Thank you to JamSesh and HUB for performing at next weekend’s event. Mr Tucker has the Christmas music so please see him so you can start practising at home.
“Sabre Dance” is a movement in the final act of Aram Khachaturian’s ballet Gayane (1942), where the dancers display their skill with sabres. It is Khachaturian’s best known and most recognizable work worldwide.
It is notable for its employment of percussion instruments, especially the xylophone. Its middle section is based on an unnamed Armenian folk song.
“Sabre Dance” is considered one of the signature pieces of 20th-century popular music. It was popularized by covers by pop artists, first in the US in 1948 and later elsewhere. Its use in a wide range in films and television over the decades have significantly contributed to its renown. “Sabre Dance” has also been used by a number of figure skaters from at least five countries in their performances.
Meet at the start of period 4 (12.10 pm) on Thursday 10th November in the restaurant. We will need to leave school at 12.25 pm at the latest so please be prompt.
You will need your zip oyster/debit card for bus and train fare, charged mobile phone, coat and packed lunch/drink (to have on the train journey up there). Also, any medical/health items that student reception don’t already keep for you.
Please make sure your zip card is topped up before the day of the trip as we may need to get a train as soon as we arrive at the station.
You are not allowed to bring your own food into the theatre so if you want to buy something during the interval you will need your debit card as the theatre is cashless.
Before we leave, try to put as much in your locker as possible so that your bag is smaller/lighter (although remember we will not be returning to school that day). You may want to bring in a smaller rucksack for the trip and leave your larger school bag at school over night.
Go to the toilet before meeting us in the restaurant.
Make sure you have read all of the powerpoint that I put on Satchel on 3rd November. You need to know who the teacher is for your head count group, and which teacher you will be sat on a row with in the theatre.
Don’t forget that we will be dismissing you from Bromley South Train Station and so those of you who are being collected will need to arrange a place near there to meet your parent/guardian. I will wait at Bromley South after we get back so if you cannot find your lift, come back to me inside the station, or call the school mobile number.
Any questions, please email me.
BYMT’s production of Elf The Musical
Congratulations to Oliver (year 13) for his role in the cast, and to Jodie (year 13) and Will (year 9) for their role in the orchestra. What a great show!
Music Department events between now and Christmas:
Listen to the pieces at home and try playing your part along with them:
A glass harp (also called musical glasses, singing glasses, angelic organ, verrillon or ghost fiddle) is a musical instrument made of upright wine glasses.
It is played by running moistened or chalked fingers around the rim of the glasses. Each glass is tuned to a different pitch, either by grinding each goblet to the specified pitch, in which case the tuning is invariable, or by filling the glass with water until the desired pitch is achieved.
Here’s Pink Floyd using a glass harp in the extended introduction of their song Shine On You Crazy Diamond:
And finally …
Blondie is an American rock band co-founded by singer Debbie Harry and guitarist Chris Stein. The band was a pioneer in the American new wave scene of the mid-1970s in New York. New wave is a loosely defined music genre that encompasses pop-oriented styles from the late 1970s and the 1980s. It was originally used as a catch-all for the various styles of music that emerged after punk rock, including punk itself.
Wikipedia
“One Way or Another” was released in 1979 as the fourth single from Parallel Lines, following the band’s chart-topping “Heart of Glass” single:
We will be having a short meeting straight after school on Thursday 3rd November in CGG to go through the final arrangements and reminders. All students going on the Hamilton trip must attend this meeting. It should only take 15 minutes.
Please contact me if there’s a reason why you cannot attend.
During half term, please have a look at the information on this website. It’s free, but you will need to register to access the resources. I’m certain you will all love seeing the show, but you will love it even more if you have some prior understanding of the story line and who’s who. Take 15 minutes to get your head around the plot and the main characters.
Thank you. We are really looking forward to taking you all 🙂
Congratulations! Another fab MusicFest!
