things you need to know about the concert itself:
The concert is at 6.30pm in the Hall. It will be finished by 9pm.
You need to wear all black. Not blue, not brown, not patterned, and no big logos. If you want to wear a bit of tinsel etc. on yourself or on your instrument, go for it.
Tickets are £5 on the door for adults or pay via ParentPay. Under 18s and senior citizens are free.
The music classrooms will be available for coats, instrument cases etc. Please arrive in enough time to warm up and get organised.
Any questions, please ask.
When the concert is in progress, you must not hang out in the classrooms or corridors. You need to be at the back of the Hall being a supportive, considerate, appreciative member of the audience who shows awareness of performance etiquette which includes not moving around or talking.
All music clubs will start up again after the Christmas holiday.
Listen to this lovely arrangement of a Christmas classic
Another Christmas (Nut)Cracker! 🩰🎄
Enjoy our performance of 'Waltz of the Flowers' from Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker, arranged by Richard Birchall and filmed at Asylum Chapel in London.
Feeling festive? Join us this December for our Christmas concerts in London, Canterbury,… pic.twitter.com/2V9Sxn4fKk
“Sleigh Ride” is a light orchestra standard composed by Leroy Anderson. He formed the idea for the piece during a heat wave in July 1946, and finished it in February 1948. Its first performance was by the Boston Pops Orchestra, with Arthur Fiedler conducting, on May 4, 1948.
The piece is noted for the sounds of a horse clip-clopping, and a whip used to get the horse moving. In most performances, a percussionist provides these sounds on temple blocks and a slapstick, respectively. Toward the end of the piece, a trumpet imitates the sound of a horse whinnying.
The Winter Concert is now under two weeks away. All music clubs are performing at this event so please make sure you are practising your part(s) at home.
The rehearsal schedule for the day of the concert (Wednesday 17th December) is below. Please make a note of when you are needed and make sure you have your instrument/music in school with you on that day.
Your teachers will know why you are absent from lessons that day, but it is your responsibility to find out what you missed and catch up.
Usual lunch rehearsals will take place up until the concert.
Here are some things you need to know about the concert itself:
The concert is at 6.30pm in the Hall. It will be finished by 9pm.
You need to wear all black. Not blue, not brown, not patterned, and no big logos. If you want to wear a bit of tinsel etc. on yourself or on your instrument, go for it.
Tickets are £5 on the door for adults or pay via ParentPay. Under 18s and senior citizens are free.
The music classrooms will be available for coats, instrument cases etc. Please arrive in enough time to warm up and get organised.
Any questions, please ask.
When the concert is in progress, you must not hang out in the classrooms or corridors. You need to be at the back of the Hall being a supportive, considerate, appreciative member of the audience who shows awareness of performance etiquette which includes not moving around or talking.
All music clubs will start up again after the Christmas holiday.
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang trip – Thursday 21st May 2026, 7:30pm
The trip email will hopefully be sent out to parents/carers before the end of term. Please let me know if you are a committed member of at least one of our music clubs but your parents/carers do not receive the email.
Thank you to JamSesh and some members of HUB who will be performing at this event.
Saturday November 22nd outside the New Inn in Hayes.
Arrive and set up at 3:15pm. Play 3:30-3:50pm
You will need to wrap up warm (own clothes but festive themed e.g. Santa hat), bring your instrument, music and a music stand plus pegs to keep your music on the stand if windy.
Hayes Christmas Lights – Saturday November 22nd outside the New Inn in Hayes = JamSesh (and any members of HUB if keen). Arrive and set up at 3:15pm. Play 3:30-3:50pm. You will need to wrap up warm (own clothes but festive themed e.g. Santa hat), bring your instrument, music and a music stand plus pegs to keep your music on the stand if windy.
Winter Concert – Wednesday 17th December, 6.30pm in the School Hall =all music clubs
4′33″ is a modernist composition by American experimental composer John Cage. It was composed in 1952 for any instrument or combination of instruments; the score instructs performers not to play their instruments throughout the three movements. It is divided into three movements, lasting 30 seconds, 2 minutes and 23 seconds, and 1 minute and 40 seconds, respectively, although Cage later stated that the movements’ durations can be determined by the musician. As suggested by the title, the composition lasts 4 minutes and 33 seconds. It is marked by silence except for ambient sound, which is intended to contribute to the performance. Click here to find out more.
Well done to all the year 7s who took part in the Song Concert last week. Congratulations to the winning classes and soloists:
7AC2 singing Don’t Stop
Alex singing Where is Love
7BC2 singing If I Didn’t Have You
Callum singing Symphony
NYO update
Well done to Will in year 12 who has found out that he now has a full place in the National Youth Orchestra for 2025-2026. Well done!
Sweeney Todd trip – Thursday 13th November
Those of you who are going on this trip will need to attend the trip meeting. Please check Satchel One for information about when and where the meeting is. Any questions, please email me.
BYMT news
BYMT MUSICAL THEATRE COMPANY (Senior & Advanced) are welcoming new members to audition for their next production HADESTOWN Teen Edition.
We’re looking for talented performers (in school years 10-13) with strong voices, individuality, and the passion to tell a powerful story through music and movement. Work alongside a West End team to create a truly unforgettable production.
Join BYMT this season for Hadestown, the Tony Award-winning hit musical that blends ancient myth with modern music in a spellbinding tale of love, hope, and defiance. Featuring a soul-stirring folk, blues, and jazz-inspired score, this is your chance to journey to the underworld and bring this epic story to life on stage.
Auditions for NEW members begin on Tuesday 11 November
(Auditions for existing BYMT Musical Theatre Company, Senior & Advanced, begin on Tuesday 18 November)
Sign up for auditions now and don’t miss your chance to be part of this Broadway and West End sensation!
For more information and to register, please visit:
Do any of you fancy organising this at school? Perhaps we could make it a charity fundraising event to raise funds for the department? Please let me know if you are keen to organise this.
Whitney Elizabeth Houston (1963 – 2012) was an American singer, actress, film producer, model, and philanthropist. Commonly referred to as “the Voice”, she is one of the most awarded performers of all time. As a cultural icon, her chart achievements and music videos influenced the breaking down of gender and racial barriers. Known for her vocal delivery and live performances, Houston was ranked second on Rolling Stone‘s list of the greatest singers of all time in 2023.
“I Will Always Love You” is a song by American singer Whitney Houston, which was originally written and sung in 1973 by Dolly Parton and inspired by a version recorded by Linda Ronstadt. It was released on November 2, 1992, by Arista Records as the leading single for Houston’s first soundtrack to The Bodyguard, her film debut. Considered one of the most famous and iconic singles of all time, it sold over 24 million copies worldwide, making it the best-selling single by a female artist of all time as well as one of the best-selling singles of all time. It was also the best-selling single of 1992 in the UK.
Hayes Music blog 