Hayes Music blog

This song was originally recorded in 1971 and was a response to police brutality during an anti-war protest (this was the time of the Vietnam War, and a lot of people were protesting against American involvement in the war). Here are the lyrics:

Every day we will bring you some listening to broaden your cultural horizons and introduce you to lots of different music. Here’s our first piece:

Written by American composer George Gershwin in 1924, Rhapsody in Blue is a concerto-like piece with a piano solo, which brings jazz and classical styles together. Gershwin wrote the first draft on a train journey, and wanted the piece to be a ‘kaleidoscope of all America’.

Listen out for:

• the clarinet solo at the start, with a rapid scale (glissando) followed by a slide (portamento) that the clarinettist does with their embouchure (tightening the lips around the mouthpiece)
• the interplay between the piano and the orchestra
• all the jazzy touches in the music

Here is a clip of (a reduced) Concert Band rehearsing today, so you can get a little taster of what you would have heard in the concert.

There will be more news on here as the situation unfolds.

In the meantime, keep playing and singing, even if you’re only doing it at home! Listen to lots of fabulous new music. We will put some suggestions on here of listening to broaden your musical horizons. 

Stay safe and keep well everyone!

We are so sorry that we have had to cancel our tour to the Netherlands following Boris Johnson’s announcement yesterday. Parents have all been emailed by Mr Whittle. It will take us a while to sort out refunds (and we don’t know yet how much everyone will get back), but we are working on it and will let everyone know as soon as we can.

Your pink tour wristbands will now be a collector’s item for The Tour That Never Was.

We will be back on tour in 2021!

In the meantime, keep singing:

(love how the dog joins in)

The cast, band, and tech crew are all working their socks off to bring you a truly fabulous show next week! Make sure you get your tickets as soon as possible, because Hayes shows ALWAYS sell out! Don’t miss it!

Jazz day at BYMT

This is a tremendous opportunity for anyone interested in learning to play jazz. It says grade 3 minimum, but there really is no upper limit – the fab jazzers organising this will make sure that more advanced players are suitably challenged. It’s only £5 and includes food and a performance – this is an opportunity that is definitely too good to miss!

After half term everything starts to warm up, in every sense:

• Guys & Dolls 12-14 March – if you are in the cast, band, or tech team, you know who you are and what rehearsals are involved! You need to get learning everything over half term…
• Easter Concert 1st April – this involves all choirs, bands etc. We really need EVERYONE at all rehearsals after half term to make the concert a success
• Tour!! 5-9 April – this is another reason we need everyone at rehearsals! There will be a parents’ meeting in the last week of term at some point, to give out all the final details, collect passports and so on (there will be a letter about this)

Jazz at BYMT: opportunities for you

If you are performing…

• You will be emailed early in the week with a draft programme
• You do NOT need to wear school uniform – you can wear whatever you like as long as you look nice
• 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…

• Rapid setup needs to take place from 5pm. Things can be located and got out before then, but bear in mind there will be a Guys & Dolls rehearsal in the Hall until 5pm.
• We need people to be on the door and run the refreshments

If you have volunteered to be on the Tech Team…

• You have been emailed with instructions. Sam will be showing you what to do from 3pm onwards
• 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

Something to try?!

Please get your entries in for MusicFest by 5pm on Thursday 6th Feb using this form. Students in any year group are welcome to perform – it doesn’t matter if this is your first performance or your thousandth! All communication with performers will be done using your school email address, so be prepared to respond to emails once you’ve put your entry in.

If you want Miss W to play piano for your piece, please give her the sheet music ASAP if you haven’t already (and organise a run through).

New Sam required!

After many years of incredible service to the tech requirements of all school events, Sam W is leaving at the end of this year…. and sadly, our attempts to clone him have failed! So we need to find some new, fabulous people to learn how to ‘do the tech’ for concerts, productions, and school events generally. You can be in any year group, and you don’t need any previous experience (we’ll teach you everything you need to know) but you do need LOADS of common sense and to be super-reliable. You also need to be prepared to be there at concerts/plays/dancefests/sports awards… if we can put a great team together it will really help, as we can spread out the duties between you all.

If you are interested, please see Miss Werry (if you haven’t already) and we will get a training plan together.

If you would like to perform in MusicFest on 12th February, please complete this form.

An amazing opportunity to be in a show at the Churchill

Here is a message from our friends at WWOS:

ATTENTION ALL BUDDING YOUNG ACTORS

WWOS are returning to The Churchill Theatre in May with a production of the West End Musical MADE IN DAGENHAM and are on the lookout for 2 boys and 2 girls to complete their cast.
Set in the 60s, Made In Dagenham has a huge heart – it is funny, sad, uplifting and has some belting musical numbers to boot.
Based on the real events of the Ford sewing machinists’ strike of 1968. This musical focuses on the unlikely leader of the strike, Rita O’Grady. Risking her marriage to Eddie and friendships, Rita encourages the women of the Ford factory to walk out after they are reclassified as ‘unskilled workers’. Her efforts for equality eventually lead to the passing of equal pay within the union. As husband Eddie finally recognises his wife’s achievements, the women celebrate their life changing success. The parts are as follows:-

First of all thank you to those people who have submitted t-shirt designs for the music tour. The design above was submitted by Ophelia – unfortunately it’s too colourful to reproduce on the t-shirts, but it’s so lovely that we’re going to use it on here!

If you would still like to submit a design idea, here’s what you need to do:

1. Decide what would be a good design – hopefully it will be something associated with The Netherlands – tulips, windmills, clogs, bicycles…? You might include some musical things, but please not just a treble clef on its own – we’re looking for something more interesting than that!
2. You need to include the text Hayes School Music Tour – Netherlands 2020 
3. The whole thing needs to be able to be printed in one colour (no shading, just solid colour), and needs to stand out so that it can be seen from a distance: it needs to be BOLD!
4. It can be hand-drawn or done on a computer – however, if you hand-draw it, it will need to be done in black ink so it is bold enough to be reproduced on the t-shirts

About three-quarters of tour-goers have submitted the relevant info on the questionnaire about t-shirt sizes and dietary requirements. That leaves about a quarter of you still to go. Please follow this link to the questionnaire – it will take one minute!

Dates for your diary

Wed 12th February – MusicFest – 6pm in the Hall

Wed 1st April – Easter Concert – 6.30pm in the Hall

Sun 5th-Thurs 9th April – tour to the Netherlands

There will be a parents evening for tour in the last week of term – exact date to be decided