JamSesh and HUB are playing at the Hayes Christmas Lights event on Saturday 25th November in front of the New Inn in Hayes. Our time slot is 4:10-4:30 pm. Please arrive at 3:45 pm so that we can have enough time to set up. You will be able to leave once we’ve packed up after we’ve finished playing at 4:30 pm.
Please keep learning to play and sing the Christmas songs (see Satchel One for the music).
On the day you will need to bring the following:
The Christmas song book (see Satchel One)
Music stand if you have one
Your instrument and accessories e.g. pick, leads, amp etc.
Wear warm clothes (not school uniform) and something festive e.g. Christmas hat/tinsel/reindeer antlers …
Even if you are not part of JamSesh or HUB, it would be lovely to see lots of you in the audience joining in with the Christmas songs and supporting the event.
HUB reminder:
If you are playing at the Christmas Lights event next Saturday, please can you come along to the JamSesh rehearsal the day before (Friday 24th Nov 3-4pm in CGF). This is so we can have a quick run-through of the Christmas songs together with JamSesh. Please remember to bring your Christmas music to this rehearsal.
Open Day
Thanks again to Jazz Band for performing at this event. Here are some pics:
Thank you also to jazz band for playing at last night’s Sixth Form Opening Evening.
FREE HORN RECITAL BY EMMA
All Saints Church, 44 Bark Hart Road, Orpington, BR6 0QD
Emma is performing a 45 minute recital at All Saints Church, Orpington on Saturday 16th Dec at 12 noon. It would be really lovely to see lots of you in the audience supporting her.
School of Rock
Congratulations to the Hayes students who have been performing in School of Rock at the Churchill Theatre this week.
BYMT news
We are pleased to confirm that two of our prestigious competitions, The Rotary Trotman and Advanced Singer, are returning to BYMT in the New Year and entries are now open to audition. For more information & to register, visit https://t.co/SuR4u1cw9Npic.twitter.com/8xTmgCZKsR
The West–Eastern Divan Orchestra is an orchestra based in Seville, Spain, consisting of musicians from countries in the Middle East, of Egyptian, Iranian, Israeli, Jordanian, Lebanese, Palestinian, Syrian and Spanish background. It was founded in 1999 by the conductor Daniel Barenboim and academic Edward Said, and named after an anthology of poems by Goethe.
Try playing your part along with these videos:
Brass and percussion players only: Please spend time at home practising your part for the Fanfare for the Common Man ready for the next time we rehearse it.
Jesus Christ Superstar – The Musical, Churchill Theatre, Bromley, Thursday 29th February, 2024
We have the opportunity to take the students in our music clubs to see the Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre’s brilliant production of Jesus Christ Superstar at the Churchill Theatre in Bromley. This reimagined production won the 2017 Olivier Award for Best Musical Revival. The musical is set against the backdrop of an extraordinary series of events during the final weeks in the life of Jesus Christ, as seen through the eyes of Judas. Reflecting the rock roots that defined a generation, the legendary score includes I Don’t Know How to Love Him, Gethsemane and Superstar. Find out more here
The parents/guardians of all KS4 and 5 music students, plus all students who attend a music club should have received an email about this trip. Please let me know if you have not received the trip email.
The deadline for signing up and paying for this trip is Wednesday 29th November 2023.
School events coming up soon!
CONCERT BAND REMINDER: The rehearsal on Wednesday 15th November is for brass and percussion players only. Please practice the Fanfare over the next few days and remember to bring your music to the rehearsal.
HUB REMINDER: The rehearsal on Friday 17th November is just for those of you who feel you would benefit from some extra help with the chords for our two chosen songs.
BYMT news
Huge congratulations to all our young performers & musicians on a TRIUMPHANT Performance! Thank you to the staff, parents, chaperones & all the volunteers whose continued support makes BYMT Musical Theatre Productions possible. pic.twitter.com/djebRVXZdp
Buy tickets here (but if you are going to see a friend who is performing in it, check which of the performances they are going to be in).
FREE HORN RECITAL BY EMMA
All Saints Church, 44 Bark Hart Road, Orpington, BR6 0QD
Emma is performing a 45 minute recital at All Saints Church, Orpington on Saturday 16th Dec at 12 noon. It would be really lovely to see lots of you in the audience supporting her.
Musical Theatre fans– SIX is coming to the Churchill Theatre in Bromley in July2024
The crowning glory of Broadway, the West End and beyond, the international smash hit musical SIX makes its royal return to Bromley, following its previous sell-out success!
