Thank you to those of you who braved the cold and performed at the Hayes Christmas Lights event on Saturday 🙂
Next up: Winter Concert – now under 3 weeks away! Learn your parts!!
BYMT opportunities
And finally…
Hayes Christmas Lights is tomorrow!
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.
Making music more accessible
Google’s Blob Opera
Click here to have a go yourself
And finally …
Sweeney Todd trip
Thank you to those of you who came on this trip. We hope you enjoyed it 🙂
Miss W’s back stage video tour:
Programme here
Coming up soon:
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
Disney/Musical Theatre fans
Also, have a look at the videos here: Brett Boles (@thebrettboles)
Click here to read the article
And finally …
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.
MusicFest
Well done to everyone who took part in last night’s event, and thank you to those of you who helped behind the scenes.
Photos and video coming soon …
Sweeney Todd trip – Thursday 13th November
The trip is next Thursday! Please check Satchel One for all the trip info and email me if you have any questions.
Fab opportunities
BBC Sounds recommendation
Please note, some episodes contain strong language and adult themes.
And finally …
Have a lovely half term!
Don’t forget to practice for MusicFest (first week back), and sign up if you haven’t already done so.
Click here to sign up to perform
Click here for tickets
Year 7 Song Concert results
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:
Click here to read the full article
And finally ….
The Whitney Houston Challenge
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.
Find out more here
MusicFest is in the week after half term!
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. 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:
Click here to sign up to perform
Click here for tickets
Open Day
Thank you very much to Hayes Harmonies who did a fab job despite the wind and cold on Open Morning. We heard lots of lovely comments about your performances.
Thank you also to the following music leaders who helped out in CGD:
- Alice
- Natalie
- Callum
- Isabella
Hayes Christmas Lights – Saturday 22nd November
We’d really appreciate it if JamSesh (plus any members of HUB if keen) would perform at this event as we have done in previous years.
Please save the date and get practising. The Christmas Song packs are all in CGG.
Frozen fans (I know there are lots of you!)
And finally …
NYO news
Congratulations to Emma (year 13) who has been awarded the position of principal horn in this year’s NYO, and to Will (year 12) who will be an NYO Associate member this year.
You can get involved in NYO too:
Open Morning is tomorrow
Thank you to those of you who are coming along tomorrow to help out in the Music Department.
BYMT news
Rise in Glory remembers kings and queens, mentors and friends—people whose lives inspired some of the most moving music from the 16th to the 21st century.
First half
We open with music written for royalty and state occasion: Alonso Lobo’s luminous Versa est in luctum for Philip II of Spain; Henry Purcell’s grave and tender Thou knowest, Lord, from his funeral sentences; and Judith Weir’s serene Like as the Hart, heard at the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II. We then hear composers saluting their own: Josquin’s Nymphes des bois, mourning Ockeghem; William Byrd’s Ye Sacred Muses, in memory of Tallis; and Schütz’s Das ist je gewisslich wahr, honouring his friend Schein. The half closes with Herbert Howells’ great elegy, Take him, earth, for cherishing, written in the wake of President Kennedy’s assassination.
Second half
John Tavener’s Funeral Ikos sets ancient Orthodox words of consolation—plain yet piercing. Parry’s At the Round Earth’s Imagined Corners, blazes with 19th-century splendour on John Donne’s apocalyptic poetry. Bach’s motet, Komm, Jesu, komm, is a plea for rest that blossoms into radiant trust. We end in quiet triumph with William Harris’s Bring us, O Lord God, a vision of heaven crowned by one of English church music’s most glowing “Amens.” Between these works, Susannah Wells offers brief solo meditations for cello that thread the programme together.
Entry is by donation at the door (suggested £15; £5 for students and job-seekers).
Matilda The Musical fans
Find out more about the National Youth Choir here
Read the article here
And finally …
Congratulations …
…to those of you who will be performing in Mary Poppins Jr!
And well done to everyone who took part.
Open Morning is next Saturday!
If you are a music leader, please see Miss W to find out where you need be, when and what to wear. We always get to hear such lovely comments about the students in CGD on Open Morning so thank you in advance!
BYMT news
Click here to read the full article.
What would you choose for your honest playlist?
Alison Balsom OBE (born 7 October 1978) is a retired English trumpet soloist. She is an arranger, producer, and music educator. Balsom was awarded Artist of the Year at the 2013 Gramophone Awards and has won three Classic BRIT Awards and three German Echo Awards, and was a soloist at the BBC Last Night of the Proms in 2009 and finally in 2025. She was the artistic director of the 2019 Cheltenham Music Festival.
And finally …
MusicFest
The next MusicFest is in November so you need to get planning, collaborating and practising!
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. 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:
Hamilton fans
Take a look in the pit at Hamilton on Broadway in New York:
Performance masterclass opportunity
Opportunity for double reed musicians
And finally …
Congratulations to our new music leaders for 2025-2026
The following have been chosen:
Will – year 12
Anaya, Katia, Charlie, Liliana, Henry, James, Elinor, Dolly, Elliot, Bibi and Yasmine – year 11
Isabella and Jeanne – year 10
Dulcie, Alden, Elsie, River, Toby, BMB, Helena, Ella, Jess, Anya and Daria – year 9
Natalie – year 8
Callum – year 7
Please see Miss W for your badge and what she needs you to do this half-term. Please also put Saturday 4th October in your diaries as we’ll need you to be in the music department at Open Morning. If you are no longer a music leader but still have a badge, please return it to the music office.
Reminder: Sweeney Todd trip deadline
The email regarding the Sweeney Todd trip was sent out last week. Please let me know if your parents/carers haven’t received it.
The deadline for signing up and paying for this trip is this Sunday 14th September.
Breaktime concert next Tuesday!
| NYO Inspire 2026 is a free musical adventure for teenage musicians who are ready to go further. It’s a massive orchestral music community where teenage musicians get to play incredible music with other young musicians and accelerate through world-class tutoring. What does a year in NYO Inspire look like? Everyone’s NYO Inspire experience is different. Musicians grow through opportunities that match where they’re at on their musical journey. |
| Who can apply? 13-18 year-olds playing orchestral instruments at Grade 6-8+, no need for any official grades. It’s primarily for teenage musicians who go to state school, who are looking for more opportunities to grow. Full eligibility available on our website. It’s completely free! Travel bursaries also available. |
| Apply by 30 September |
Find out more here
A new music game to try
Read the article here
And finally …
William (Billy) Martin Joel (born 1949) is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. Nicknamed the “Piano Man” after his signature 1973 song of the same name, Joel has had a successful career as a solo artist since the 1970s. From 1971 to 1993, he released 12 studio albums spanning the genres of pop and rock, and in 2001 released a one-off studio album of classical compositions. With over 160 million records sold worldwide, Joel is one of the world’s best-selling music artists and is the fourth-best-selling solo artist in the United States.
Hayes Music blog 