Well done and thank you to everyone who performed in MusicFest this week. It was lovely to see such a variety of perfomances from soloists, duos and groups, and it’s great that our students continue to create music together regardless of age differences. Special thanks to our tech team and everyone else who helped on the night and behind the scenes.
Music events at school between now and Christmas
Listen to the pieces at home and try playing your part along with them:
🎟 Tickets are now on sale for our Full Company production of the hit Broadway and West End musical ELF! 🎄
🎼 Featuring a 30-piece orchestra, this hilarious musical comedy for all the family is not to be missed.
Music Opportunities – brass and percussion course for young people who identify as female or non-binary
There are 30 pop groups hidden in this image. Lots of the bands are from before you were born so you may need some help! I’ll start; The Eagles.
Let me know if you think you’ve worked out all 30!
And finally …
Seen outside a bakery 🙂
Listen to the lyrics in the chorus of Creep below if you don’t get it!
Radiohead are an English rock band formed in Abingdon, Oxfordshire, in 1985. The band consists of Thom Yorke (vocals, guitar, piano, keyboards); brothers Jonny Greenwood (lead guitar, keyboards, other instruments) and Colin Greenwood (bass); Ed O’Brien (guitar, backing vocals); and Philip Selway (drums, percussion). Radiohead’s experimental approach is credited with advancing the sound of alternative rock.
Though they achieved greater commercial and critical success with later albums, “Creep” remains Radiohead’s most successful single. It was named one of the greatest debut singles and one of the greatest songs by the American Rolling Stone magazine.
We are really looking forward to our first concert this year.
Jobs to do before next Thursday:
If you are planning to perform, please make sure that you have completed the form to sign up ASAP. Sign up form here.
Make sure you have let your friends and family know so that we have as many in the audience as possible. Tickets can be bought on the door.
If performing, practise your piece(s)!
More music events at school this term:
Open Morning
Thank you to Jazz Band who will be entertaining the parents and prospective students during tomorrow’s Open Morning.
Music trips
Thank you to those of you who have signed up for Hamilton and/or Music Tour. There are still some places for music tour. Please encourage those who you know would have received the tour letter to come along as we need at least 40 students for the trip to go ahead. WE REALLY WANT TO TAKE YOU ON TOUR NEXT YEAR!
We will be in touch with further trip information in due course. In the meantime, please speak to Miss W or Mrs F if you have any questions.
Listen to the pieces at home and try playing your part along with them:
Incredible footage of JOHN WILLIAMS recording the score for The Phantom Menace (1999). pic.twitter.com/bXyfpkOinu
John Towner Williams KBE (born February 8, 1932) is an American composer, conductor and pianist. In a career that has spanned seven decades, he has composed for many critically acclaimed and popular movies, including the Star Wars saga, Jaws, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Superman, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, the first two Home Alone films, the Indiana Jones films, the first two Jurassic Park films, Schindler’s List, Saving Private Ryan, Catch Me If You Can, and the first three Harry Potter films.
Upon release, “Starman” sold favorably and earned positive reviews. Following Bowie’s performance of the song on the BBC television programme Top of the Pops, the song launched to number 10 on the UK Singles Chart and helped propel the album to number five. It was his first major hit since “Space Oddity” three years earlier. The performance made Bowie a star and was watched by a large audience, including many future musicians, who were all impacted by it; these included Boy George, Bono, Robert Smith and Ian McCulloch. Retrospectively, the song is considered by music critics as one of Bowie’s finest.
It’s official! We’re off to Belgium for music tour 2023. We are SO excited to be off on tour again – it’s going to be a great trip so please get your deposit in asap to reserve your place. Your parents/guardians should have received a tour letter via email with all the details, but let us know if you are a new member of choir, musical theatre or concert band and would like to come on tour so we can get a letter to you asap.
Please speak to Miss Werry if you have any questions.
This is how much fun we had on our last tour (Hungary, 2019):
More music events at school this term:
Please try and attend all rehearsals this term. Remember to let the teacher know if you are unable to make a rehearsal.