Winner of 26 major international awards including the Tony Award for ‘Best Original Score’ and ‘Best Costume Design’, double winner of the Whatsonstage Award for ‘Best West End Show’ and a Gold-Disk winning album, this sell-out Tudor take-off has ‘an incredibly strong and powerful message’ (The Australian) and is ‘pure entertainment’ (New York Times).
From Tudor Queens to Pop Princesses, the six wives of Henry VIII take to the mic to tell their tales, remixing five hundred years of historical heartbreak into an 80-minute celebration of 21st century girl power. These Queens may have green sleeves but their lipstick is rebellious red.
In Eras: The Beatles, Martin Freeman tells the story of how the most famous band on Earth shaped music today. Told in the band’s own words with an extensive archive.
Brass and percussion players only: Please spend time at home practising your part for the Fanfare for the Common Man ready for the next time we rehearse it.
Here’s comedian Bill Bailey reimagining the Doctor Who theme as Belgian jazz back in 2021:
Try playing your part along with these videos:
Brass and percussion players only:
Join our talented young musicians on 25th November at Langley Park Performing Arts for two amazing concerts – tickets are selling fast , so please book early to avoid disappointment https://t.co/aGV9m8ng2gpic.twitter.com/HMmM9XiTjG
You will be emailed in the week of MusicFest with a draft programme
You do NOT need to wear school uniform – you can wear whatever you like as long as it’s suitable for a performance at school.
Be in the audience being a lovely supportive audience member for other performers
At the end, take a bow and SMILE to acknowledge your applause
If you are a Music Leader…
Please speak to Miss Werry to find out when you need to arrive and what you will need to do.
We need people to be on the door and run the refreshments
If you would like to volunteer to be on the Tech Team…
Please speak to Mr Brett to find out more.
During MusicFest itself you need to be proactive at the front of the hall as well as at the back, helping people with mics and mic stands – whatever each performer needs
If you are coming to be in the audience…
Remember good audience etiquette, and be aware that you need to respond in different ways to different types of music – you may be clapping or joining in if a performer invites you to, but for some pieces (especially classical ones, or very soft ones) you might need to be completely silent and completely still.
No moving about during items
Local performance opportunities
Have you ever heard of water percussion?
Have you ever heard water percussion? 💧 Earlier this year, our percussion section made a splash in Tan Dun’s Buddha Passion. The composer is known for using water as an instrument, and these excerpts show how magical it can sound ✨ pic.twitter.com/6yLZ8ntgqW
— London Philharmonic Orchestra (@LPOrchestra) May 31, 2023
The next MusicFest is just under 4 weeks away 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 last term’s MusicFest so you can get a flavour of what it’s like:
The rehearsal next Wednesday (11th) is for brass and percussion only.
Year 7 Concert
Well done to all the year 7 students who took part in the concert on Wednesday evening. Congratulations to the winning soloists and classes:
Classes: 7UVC and 7WXA
Soloists: Alden and Ben
Huge congratulations to Brooke and Emma for earning their place in the NYO for 2023-2024. We are looking forward to hearing all about your experiences over the next year.
Congratulations to Elinor for being selected to be part of the new girls’ choir of St Margaret’s Church, Westminster Abbey. Well done, Elinor!
Oliver!
Congratulations to everyone who has successfully auditioned for Oliver.
The tour is open to all students in Years 7-13, who are committed members of Choir, Musical Theatre Group, or Concert Band. Regular attendance at rehearsals in the autumn and spring terms is expected from all those going on tour. We will be visiting various attractions in the Costa Brava area including Barcelona and Montserrat, and will also perform in three concerts in different locations in the area.
The parents/carers of students in Choir, Musical Theatre and Concert Band should have already received the tour email with details of how to sign up. Please contact Miss W if you did not receive the email.
To secure a place on the Music tour, the deposit needs to be paid by Monday 2nd October 2023.
Congratulations to our students who have been chosen to perform in this production.
Buy tickets here (but if you are going to see a friend who is performing in it, check which of the performances they are going to be in).
GALSI – Gender and the Large and Shiny Instruments – aims to address gender imbalances for instrumentalists. They advocate instruments that have not traditionally been viewed as ‘feminine’ choices in recent historical times.
This two-day course is open to anyone who plays a brass or percussion instrument, is aged eight to 25 years old, and identifies as female or non-binary.
Participants will be split into junior and senior ensembles for workshops, masterclasses and performances.
