Grade 5 theory success - 100% record continues!

CONGRATS to Thomas, our Head Boy...for passing his Grade V theory with a well earned merit! He put in a lot of hard work and this clearly paid off. Well done Thomas...Grade VI beckons!

MAGIC CHARITY CONCERTS!

Was it really a week ago that we put on two utterly amazing concerts on behalf of the school charity? Where has this week gone to? ! Not entirely sure where the time has disappeared to...but my goodness what an exciting day we had last Friday 28th November. The concerts opened with a huge ensemble featuring two Year 5 classes (one drumming and one singing) and a Year 6 xylophone group. Approximately 42 musicians performing in the opening number really set the standards very high and it went on from there! The Chamber Orchestra followed on with three pieces, including the Keane song, made famous by Lily Allen and John Lewis last Christmas - 'Somewhere only we know' - which was accompanied by the Charity power point. Both were designed to encourage the audience to part with some cash at the end of the concert, with all of the proceeds going to the chosen charity this year the SOS Children's Villages. Clearly...given the total raised at the end of the concerts it did exactly that..but more on that later!
A new ensemble performed next - the guitar ensemble: hard to believe that this was their inaugural performance such was the quality of it. They were also ably supported by Mr Stenner, guitar teacher extraordinaire!
If you attended the first performance of the concert then you would have heard Year 2 bring the house down with their beautiful rendition of the extremely moving solo from 'Oliver' - 'Where is love?' Here's hoping that Oscar can do it as well as them next March!
If you attended the 2nd concert, then you will have heard the Senior Chapel Choir perform one of their anthems for the Carol Service (13th December) - beautiful, two parts...sung with confidence and precision. Bodes well for next Saturday!
Year 3 orchestra was next with their Sleigh Bell Polka: if I am TRULY honest...we did only really start working on this about three weeks ago! In the words of the legendary Bruce Forsyth...didn't they do well?! We had a combination of instrumentalists and xylophonists performing as an orchestra....amazing achievement on behalf of all of the children! Year 4 amused next with their confident and plucky performance of Peanut Vendor: it's a complicated song rhythmically and they all did fabulously well.
6LE followed them with a rhythmically challenging piece on the xylophones...very complicated and well put together.
The winning house shout...boo hiss...Marlborough...followed on next! Actually...it was an amazing performance both at the House Shout and also last Friday, so thoroughly deserved to win in October! Well done to them...I am just 'well jel'.:)
Our strings are going from strength to strength at the moment.. and they delighted the audience with two pieces, Autumn Leaves and a song from Titanic. Great bow action with all following the written bowings - no mean feat and a great improvement in the overall sound. Well done.
The Junior Chapel Choir also delighted the audience afterwards with a rocking performance of Mamma Mia and this was then followed by BRAX, who went off piste a little in that they stood at the front of the stage and did not use music! Banana boat song - awesome!
Voicebox and Bramble Voices joined forces for a terrific rendition of the Holly and the Ivy, followed by a fabulous multi sensory piece called Lost in space. Who in the audience was able to follow all of the actions? The pianist certainly could not keep up with all of the verses! Well done to the children for this amazing display of hand eye coordination.
The concerts ended with the Concert Band, a really force majeur in terms of music. Great pieces and wonderful playing. A superb way to end the show.

A huge thanks to you all for supporting these charity concerts. In total over the two shows we raised a staggering.......£847! A huge well done to all of the performers and a huge thank you for all those who so kindly donated. A great contribution towards the school charity this year. Thank you!

Autumn Leaves

I found some photos I had taken of the Bramble Bows. We'd decided to perform our piece 'Autumn Leaves' outside one
particularly fine autumnal day. Our grounds looked so lovely and the children were clearly enjoying our expedition. Enjoy the photos!

Senior Chapel Choir success!

Have I really not blogged since October? Seriously? Crikey - what on earth have I been doing since then? 

We've held an extremely sucessful informal lunchtime concert with a wide variety of excellent performances by children from all years. It was terrific success and one which we hope to repeat in the not too distant future. 

That was at the beginning of October, since when we'd had the Year 4 and 3 musical and two services for Remembrance. The service on 9th November, was beautiful and a fitting tribute to those who gave their lives for us. The Last Post and Reveille - played brilliantly by Emily and Miles - were moving in the extreme and not a duff note between them. They were admirably supported by the Senior Chapel Choir in a premier performance of 'We shall not lose the faith' with words by Moina Michael, music by yours truly and a gorgeous trumpet obligato again played by Emily. It was a lovely service and earned the SCC 'team of the week' - quite right too! Well done to them all. 

