Wow, what a night! We were so privileged as a music department to be able to invite back so many alumni students, past staff members, previous heads - as well as our current students and staff - to give Mr Laing the fitting send off his 27 years at Bexley Grammar School deserved. After weeks of planning between Mrs Casling and Mr Laing, the concert was opened up by Mrs Eacott with a few numbers from Tour Choir and one specially written song that encompassed as many music department-related anecdotes about Jez as we could squeeze in! The tour band followed shortly after under the baton of Miss Todd, with hits from the movies and audience-based participation in ‘Tequila’.

Then the jazz began. An epic three hours of repertoire, rehearsed and performed separately by Junior Jazz, Big Band and Improv Group. The talent displayed on stage was astounding and the joy that the students felt was evident in their playing; they were exuding musicality! And it didn’t stop there, with the final numbers being performed by a hybrid of past and present students all performing at once (at one point, we didn’t know whether we would have enough amps or music stands to go around!) The sound was incredible and fully appreciated by the pizza-eating audience that had gathered to support this event. It was hugely memorable and both highly enjoyable and sad in equal measure for those who have worked closely with Jez. His presence will be missed dearly but his legacy and all that he has done in the music department - and the school as a whole - will live on! Thank you for everything.

Mrs Eacott, Head of Music

On Monday 18 March, the music department students came together for our annual Spring concert. Many of you will remember last year’s epic ‘Out of this World’, and this year our theme was ‘BGS in Technicolour’. The whole concert was themed around pieces linked to colour, and along with a fantastic lighting design provided by Rob Humphreys and Mr Asker, we were thrilled to present our programme to the audience.

The Samba Band started with a drumline composition, ‘Cadence 24’, and showed even more excitement and development of their skills as an ensemble. They worked hard with Mr Pack, our drum teacher, and it was a rousing start to the programme. KS3 Orchestra followed, with a collaboration with St Stephen’s Catholic Primary School with ‘A Whiter Shade of Pale’, followed by Stravinsky’s ‘Firebird’. Rob Humphreys, Year 12 music prefect, conducted the collaboration and was excellent in his debut. Clarinet Choir, led by Mr Cooper, performed ‘Rhapsody in Blue’, with Max Jansen performing the iconic opening solo. Chamber Choir followed, with Mrs Casling directing ‘Grace Kelly’ and ‘Big Yellow Taxi’. Chamber Choir will soon be performing at Bexleyheath Christchurch with Grace Kelly in April. We will confirm all the details soon - please catch them then!  Junior Jazz performed Green Onions and Blue Train with Mr Laing, followed by Flute Choir and Mrs Casling performing ‘Colours of the Wind’ and ‘Ecstasy of Gold’. The final performance of the first half was with Junior Choir, where they performed ‘True Colours’ and ‘Firework’ enthusiastically to see us out.

The second half was introduced with the Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Mrs Casling, with performances of ‘Mr Blue Sky’ and highlights from ‘Wicked’. Having just returned from a trip to Wicked as well, you couldn’t stop some of our students from joining in singing. The String Group with Miss Todd performed ‘Greensleeves’ and ‘Seven Nation Army’, with Rock Band under Mr Ross following up with Led Zeppelin’s ‘Black Dog’ and Rainbow’s ‘Since You Been Gone’. Senior Choir allowed a moment for reflection with ‘Fields of Gold’ before ramping up the temp again with Pink’s ‘So What?’, featuring soloists Emily Chan, Teondra Imurni and Holly Kinsella. Improv performed Happy Purple and Blue Sky’s, followed by Big Band’s ‘Afro Blue’ and ‘Tangerine’, featuring Zara Warren singing. The evening concluded with a massed ABBA Gold medley performance, with all the audience invited to participate.

Every Spring Concert is a chance for us to thank our Y13 students for all their hard work and contributions over the years. We wish you all success in the future and keep in touch. We also announced our fundraising drive for a new acoustic piano. Details of the fundraising drive have been shared with you all on ParentPay, and we hope that you can help us in improving our piano stock across the department over the next year.

It was a privilege to see all of our performers on stage and enjoying what they do best - making music. We still have many more events to come, including the KS3 Showcase, Legally Blonde and Jazz Evening - keep an eye on the newsletter for further information!

Click on the link here to view the Spring Concert 2024 Photo Gallery.

Mrs Goddard, Head of Music

Following the advertisement placed in one of the school newsletters, I saw an opportunity to apply for the overture day with the London Philharmonic Orchestra. About 70 young musicians came together (including me on trumpet!) to rehearse in St Luke's, Old Street, London, and perform a range of challenging musical pieces. Overall, I really enjoyed this opportunity and I would recommend it to anyone who gets the chance.

James Boyd, Year 10

Congratulations to Ella Tyler for her participation in the Bromley Music Festival with the following results:

• 1st for woodwind grade 4-5
• 1st for piano light music/jazz Year 9-13 
• 4th for violin in the grade 6/7 category

An amazing achievement for Ella. Congratulations from the BGS music department. Having the opportunity to perform and receive advice from industry professionals is always an amazing experience!

Mrs Casling, Music Department 

On the 27th January 2024, the Music department hosted a ‘Jazz and Curry’ evening for the first time in 2 decades. We started the night off with Big Band, one of the three BGS Jazz Groups, as they played 5 pieces by a vast array of composers, like Charles Mingus and Fats Waller, with improvisational solos being seen throughout each piece by all the different instruments within the band. After Big Band’s first set finished, Junior Jazz went on stage to play their repertoire of many pieces as they impressed the crowd with their immense talent and superb improvisation abilities. Following the Junior Jazz group, we took a break as the guests and players sat down to eat their curry from the local curry house, The Jasmine, who were kind enough to provide a full buffet of Indian-based food. Whilst everyone was eating, a few players decided to play a set of more Jazz pieces to accompany the delicious assortment of food. After the break finished, it was time for the last of the three BGS Jazz Groups to play their pieces. The Improv Group played three pieces, showing not only their talent but their tremendous efforts as they played their pieces flawlessly, impressing not only the guests but everyone watching. To finish the night, Big Band played another set as they played the pieces masterfully, concluding a magnificent night of jazz with finesse.

Ethan Abbate, Year 12

Well done to all of our performers on this evening, and a huge thank you to Mr Laing for preparing the items with the bands. What a treat and I hope that we can make this a biannual thing!

Mrs Goddard, Head of Music

Paul Despabiladeras, Year 9 recently took the first diploma in Piano, which is a post-Grade 8 exam, normally taken by full-time music students after their first year at university, and was APPROVED, He used the board of London College of Music, and his qualification is called a DipLCM. 

An amazing achievement. 

Mrs Casling, Head of Music