Brentwoodian 2019

81 We had barely come back to school when rehearsals started in earnest for House Music, and this year promised to be even better than the ones before! We all knew the competition would be tough, but we rehearsed and practised and sang until the day of reckoning finally came - House Music! The story continues... Our PartSong this year was conducted by Hannah Walker, and I don't think anyone could have conducted us better! All the Houses sang the same song, and although it was tricky to master - for everyone, as confirmed by friends in other Houses - I think we did really well. We came third, and considering the greatness of other Houses in this area of House Music, I don't regret it at all! There was such a good atmosphere between the small choir in rehearsals and on the night, and we all had so much fun and tried our best! I don't think that I'll be forgetting I'll Buy You a Diamond Ring My Friend ​anytime soon. By Claire Hirst After the results of the PartSong, it was time for the next section of House Music 2018 - my personal favourite, the Ensemble! This year it was conducted by Elizabeth Hepburn-Braham in the Lower Sixth. She composed a dynamic medley of ABBA songs, comprising of Money, Money, Money, Waterloo, Dancing Queen and finishing off with Thank You For The Music . The piece was put together amazingly, and we finished in third place, after many hardworking rehearsals. This wouldn’t be possible without the composer and conductor, Liz; her skills in not only holding the Ensemble together but also composing a medley for a whole band were impressive - onto the Unison! by Eleanor Whiskerd The final event of the evening was the one I had personally been most looking forward to; House Unison (or as Mr McCann likes to call it, ‘House ‘Shouty-Shouty’). This year we were doing Price Tag , and even though I was with the band playing the piano, I could tell everyone was excited and ready to fight for the coveted first place that we had managed to hold for all of my time at Brentwood School. And all the rehearsals paid off - we won again! But we couldn’t have done it without Chani’s seemingly boundless enthusiasm and amazing skill at making sure everything was perfect, and of course, all of the teachers’ support and encouragement. Even though we may not have walked away with first place, we still came third overall and considering the incredible performances from all of the Houses, I still think that we could not have done any more and everyone involved performed their absolute best. Winning Unison was the perfect ending to an exciting night, but now I suppose all that’s left to say is... bring on House Music 2019! By Joanna Burgess Throughout my seven years in East, I have always looked up to the House Captains. They have inspired me to take part in a range of House events. My big brother, Thomas, was a really active member of East House and I am pretty sure that this motivated Mr McCann to nominate him for Deputy Head of School - which he was honoured to accept and fulfil. I have tried a range of new things as a result of the House system, such as chess, hurdles, singing, and discus. I have enjoyed broadening my horizons, and the House system has encouraged me to make friends with people I would not normally have known. My first ever House event, still so vivid in my memory, was the House Music extravaganza that I was propelled into in the first few weeks of my Senior school. I participated in both the Ensemble band and Unison choir. This was a great experience, and not only because we won; I also got to know people not only in my year, but also further up the school. I have competed in House Music six times, and have always found it to be a fantastic experience to kick off the school year. Despite not being a sportsman, I have enjoyed competing in both hurdles and discus on sports days, and earning valuable points for East House. EAST from the dawn, without fear house motto East Charity Papyrus