So, what else have we been up to in the music department? We are busily preparing for a double bill of charity concerts on 28th November. The performances are at 11.15am and 1.15pm. There will be a retiring collection at both concerts in aid of the school's charity, the SOS Children's Villages and we look forward to seeing you all then. There are only approximately 30 children in the prep school who are not performing.....! It should be a great show! 

Then we have the Advent Service on 6th December in our own chapel: this service features the Junior Chapel Choir...then there are two days of associated board music exams on 9th and 10th December and finally the Carol Service at St Swithun's on Sat 13th December starting at 2pm. This last event definitely promises to be extremely popular so you are advised to get there early! 

In addition.... we have also started auditioning for the solo in Once in royal for the carol service....oh, and also started rehearsing for our school musical 'Oliver' which is in March next year - 17 weeks and counting!!!! 

PLEASE support all of our events where you can and we really look forward to welcoming you to all of them. 

NB: If your child is interested in having trials on an instrument or singing lessons, please do get in touch with Peta. Thank you. 

pandrews@brambletye.com

01342 321004 / ext 245

Best wishes Peta 

One month in....

I simply cannot understand where the last month has gone to! Since we returned to school on 8th September, we've had 3 fabulous musical performances in school assembly, started rehearsing hard for performances in a lunchtime concert, Open Day, Pre Prep Harvest Festival and the Charity Concerts as well as started auditioning for the lead roles in the senior musical, which this year is 'Oliver'. Great show and well chosen with our current Year 7 and 8s in mind.

I have been particularly impressed with the standard of the Junior Orchestra already, which rehearses on a Tuesday afternoon. The standard of the children and variety of instruments in the group are completely alien to any other ensemble at school but the enthusiasm with which they rehearse really gladdens my heart. It is also fabulous to have a full brass section....not that I am biased at all! I have high hopes for this group of Year 3 and 4 pupils.

100% success rate for AB music results

Yep! Another fabulous set of music result by the children! Well done to everybody. 8 distinctions is some sort of record! I am over the moon and so thrilled for all of the children.
HUGE thanks to all of the Visiting music teachers for all of their hard work, and to Mrs Westlake and Mrs Selleck for all of their help and support. Have a terrific summer everyone! PA

Summer Finale!

Well, that's that! All over until November 27th! But what a terrific evening! A great start by 6M playing the angkloons, followed by the back desks of the violins performing superbly in 'Mrs A's march'. It is very reassuring to know that once Arabella and Oliver depart next week, the violin section will still be a force to reckoned with. Rowan performed 'Gabriel's oboe' next, which again demonstrated quite why he received an exhibition from Sevenoaks: what an amazing sound! The Junior Chapel Choir followed on from this, with 2 songs recently performed in Fletching. They sang with confidence and had fantastic presence: the senior chapel choir need to watch their backs! A clarinet quartet followed on with 2 pieces, which demonstrated their versatility: terrific sound being produced by 3 young players....and one not quite so young! Voice Box sang next with a polished performance of 'Silver trumpet' - again, great singing - confident and perfect diction. They then joined forces with the Senior Chapel Choir and the Chamber orchestra to perform 'Adiemus' - how amazing to see and hear so many children all perform together! The Chamber orchestra then carried on with the theme from Polovtsian Dances and Adele's 'Set fire to the rain' - both pieces excellently delivered and a great way to finish the first half! The interval Pimms was also much welcomed on a warm summer's evening!
Hearing the steel pans open the second half was a joy! And seeing the delight on the children's faces as they performed their pieces was a performance in itself. Brax followed on and again, seeing this new section evolve over the past year has been so pleasing. I have just totted up the numbers for Brax next year and it is about 15! Hurrah for the brass and sax sections!
The Bach double violin concerto was next: superbly performed by Arabella and Oliver, accompanied brilliantly by Monet. A terrific performance by three terrific young musicians.
Concert band finished the show with a variety of pieces which demonstrated their ability to perform syncopated rhythms well, great dynamic range and a real sense of unity. A terrific end to a terrific show.
HUGE thanks to all of the children: it was great. AND an especially huge thanks to all of the leavers...you have been fabulous to work with this year and we wish you every success at your new schools. Please do invite me over to see you!

Grade 8 with Distinction

Not much more that I can say really about this except WOW!!! What an achievement for this extraordinarily talented Year 7 Brambletye pupil.

Aged only 12...with a Distinction at Grade 8 under her belt already, it would appear that her future is assured. Congratulations Monet!

