Battle of the Houses: Music

The atmosphere in School Hall was electric on Wednesday night, as our Houses clashed in battles of musical prowess at House Music 2024. We were lucky enough to secure Chris Wardle, one of the founding members of renowned vocal ensemble Voces8, as our judge this year. Alongside his successful career as a professional singer, Mr Wardle also demonstrated a knack for quick score calculations, which meant we never had long to wait on his decisions – although there was always time for a silly song or two, skilfully led by Father Padfield on the piano.

Soloists from each House offered a variety of entertaining performances, but it was Alex S (U5W) whose soulful rendition of Dave McGarry’s ‘Dreams of You’ on the saxophone edged out the competition to earn him the House Solo category win for Whiston. Each house ensemble had spent many hours of rehearsal to ensure that their groups performed with coordination and creative flair. John F (L6) won the prize for Best Arrangement for his innovative orchestration of Gotye’s ‘Somebody I Used To Know’ for the Parker House Ensemble, which included cello, xylophone and clave parts to ensure a truly distinctive sound. Ultimately, Whiston repeated earlier success and proved that you can’t mess with a classic, performing Frank Sinatra’s ‘Fly Me To The Moon’ with vocal mastery and a superb supporting ensemble. 

The anticipation was palpable as each House prepared to perform their House Song. Storrs’ infectious energy and polished choreography in their rendition of Walk The Moon’s ‘Shut Up and Dance With Me’ earned them the top spot for House Song, but this was not enough to dethrone Whiston House, who won overall to raucous applause. 

Congratulations to all the pupils who participated in this unforgettable evening. The success of House Music 2024 was a testament to the hard work and dedication of our House staff, particularly our Housemasters and Mistresses, who provided invaluable support to our committed Heads of Houses.