• Arrive at The Coro between 7pm and 7.10pm at the latest (audience cannot get in before 7.15pm)
• Swing Band shirt (or black shirt); black jeans/skirt; own choice footwear
• Instrument cases in the ant-room (just off the foyer)
• Set up pad/stand etc on stage

7.30pm-ish                    UVHS Swing Band set

                                                1 hour set

• Audience will get food before we finish
• Once we have finished the set we must quickly take our instruments and pads off stage and back into the ante-room
• Once instruments are packed away YOU MAY EAT!!!!!!!!
• Enjoy the rest of the evening!!!
• 11.00/11.15pm finish
• SATURDAY – ‘Music in the Forces’ careers presentation @12.30pm in The Coro. Try to attend!

There will be a careers presentation next Saturday (4th Feb) at 12.30pm in the Supper Room at The Coro. This is open to all (students, parents, friends etc) and will not only give a detailed insight into what life is like in the Royal Marines Band Service, which accepts all orchestral and band instrumentalists as well as singers, but also armed services music in general (Army and RAF, both of which also have very successful and prestigious band services).

Please could as many people get to this presentation as possible? It is the reason why we got funding for the weekend and will only last about 45 minutes. All those invited to play in the massed band must attend.

A fantastic Wind Band rehearsal tonight as we continue to prepare for the joint concert with the Marines in 12 days’ time. The way the band has managed to sort out a programme in only 3 rehearsals is AMAZING! I hope that everyone is looking forward to a UVHS set including film music, musical theatre, rock & pop legends and a bit of Beethoven – if you still need tickets visit: The Band of His Majesty’s Royal Marines – The Coro

Auditions are currently being advertised by the NYMT for both performers and musicians: https://nymt.org.uk/auditions/

With less than two weeks to go until our Marines’ Weekend we need to do a final push on tickets. At the moment there are still over 60 unsold tickets for the formal concert on Saturday and we have only sold 110 for the Friday’s evening with our own Swing Band and the Marines’ Dance Band (in the past we have sold 200). From a finnacial point of view we are hoping to break even at the moment whereas we had hoped that the weekend could raise around £1.5k towards a tour next year.

Please could I ask that you try and encourage as many family/friends/colleagues as you can to go to one of these events (if they are not going already)? Due to security we cannot publicly advertise Friday’s event so we really needs the parents of our musicians (past and present) to help.

Finally if anyone’s business/company etc would like to sponsor Saturday’s evening meal for the Marines (at a cost of £642.85) in return for an advert in the concert programme please get in touch asap.

This is the text of the letter going out in rehearsals this week.

As (I would hope) you are very well aware, we are hosting the Band of His Majesty’s Royal Marines over the 3^rd and 4^th February.  I hope that you and your child(ren) are looking forward to this weekend as much as we at school are, especially as it is three years since we were last able to hold this weekend, which had previously become an annual event and the highlight of our diary?

On the Friday evening we will be holding what has become our traditional social event at The Coro with entertainment provided by our own Swing Band followed by the amazing Marines Dance Band. In the past this has been an exceptionally entertaining evening, especially enjoying witnessing the amazing versatility of the Marines Band Service, and an event that always lives long in the memory.  Tickets for this are now available through the Music Dept at a price of £10 each, which also includes a pie & peas supper courtesy of Del.ish in Barrow (Swing Band players obviously do not need tickets but will still be fed!).  Please note that this is event is purely for the UVHS Music community – all music students (not just the swing and wind bands), families, family friends and colleagues – and is not being advertised to the general public. There will not only be countless opportunities to dance the night away to the sounds of the Marines Dance Band, but also lots of opportunities to talk to the professional musicians of the Band Service, including several former UVHS students.  All-in-all a brilliant evening, so do please try to support it either by coming along yourselves and/or getting tickets for family, friends and colleagues.

Tickets for the formal Wind Band joint concert on Saturday 4^th February are selling very well – with just over 50 tickets still available, if you know anyone who may be interested but has not got tickets yet, please do encourage them to have a look at The Coro website.  Details of rehearsals and the concert will follow but I can confirm that there will be NO rehearsal for UVHS Wind Band on the Saturday, but we will be playing the first third of the concert, starting at 7.30pm. However, about 30 of our best players are going to be invited to play with the Marines Band for the finale to the concert and will need to be available to rehearse (sightread the programme!) on the Friday from 3.45pm-5.15pm, and then again on the Saturday from 12.45pm – 3pm (all at The Coro).

If you have any queries, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Although yr11 and yr13 have mocks this month, it is essential that we get full attendance at all rehearsals this month prior to the Marines visit in under 5 weeks!

Wind Band rehearsals will be until 5.15pm on Monday 9th, 16th, 23rd & 30th Jan, and there will be an additional rehearsal on Thursday 2nd Feb until 5.15pm as well – we need to prepare a new 35 minute set for Sat 4th Feb and have VERY little time.

Swing Band rehearsals will be until 4.45pm every Friday to prepare for the joint swing/dance band evening on Friday 3rd Feb.

Friday 3rd Feb – tickets for this social event are only available from the Music Dept office at a price of £10 each (which includes pie’n’peas supper from Del.ish in Barrow. Swing Band players do NOT need a ticket but will be fed! The evening starts at 7.15pm and lasts until 11.15pm – cabaret seating and full bar throughout . Swing Band will play a one hour set (with food being served towards the end of it) and then the Marines Dance Band (which is awesome) will play two sets and th dance floor will be open!

Feel free to invite friends/family along for what is always a fantastic evening.

A reminder to the Combo that they are playing at The Coro THIS Thursday from 6.15pm-7pm for for our Celebration of Achievement evening. Full Swing Band uniform please (all black).

REHEARSAL ON WEDNESDAY AFTER SCHOOL

Happy New Year to all music students and parents (past and current)!!

Thank you for everyone’s time, effort and support in 2022, and here’s to a fun-filled 2023. Please keep an eye on posts as January will be very intense due to the Marines coming in 5 weeks.