For more information, please visit the GALSI website.
The Symphony No. 5 by Gustav Mahler was composed in 1901 and 1902, mostly during the summer months at Mahler’s holiday cottage at Maiernigg. Among its most distinctive features are the trumpet solo that opens the work with a rhythmic motif similar to the opening of Ludwig van Beethoven‘s Symphony No. 5, the horn solos in the third movement and the frequently performed Adagietto.
It’s been great to have the music corridor alive with music again this week. Welcome to anyone new who came along to try out our clubs. We hope you enjoyed them.
to next week’s rehearsals!
Coming up this term:
Please make a note of these dates and let your family know to save the date.
Trip Survey
Please complete this very quick survey to help me plan a trip to see a West End musical at some point this academic year. Thank you.
Whole School Musical – Oliver!
Thank you to to those of you who are helping out at BYMT’s Try a Musical Instrument day tomorrow. BYMT are really grateful for your help in inspiring the next generation of BYMT musicians.
BYMT will be opening its doors on Saturday 16 Sept to welcome families with children in school years 1-8. This is your chance to come along, try the instruments, talk to the teachers & make some noise! To register visit https://t.co/qr0J4mLG6npic.twitter.com/9DLsDOylvf
BYMT is inviting you to TASTER SESSIONS. If you already play an instrument or enjoy singing come and try out a BYMT group, ensemble or choir! Take our quiz to find the right group for youhttps://t.co/B4EDhcZDM4 or visit our website to find out everything we offer here at BYMT. pic.twitter.com/65G6rkU5kH
Visit Guildhall School of Music & Drama on Sunday 15 October 2023 for our BIG Double Reed Day.
Our BIG Double Reed Day offers an exciting opportunity for musicians, teachers, and parents to meet and engage with a community of oboists and bassoonists from across the country.
Join double reed players of all ages for a day of masterclasses, small group ensemble coaching, technique classes, performance confidence workshops, pedagogy discussion sessions and a grand finale concert – which will be hosted in our Milton Court Concert Hall.
You will get the chance to learn and play alongside world-leading Guildhall tutors including, Alison Teale, Dan Jemison, Gordon Hunt, Helen Storey, Richard Ion, Steven Hudson, Bob Porter, Fraser MacAulay, Rachel Broadbent, Rosie Cow, Rebecca Wood, Adrian Rowlands and Stuart Russell. Guest tutors include Michal Rogalski and others to be confirmed.
Our event will allow visitors to participate and perform in a newly commissioned work for massed double reeds by award-winning composer, Peter McGarr, as well as the opportunity to browse trade stands hosted by Howarth of London, Crowthers of Canterbury, Double Reed Ltd, OB3, Reed Machines, Wonderful Winds and many more.
A limited number of sponsored places and bursaries are available to assist those on low incomes, towards the cost of attending. Contact BigDoubleReedDay@gsmd.ac.uk for more information on funded places. Places for those aged 10 and under are free.
Thank you to those of you who applied to be a 2023-2024 Music Leader. We will be in touch to let you know if you have been selected.
Try playing your part along with these videos:
The best bits of the 2023 Proms
This year saw the Proms spread its geographical wings further than before, with concerts in Londonderry, Great Yarmouth, Perth, Truro, Aberystwyth and a weekend-long residency at the Sage Gateshead.
Overall, there were 84 concerts, performed by 37 orchestras, featuring more than 3,000 musicians.
Ticket sales rose above pre-Covid levels, with 350,000 people attending a show.
Highlights of the season included:
Mariza sings Fado: A passionate and fiery evening of Fado music, otherwise known as the”Portuguese blues”. The concert was fronted by Fado legend Mariza, whose agile vocals and sparkling charisma lit up the Royal Albert Hall.
Chineke blow the roof off: The Chineke! orchestra’s youthful energy brings a whole new energy to well-loved classics. This year, the ensemble played Beethoven’s Fourth Symphony and Haydn’s exuberant Trumpet Concerto. Keep an eye out for soloist Aaron Azunda Akugbo, who tackles the piece with unmissable flair.
A night of Northern Soul: “Orchestral versions of pop music can feel a little bit contrived,” admitted BBC 6 Music’s Stuart Maconie, who co-curated this second concert of the Proms. “Northern Soul, absolutely not, because so many of the original records feature orchestration, so its in the vocabulary already.”