MusicFest
Our first concert of the year is on Thursday October 13th which is now less than two weeks away. 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. Here’s some footage of our last MusicFest to give you an idea of what these concerts are like:
Are you a budding songwriter? Would you like the chance to collaborate with others, learn the skills & perform songs you have written? BYMT now offers two courses; Young Songwriting (yrs 6-8) & Senior Songwriting (yrs 9+). To register your interest visit https://t.co/rV1WjSyw2lpic.twitter.com/5mGHHkbHrd
The parents/guardians of our GCSE, A Level music/music tech students and members of all our music clubs, should have received the trip letter via email on 21st September. Please let me know if your parent/guardian did not receive this email (Mrs Foster).
The final date for signing up and payment is Wednesday 28th September.
For those of you who are new to Hamilton …
Hamilton is a sung-and-rapped-through musical by Lin-Manuel Miranda. It took over seven years to compose. It tells the story of American Founding Father, Alexander Hamilton. Miranda said that he was inspired to write the musical after reading the 2004 biography Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow. The show draws heavily from hip hop, as well as R&B, pop, soul, and traditional-style show tunes. It casts non-white actors as the Founding Fathers of the United States and other historical figures. Miranda described Hamilton as about “America then, as told by America now.”
Huge congratulations to Emma in year 10 who has just found out that she has been invited to join the National Youth Orchestra as an NYO Associate. She will join NYO as an integral part of the NYO Community, bringing her creativity and musicality to NYO residencies and performances alongside musicians in NYO. Emma will play alongside and learn from musicians in the orchestra, as well as participate in NYO Inspire activities, acting as role models for her peers. Well done, Emma!
Congratulations are also in order for Brooke in year 12 who has retained her place in NYO again!
We are very proud of you both 🙂
And finally…
🎨
The best way to see Van Gogh's "Starry Night" is to stare at the center of the spiral for 20 seconds and then look at the painting.
The Starry Night is an oil-on-canvas painting by the Dutch Post-Impressionist painter Vincent van Gogh. Painted in June 1889, it depicts the view from the east-facing window of his asylum room at Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, just before sunrise, with the addition of an imaginary village. Widely regarded as Van Gogh’s magnum opus, The Starry Night is one of the most recognizable paintings in Western art.
“Vincent” is a song by Don McLean written as a tribute to Vincent van Gogh. It is often erroneously titled after its opening refrain, “Starry, Starry Night“, a reference to Van Gogh’s 1889 painting The Starry Night. McLean wrote the lyrics in 1971 after reading a book about the life of Van Gogh. The song makes use mainly of the guitar, but also includes the accordion, marimba, and strings.
Here’s an arrangement of Vincent performed by the a cappella group, Voces8.
It’s been great to have the music corridor alive with music again this week. Welcome to the Year 7s who came along to try out our clubs. We hope you enjoyed them.
Thank you to to those of you who helped out at BYMT’s Try a Musical Instrument day last weekend. BYMT were really grateful for your help in inspiring the next generation of BYMT musicians.
Music events at school this term:
MusicFest
Our first concert of the year is on October 13th which is only four weeks away. 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. Here’s a fun idea …
Here is the video from the last MusicFest so you can get a flavour of what it’s like:
Four weeks to go so get planning! More details to follow.
Taylor Hawkins Tribute Concert
Oliver Taylor Hawkins (1972 – 2022) was an American musician, best known as the drummer of the rock band Foo Fighters, with whom he recorded eight studio albums between 1999 and 2021. Before joining the band in 1997, he was the touring drummer for Sass Jordan and for Alanis Morissette, as well as the drummer in the progressive experimental band Sylvia.
Read about the tribute concert here and watch Taylor performing with the Foo Fighters back in 2008 below:
And finally …
John Williams conducts his theme from Jaws with the Boston Pops Orchestra
We are inspired by the extraordinary commitment, hope and courage of Her Majesty the Queen; at just 21 years of age, she vowed that her life would be devoted to the service of her people and never faltered. Through music, we offer our deepest sympathy to the Royal Family. pic.twitter.com/fHSfuoS5Bq
— National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain (@NYO_GB) September 9, 2022
The letters for this trip will be going home in a week or so. Keep an eye on the blog for updates.
