Adam Richardson Blogs Exeter’s Triple Singing House Victory (with video of song)

The Stamford School house music competition is the only house competition that involves EVERY boy’s contribution, and, therefore, is the competition that EVERYONE wants to win. Split into three sections; the Part Song, Ensemble, and the main event, the Unison Song, it is rather unheard of for a house to win all three events in the music competition to take the Triple crown. In fact, this title had not been achieved by any house in over 20 years, making it one of the most historic titles here at Stamford School.

Despite the odds, however, Exeter House succeeded in placing 1st in all three events, making them the first house to win the triple title in decades. The first performance by the house was the unison song, in which we performed “Piano Man” by Billy Joel, led by Peter Blisset, our conductor, and myself, the accompanying piano man.

Rehearsals, at first, were a little wobbly, however, the green army showed strong tenacity and drive to overcome obstacles, such as pitch control and diction. We also had a small dilemma over what key to sing the song in, and how it might affect the final product. As the weeks progressed, however, words were learnt, pitching was perfected, and Exeter were almost ready to sing their hearts out on stage… All it took now was an eccentric morale-boosting chant in the Chapel from William Puzey and Harry Wattam to rally up the troops for battle. The song was delivered beautifully on stage and was fully deserving of the 1st place it received.

 

 

Next came the Part Song of choice, the barbershop quartet piece “My Evaline”, in which Peter Blisset, Charlie Armitage, Alex Agnew and myself challenged ourselves to perform. Pretty much from the get go the piece fell perfectly into place for Peter, Charlie and I with magnificent collaboration, however, Alex had to integrate his part later due to involvement in other aspects of school life. This took great determination and guts from Alex and he should be proud of his achievement.

Finally, the Ensemble. The first time I heard this, I was truly amazed. Lead by Joseph Jones, a group of Exeter boys excellently produced a rendition of Michael Jackson’s “Billie Jean”, which captivated the audience, making many feet tap to the Rhythm here and there. These boys had obviously spent a lot of time rehearsing as everything, from the catchy bassline played by Charlie Goldspink to the intricate piano riffs played by Joseph Jones, were incorporated perfectly in the resulting sound.

I am truly grateful to have been part of this Triple win and a part of Exeter House. It is a fantastic feeling to be surrounded by such a confident and energetic group of boys, who have a clear desire to do their very best in competition. This shall be a very pleasant memory for me when I leave Stamford School. Well Done Lads!

#bleedgreen

(Adam Richardson – The Exeter Piano Man)