Extra-Curricular Music at Hinchingbrooke School

Hinchingbrooke has a strong and proud history of making music in a wide range of styles. There are lots of ways to take part in music at Hinchingbrooke. As well as your class lessons, there are clubs and activities that take place during lunchtimes and after school. Some clubs need you to have lessons on an instrument, but many are open to everyone.

We celebrate our music-making in termly showpiece concerts and an annual musical. In addition to this we organise chamber concerts, individual recitals, music for functions, carol services and concerts in local churches. The student organised Glastonbrooke rock festival is an annual sell-out success, and is an event we as a school are hugely proud of.

Orchestras

Hinchingbrooke School has two orchestras. 2nd Orchestra is for musicians of Grade 1-4 ability. 2nd Orchestra rehearses on Thursdays after school (3.30 – 4.45) and performs at the termly concerts. Recently we have played Bare Necessities, the theme from Friends and a medley from The Sound of Music.

1st Orchestra is for musicians of Grade 5+ ability. We rehearse on Mondays after school (3.30 – 4.45) and perform at the termly concerts. We play a wide repertoire, including a James Bond Medley, Telemann’s Concerto for 2 Flutes and Violin, Ravel’s Bolero, Rutter’s Requiem and also compositions by local composers including 6th form students.

Both orchestras are open to students of all ages – 6th formers often take part in 2nd Orchestra and Year 7 students take part in 1st orchestra. The important thing is whether you can play the music well, students who play in the orchestras go to a weekly practice as well as practising at the music in their own time. Both orchestras welcome players on orchestral instruments. For example the string sections need players of the violin, viola, cello and double bass, and the brass sections need trumpets, trombones and French horns. If you are not sure about which orchestra you should join, please ask your music teacher for advice.

Choirs

Hinchingbrooke School has two choirs. Hinchingbrooke Singers is a group that meets every Tuesday lunchtime to sing songs from the shows and pop songs. Recently they have sung Don’t stop me now, Flying free and For Good from the musical Wicked.

Hinchingbrooke Chamber Choir sings sacred vocal music and secular music including madrigals. Recently, we have performed Rutter’s Requiem, Charpentier’s Messe de Minuit, Faure’s Requiem and motets by Tallis and Byrd. At Christmas time we sing services in churches around Huntingdon including traditional carols and pieces by students. We rehearse Monday and Wednesday lunchtimes. Chamber Choir is hoping to go on tour to France in summer 2008.

Jazz, Rock and Pop

There is a strong tradition of Jazz, Rock and Pop at Hinchingbrooke. The annual auditions for Glastonbrooke – our annual rock festival are of a very impressive standard and choosing the final bands is always a challenge. The gig, held each February, itself is great fun and of an impressive standard, showcasing bands’ own pieces as well as covers.

Hinchingbrooke also has a Swing Band, they play Jazz and popular music. This band needs players of saxophones, trumpets, trombones, clarinets and flutes. It also has a rhythm section made up of one pianist, guitarist, bassist and drummer. Swing Band rehearses on Tuesdays after school (3.45 – 4.45), and has recently played pieces like I’ve got Rhythm and In the mood.

There are also other events like acoustic nights and ‘secret sessions’. These concerts are organised by students and are strongly supported. Rock bands perform to year groups at assemblies and can practise in the music department if they liaise with the music staff.

Musicals

The Music department works together with Dance, Art, English and Drama (and many other staff from different departments) to produce musicals that are performed in the Performing Arts Centre. Recently we have produced Fiddler on the Roof, Yanomamo and Return to the Forbidden Planet.