House Music 2024

At the end of last half term, the school rang once again with sounds of House Music. This evening is a fantastic showcase of the musical talents of the students at St Bart’s. Undoubtedly, the most impressive aspect of this long-standing occasion is the fact that the entire programme is devised, choreographed and conducted by our Sixth Form House Music Captains. The evening consists of three highly contested classes: Open Instrumental, Year 8 Composition – ‘Music with a Latin Flavour’, and Open Choral. Each House performs in each class, with a winner for each class and an Overall House Music Champion.

The school hall was sold out for the evening and the Houses performed the following pieces for a packed audience:

• CURNOCK: James Bond Theme (Instrumental), “Monday Morning” (Year 8 Composition) and “Treat People with Kindness” (Choral)

• DAVIS: “The Eye of the War – War of the Worlds” (Instrumental), “Rio Radiance” (Year 8 Composition) and “Don’t Stop Believing” (Choral)

• EVERS: His Dark Materials and Game of Thrones Themes (Instrumental), “Dark Samba” (Year 8 Composition) and “Viva la Vida” (Choral)

• PATTERSON: “You Can’t Stop the Beat” (Instrumental), “Street Samba” (Year 8 Composition) and “I’m Still Standing” (Choral)

This year, the extremely difficult job of judging the performances fell to Dr Charlotte Exon, professional music consultant and former Director of Music at Downe House School. Speaking as she announced her decisions, Dr Exon praised the students for the extremely high standard of the performances, saying “any of the Houses could have been the outright winner tonight”. Dr Exon particularly praised the House Captains for the maturity of their leadership and the ambition in their arrangements.

Curnock House Music Captain, Swathi (12C1) said, “A lot of dedication was put into these pieces by the Year 13 students, and we came joint-first place for our band performance, which was amazing!”

The nature of how closely fought the competition was, is reflected in the results, with two of the classes being jointly awarded and all of the Houses receiving an award. The winners were as follows:

Open Instrumental: CURNOCK (James Bond Theme) and EVERS (His Dark Materials and Game of Thrones Themes)

Year 8 Composition: PATTERSON (“Street Samba”)

Open Choral: DAVIS (“Don’t Stop Believing”) and PATTERSON (“I’m Still Standing”)

The overall winner for 2024 was then announced as PATTERSON!!!

Patterson House Music Captain, Charlotte (13P2) said, “House Music is easily an event that has highlighted my experience at St Bart’s since Year 7, so to lead it this year in my final year marked a lovely and successful end to my part in this musical tradition. Seeing the pure excitement and sense of achievement and pride from the students involved after each performance made all of the hard work worth it.Congratulations to PATTERSON and to all the students involved – whether they were House Music Captains, playing instruments, singing or performing vital tech and stage assistance. Our sincere thanks to Dr Exon for so generously giving her time and to our brilliant Music Department for all the organisation and championing this wonderful subject.