The Hallifordian - 2016-2017

49 Throughout the past six years, the school’s music department has held a summer concert over two nights, every year with a different theme. It be- gan in 2012 with Swing Night which continued for three years. In 2015 the theme was songs from the soul genre and last year, the department explored popular music from each decade. This year it was decided that the theme would be songs from the movies. The weather was on our side. Both evenings were a perfect balance of late afternoon sun with a cooling breeze. The atmosphere was set right from the beginning as the food provided by Alan (our ca- tering manager) and his team was an American diner style feast. (I must admit we musicians enjoyed eat- ing our share before our performances!) The deco- rations, supplied by Mrs Hammond, enhanced the atmosphere beautifully. Pretty pom-pom lanterns Movie Music Night swayed gently in the trees while candles flickered in old wine bottles on the tables. It really felt like we were in a charming open-air Mediterranean restau- rant than a school yard! The projections displayed on to the front building only added to the festive ex- perience. The first commenced with a rousing intro- duction from the Halliford School Orchestra and Jazz Band playing pieces ranging from Star Wars and Lord of The Rings to Harry Potter and James Bond . The Jazz Band played classic themes from Mission Impossible . The entire audience seemed to really en- joy hearing such great old classics – and some new ones! James Hanley gave an outstanding perfor- mance of Sam Smith’s Writing’s on the Wall from the most recent James Bond film Spectre. The first half concluded with Joseph Baker’s touching rendition of the Disney classic When You Wish upon a Star . There was a festive atmosphere in the courtyard.