Music Ambassadors
Well done to our Year 8 Music Ambassadors who spent morning registration on Thursday speaking to the whole of Year 7 about all of the wonderful opportunities on offer in the music department this term.
BYMT is open on Saturday 10 Sept, 10am-1pm, for our Try a Musical Instrument day. Excellent chance to come along to the centre, try the instruments, talk to the teachers & make some noise! pic.twitter.com/oxZUrbBVs2
The sublime Invicta Sinfonia returns to Langley Park for the second of two special concerts to raise funds for the Disasters Emergency Committee’s Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal, under the baton of Emily Singh. Alongside Tchaikovsky’s turbulent Symphony No. 6, the orchestra will be joined by pianist Violina Petrychenko for the UK PREMIERE of Vasyl Barvinsky’s Piano Concerto.
One of the first Ukrainian composers to gain worldwide recognition, Barvinsky’s work is a perfect example of his late Romantic style with impressionistic features. The soloist Violina Petrychenko, the recipient of numerous awards and accolades, is on a mission to make the music and culture of her native Ukraine more widely known: her last three albums entirely featured Ukrainian composers of the 20th century, many of whose works have never been previously recorded.
The concerto will be paired with Tchaikovsky’s (1840-1893) Symphony No. 6, one of the composer’s final attempts at musically conveying his personal anguish in the face of the power of fate. Tchaikovsky had close family ties to Ukraine and spent several months a year in the country visiting relatives: he cited his heritage and the country as inspiration for his work, composing there some of his most beautiful and enduring music including Swan Lake, The Maid of Orleans, Sleeping Beauty, and Eugene Onegin.
Invicta Sinfonia was founded in 2020, and is dedicated to prioritising underrepresented composers and community engagement, and offers this performance of Barvinsky and Tchaikovsky as a bridge to connect and unite. The DEC’s Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal will help the charity deliver vital aid to hundreds of thousands of people in Ukraine, Poland, Romania, Hungary and Moldova.
Vincent Bal is a “shadowologist” and filmmaker from Belgium. He adds doodles to the shadows of everyday objects to create imaginative pieces.
He creates his characters from random shadows projected on paper and transforming them into something else, like animals or landscapes. The process started in 2016, after posting a picture and sharing it on Instagram. The reactions were so positive that he challenged himself to make one of these ‘shadow doodles’ every day. He hasn’t stopped since.
Here’s his Concerto for Piano Peeler 🙂
And finally …
If you don’t get it, listen to the lyrics in the following song. Enjoy!
John Francis Bongiovi Jr. (born 1962), known professionally as Jon Bon Jovi, is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist, and actor. He is best known as the founder and frontman of the rock band Bon Jovi, which was formed in 1983. “Livin’ on a Prayer” was released in 1986 and is the band’s signature song, topping fan-voted lists and re-charting around the world decades after its release. In 2013, the song was certified triple platinum for over 3 million digital downloads. The official music video has over 936 million views on YouTube as of July 2022.
Please make a note of all these dates, and make sure they are added to your family calendar too.
As you can see, we have LOTS of fab things planned for this year. Concerts, a whole school musical, trips to London to see a show and concert at the Royal Albert Hall and an European music tour! Lots more info to come so keep checking back here for updates.
Congratulations to our GCSE and A Level classes for your music/music tech exam results.
Summer news
We would love to hear about the musical things you did over the summer break. Please send me a quick email to tell me all about it so I can include it on the next blog.
Thank you. From Mrs F 🙂
Congratulations to Brooke for her fantastic performance with the NYO at the Proms and for inspiring the members of the NCO:
What a treat to hear @dannyelfman's London premiere of 'Wunderkammer' at the @RoyalAlbertHall, performed by @NYO_GB under the baton of Andrew Gourlay. Here's a preview to enjoy ahead of tonight's broadcast.
