The Music Department at Blackheath High School has enjoyed a fantastic start to the Autumn term, filling the classrooms, corridors and Theatre with music. 

Early in September, the annual Long Note Competition - a long-standing school tradition to test who can hold the longest note on a wind or brass instrument - launched, receiving five times more submissions than last year. It was a close race, but Isla C stole the title after managing to hold a G note on a saxophone for an astounding 51.22 seconds – almost a full minute on one breath! Congratulations to Isla for her incredible control and thank you to all students who submitted their recordings. 

The end of September brought the school’s Open Morning, an opportunity to highlight the incredible talent at Blackheath High School. The Music Department had the particular pleasure (and pressure) of kicking off each of the Head’s Talks with a rousing rendition of Karl Jenkins’ Adiemus. Chamber Choir were joined by the newly formed Year 7 Choir, with orchestral accompaniment skilfully delivered by Sinfonia, resulting in a 100+ student performance. To greet prospective families, our students performed solo piano pieces on our Grand Piano in reception, with a flute, French horn and descant recorder each making a special appearance. On top of this, our Jazz Band and multiple Rock Bands alternated in the Quad, delivering some standout performances of popular hits. With almost the entire school being able to hear the students’ music in some way, Open Morning was truly a wonderful showcase of the musical talent we have here at Blackheath High School. 

To top off the term, parents and students were invited to see our first Tea Time Concert of the academic year, with ten brave students stepping into the limelight. These students ranged from Year 7 all the way to Year 13, leaving audiences astounded at the variety on display - from classical piano pieces to popular songs to an accompanied cello piece by Fauré. All were rehearsed almost completely independently, a fine skill to develop in our students. With a few more of these informal concerts planned for the year, we as a department are extremely proud to be able to highlight as many enthusiastic students as we can. 

With the next half term bringing both our Autumn and Christmas Concerts, as well as the wonderful showcase that is House Music, there is, as ever, a whole host of activities and events for our keen musicians to be involved with. We look forward to seeing you at the above Concerts later in the year where you will see performances from all of our Co-Curricular ensembles and choirs, and we wish you all a wonderful rest over the half term break. 

Written by Mrs Butterworth, Director of Music