Vula Malinga leads an epic orchestral arrangement of Northern Soul anthem Tainted Love
Four Seasons in One Day: Well, one night to be strictly accurate, but Finnish conductor and violinist Pekka Kuusisto’s unconventional approach shone new light on Vivaldi’s masterpiece. Wearing leather trousers and radiating with enthusiasm, he gave cittern player Ale Carr freedom to improvise over familiar passages, then joined him in those improvisations – at one point riffing on Vaughan Williams’ The Lark Ascending.
Self Esteem at the Sage Gateshead: Rebecca Lucy Taylor, aka pop provocateur Self Esteem, admitted to being “quite nervous” as she began her first concert with a live orchestra, but she needn’t have worried. Her confrontational, feminist pop was somehow even more emotionally devastating with the addition of the Northern Sinfonia’s orchestral [expletive deleted] Wizardry.
Simon Rattle’s farewell: One of the year’s most emotional Proms, as Sir Simon Rattle bowed out as Music Director of the London Symphony Orchestra. He chose to depart with Mahler’s valedictory Symphony No 9. When it ended, the hall sat in silence for 30 seconds. The end of an era.
The final moments of Mahler’s Ninth, conducted by Sir Simon Rattle.
The existing Music Ambassador role has been replaced with this.
Would you like to be a Music Leader this year? Music Leaders need to be committed to supporting the department and spreading the music love. Your jobs will involve helping recruit year 7s to our clubs, helping at school events (e.g. open days), assisting with music trips and so on.
If you would like to be considered for the role of a Music Leader you will need to complete this quick form. To be eligible, you will need to be a member of at least two music clubs. We are looking for people who are committed and tuned in. By that, we mean people who come to rehearsals really regularly, check the blog, answer their emails and generally know what’s going on. All year groups welcome. Existing Music Ambassadors will need to complete the form too.
Deadline for submission is 8am on Friday 15th September.
Any questions, please contact Mrs Foster
BYMT news
BYMT is inviting you to TASTER SESSIONS. If you already play an instrument or enjoy singing come and try out a BYMT group, ensemble or choir! Take our quiz to find the right group for youhttps://t.co/B4EDhcZDM4 or visit our website to find out everything we offer here at BYMT. pic.twitter.com/65G6rkU5kH
BYMT will be opening its doors on Saturday 16 Sept to welcome families with children in school years 1-8. This is your chance to come along, try the instruments, talk to the teachers & make some noise! To register visit https://t.co/qr0J4mLG6npic.twitter.com/9DLsDOylvf
Rehearsals will start in the week beginning 11th September
Important dates:
Please make a note of all these dates, and make sure they are added to your family calendar too.
Would you like to be a Music Leader in 2023-2024?
The existing Music Ambassador role has been replaced with this.
Would you like to be a Music Leader this year? Music Leaders need to be committed to supporting the department and spreading the music love. Your jobs will involve helping recruit year 7s to our clubs, helping at school events (e.g. open days), assisting with music trips and so on.
If you would like to be considered for the role of a Music Leader you will need to complete this quick form. To be eligible, you will need to be a member of at least two music clubs. We are looking for people who are committed and tuned in. By that, we mean people who come to rehearsals really regularly, check the blog, answer their emails and generally know what’s going on. All year groups welcome. Existing Music Ambassadors will need to complete the form too.
Deadline for submission is Friday 15th September.
Any questions, please contact Mrs F
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 being part of the NYO’s fantastic performance at this year’s BBC Proms at the Royal Albert Hall in August. What an incredible experience!
‘The strings swayed, the double basses twirled, the woodwind and brass soloists dazzled, the audience clapped and, yes, some of them even danced.’
‘Throughout the entire concert the whole ensemble played with swagger and confidence but I have to say the rhythm section stole the show with great work by the timpanists and those double basses.’
‘It’s always a pleasure to hear this orchestra, packed with the leading players of the future, and there was plenty of talent on display throughout the concert.’
BYMT will be opening its doors on Saturday 16 Sept to welcome families with children in school years 1-8. This is your chance to come along, try the instruments, talk to the teachers & make some noise! To register visit https://t.co/qr0J4mLG6npic.twitter.com/9DLsDOylvf
Tickets are now on sale for the BYMT Musical Theatre Production of LES MISÉRABLES on Fri 3 & Sun 5 Nov. Featuring full company of talented young performers & orchestra – these shows will be a sell-out, book early to avoid disappointment! https://t.co/aGV9m8ng2g#DreamedADreampic.twitter.com/LdyAPIrbd8
Hayes Music blog 