Here she is alongside a fellow NYO player and fab saxophonist @JessGillamSax
Well done, Brooke 🙂
Emma in year 10 performed with SLYO this summer and here’s what she has to say about her experience:
SLYO (South London Youth Orchestra) is a fantastic opportunity for musicians from grade 2-8+ to experience what it is like to play and be part of an orchestra. The SLYO organisation runs 4 orchestras, SLYO 1, SLYO2, SLYO 3 and SLYO 4, and they play every Christmas and summer (with SLYO2-4 P playing at Spring as well) in Dulwich as JAGS. SLYO 3 & 4 are chamber orchestras – consisting of only string instruments (violin, viola, cello and double bass), and SLYO 1 & 2 being full orchestras.
I have taken part in SLYO this summer, and the previous Christmas. This summer, we had a fantastic programme of Poulenc’s ‘Les Biches’ suite, Ravel’s ‘Pavane pour une infante dèfunte’ (a song for a dead princess) and Modest Mussorgsky’s famous ‘Pictures from an Exhibition’ (orchestrated by Ravel).
‘Les Biches’ is a one act ballet which consists of no story, but simply depicts many random interactions of people at a house party one afternoon. The whole ballet has 8 movements (excluding the overture) , although three of them are choral sections, and therefore we played 5 of them (again, excluding the overture). The 5 movements that we played are the Rondeau, the Adagietto, Rag Mazurka, Andantino and the Finale.
Ravel originally wrote the ‘Pavane pour une infante dèfunte’ for solo piano, however later orchestrated the piece. Ravel also commented that he gave the piece its title simply because he thought that the words sounded nice together. He didn’t intentionally name it ‘a song for a dead princess’, although it is often interpreted in the modern world to be played as if it were a funeral march. The piece features a very famous and beautiful horn solo which I was able to play, and it was such an amazing experience.
Modest Mussorgsky was inspired to write ‘Pictures of an Exhibition’ after his friend, a famous artist died, and he wrote it in honour of him, and inspired by his artwork. One of the most famous themes however, is the promenade, which depicts waking around a gallery, and this theme reoccurs very often throughout the piece. There ae 10 movements overall (not including the promenades): Gnomus, Il Vecchio Castillo, Tuileries, Bydlo, Ballet for unhatched chicks, Samuel Goldenberg and Schmuyle, Limoges, Catacombs, Baba Yaga and the Great Gate.
The performance was so amazing, and to be able to play such fantastic pieces such as Pictures from an Exhibition, the Pavane and the Poulenc suite was just incredible.
As you know, we are big fans of the ukulele here at Hayes. Take a couple of minutes out to listen to this lovely ukulele arrangement of Prelude from Bach’s Cello Suite No. 1. Enjoy 🙂
Thank you all for a fantastic year of music-making. It has been great to see so many Year 7s join our Hayes Music community.
Have a fabulous summer holiday! Maybe do some really lovely musical things – try a new instrument, learn a new piece, or listen to something different. Go to a Prom! Proms are brilliant – the atmosphere is like nothing else – and the programme of events is huge and varied. U18s go half price on all seated tickets – however, I would absolutely encourage you to actuallyprom – which means queuing for a ticket on the day, and standing up (there are two queues – one for the Arena, and one for the Gallery – I would strongly recommend the gallery, because the acoustics are better, and if there is room, you can lie on the floor and listen to the music!). See the Proms website for full details.
Next year will be just as busy, and we look forward to lots more music after the summer break including an autumn term trip to see a West End show, plus Music Tour over Easter 2023 and a film music concert at the Royal Albert Hall next summer.
Summer concert video
Congratulations to all who performed at HAZEFEST’22
Thank you to all who took part in this event. Congratulations to the winner, Emma in year 9, and runner-up, Will in year 8.
Who fancies performing on a melodica at the next MusicFest?!
MusicFest will be the first concert next term so you could start planning your performance during the summer break. Wacky and imaginative performances are very welcome! Here are some ideas …
Hayes Music blog 