Choir in the community

There is nothing I like more than taking our children out into the community to do what they do best....perform. And tonight was no exception! Off the Junior Choir trundled to Clinton Lodge, in Fletching High Street to raise money for Fletching Church. We were delighted to be asked to assist in such a worthy cause by a current Brambletye parent.
Sadly the weather was not quite the summery evening we'd planned but the audience cheered us on regardless, quite possibly fortified by the plentiful supply of Pimm's!
As ever, the JCC sang beautifully, handled themselves perfectly and were even on hand to act as waiters for part of the evening too!
Another triumphant success for the children: all of which bodes well for their next performance on Sunday 22nd June at Evensong, quickly followed by the Summer Concert on Friday 27th June. No fee to attend either of these performances!

Year 4 Orchestra

I have said it before and I will say it again....Year 4 are the most exceptional year for music. Very talented bunch, so much so, that we have one lesson per week given over to our Year 4 orchestra. This week, I decided to have the whole year group together....I must be off my rocker! But they arrived promptly, instruments in hand...and eager to get going on 'William Tell'. Having placed them as per a standard orchestra we were off and running...! They were fabulous. It is quite a taxing piece and all of the parts have been written especially for the children but they all involved independent parts, bars rest and confidence is most certainly required. All of the children demonstrated improvement during the course of the one hour session, they all earned stars for their houses and once again, I am thrilled with the standard achieved by them all. Thank you Year 4!

 

 

 

 

 

Birthday surprise!

 

Always nice to get one over on Jo Westlake! Last year she turned 40 and I surprised her with over 70 children playing Happy Birthday on the top terrace. This year, I decided to be slightly less over the top, but still wanted to catch her out! So, having enlisted the help of the Headmaster - he had to delay her slightly before Concert Band - and the children, it was all systems go! The children were amazing as ever....no one spilt the beans and they all secreted their music away surreptitiously...until Jo walked into concert band and was greeted with an excellent performance of Happy Birthday, along with chocolate cake: mercifully enough for all of the band! I am already planning next year's....!!

DRUMMING!

This term Year 3 have been looking many different instruments and how sounds are produced on each of them. This week the inevitable had arrived and it was the turn of the drums and an understanding of what each particular drum does. Children very excited... Mrs A armed with coffee and headache pills.....!
Coordination is one of the main ingredients here and so we started the lesson with all of the children rubbing their tummies with one hand and patting their heads with the other. Then they had to swap over...less easy! One hand is clearly easier than the other to accomplish this task.
Then we started learning the bass drum by beating on beats 1 and 3 with our right foot. To complicate matters further we then introduced the snare drum with our left hand on beats 2 and 4...! Biggest challenge here was correctly to identify our right from our left......!!! Finally we added in 8 quavers with our right hand on the high hat! Sounds easy right? Well, in theory...but in practice....? Much laughter and merriment from the children and a new understanding about how tricky the drum kit really is!

 

 

 

 

 

Reading

As a member of staff, we all have to take additional duties and subjects, out of our comfort zone. As I do not have responsibility for my own match team,on both a Wednesday and Saturday I have the dubious honour of taking 'reading' for    any children not participating in matches or home teams with a late start. As any of my colleagues will tell you, wet match days or the start of a new term are hideous days to have to take a reading duty, as in general it involves the supervision of the whole school reading in silence in the theatre: no mean feat! 

Today however, the sun is shining so all matches are going ahead as planned. I have only 13 children to babysit for reading so have treated them to a session in our stunning grounds. 

Welcome to summer at Brambletye! 

First week back!

Have we only been back for ten days? That's gone quickly! The music department is now heading full speed towards: an assembly in the pre prep, Associated board and Trinty music exams, a performance at Clinton Lodge in Fletching, year 5 musical, music for sports day and a summer concert! All very busy but great fun!

This week has seen the commencement of new music schemes of work: year 8 are starting Minimalism, year 7 are starting Gamelan, year 6 are learning to play the angkloons, year 5 are rehearsing for their musical, year 4 have started. Graphic scores as well as their own orchestra and year 3 are trying a whole series of different instruments! 

AB Music results

CONGRATULATIONS to all of our pupils who took AB Music exams last Monday 17th March! A superb set of results...well done to everyone. Thank you to you all for your hard work and thank you too to all of our Visiting Music Teachers who got you there in the first place!!!! Enjoy your Easter holidays but keep practising....!!!!!!!

Pre prep extravaganza rehearsals!

Tomorrow's the day! Yes, the music extravaganza in the pre prep at Brambletye! I know that you are all excited about it! Having had a succession of children from the prep school perform to the pre prep, it is now their turn to entertain! Final rehearsals took place today, in beautiful sunshine! 

I even took 8s up to the pre prep for some moral support! They loved the jingle sticks! 

Darcey even made a friend...! 

Very much look forward to seeing you all in the pre prep tomorrow afternoon.