House Music 2026 – We are Family!
Well done and thank you to all who took part in House Music, to those who supported the Houses and teams in their endeavours, and to everyone who joined us for the final performances. This remarkable musical extravaganza is one of the highlights of the year at Pate’s, celebrating our community’s musical talent, House Spirit and all that is gained from participation and team work. It was a joy to see our new students in the midst of all the music making, and so many commendable individual and group performances. With more than 1,000 students taking part, House Music fortifies the strong sense of belonging we hope all Patesians feel within our school community, cements friendships and propels us into the rest of the school year. Dr James Richardson, Headteacher.
Year 7 student Harry opened Consider Yourself for Beaufort House. Harry says,
"I went for a solo because I love singing and my brother hadn’t done it before so I thought I’d have a go. I haven't been part of this type of performance before; I only was part of a musical in Y6 which I sang 2 small solos to an audience of around 25 people. Pate's House Music is very different to anything I've done before as there was never real judges or such a large audience as the hall to my primary school wasn’t very big. sang the opening four lines to, ‘Consider Yourself’ from Oliver! I felt very nervous as I hadn’t done anything like it before but I was also excited as it could potentially spark something in my later life. My favourite part of this whole experience was when me and the other soloist went through the doors to perform and there was a massive applause which I wasn’t expecting!"
Year 12 Pembroke student Aurielle, who joined Pate's this term from a local grammar school, says,
"I performed ‘With a Little Help from My Friends’ by The Beatles and we were thrilled to win the prize of Best Choir Yrs 8/10/12. My first experience of a whole school Pate's House event was very enjoyable and exciting. I'd heard lots about it from my friends, and it was such a thrilling and rewarding experience that I felt honoured to be a part of. My first month in Pate's Sixth Form has been truly delightful. There are so many aspects about the school I love already, such as the academic lessons and the co-curricular activities on offer. However, what's really stood out to me about Pate's are the people: the staff and pupils are kind, welcoming and supportive and made me feel like I've been at Pate's much longer than just a month! I already feel like I'm part of the Pate's community, and I'm looking forward to the rest of this term! I think House Music was an excellent opportunity, not only to perform on stage with your House, but for bonding in the early weeks of school. It helped me integrate faster with my peers and the House Officials did an amazing job of bringing everyone together to work towards something!"
Thank you to our Judge Mr Glyn Oxley, Principal of the Gloucestershire Academy of Music, who joined us on the final night, awarding the prizes as follows:
Greatest Musical Detail: Gloucester
Best Instrumental Group: Richmond
Best Choir Yrs 7/9/11/13: Beaufort
Best Choir Yrs 8/10/12: Pembroke
Best Interpretation of the Theme: York
Congratulations to Gloucester, Winners of House Music 2026. Gloucester's Heads of House reflect:
"House Music this year was quite frankly unforgettable. It was amazing to see all the pieces coming together as we approached judging night and for us as House Officials, it was so rewarding to see the improvement from the very first rehearsal to the performances. Having won last year, we knew we had big boots to fill and high expectations to reach. After much discussion, we chose pieces that we felt reflected the theme but also ones that would resonate with the audience. We must thank the rest of the House Official team and Year 13 helpers, without them and their dedication we couldn’t have organised such a huge house event. It feels amazing to have won arguably the biggest event of the year and we cannot wait to get started on House Art!" Grace (Yr 13)
Music has been a large part of my school life at Pate's. I can still remember the joy that I got from my first House Music when I joined the school in Year 7, having only just started on my instrument. It's what inspired me to work hard on my playing and get stuck into all the musical opportunities that both Pate's and beyond have had to offer.
It feels very special to have placed first in my final year of Sixth Form to tally two Gloucester wins in a row (the onus falls on the team next year to complete the hat trick!), and it's been a real pleasure to not only play this year, but as a House Official, to arrange and conduct music that both embodies the idea of family, and also resonates with me personally.
Holding some responsibility for selecting Gloucester's repertoire has been a privilege I've long looked forward to, and it was brilliant to introduce some lesser-known Kenny Wheeler to the masses. Our Gloucester musicians rose to the challenge incredibly well and were fantastic getting the musical intricacies of Wheeler's composition sounding beautiful. Our choirs and pit band also smashed it out of the park; special shout out goes to Theo on the school's pipe organ!
The rewarding experiences of persevering with scoring music for the orchestra, leading Gloucester through Lunchtime rehearsals, and claiming sweet victory with the HO team in the Hall on judging night will undoubtably stick with me long after I leave school, and I can't wait for the excitements of all the forthcoming House events remaining this year! Harry (Yr 13)
