Just after I joined Chigwell School this September I was greeted with preparation for House Music. Everyone was talking about this huge exciting event which to me sounded like something from High School Musical and not real life.

Dancing, costumes and performances, singing and bands. Each piece of information about the competition made me more excited and hyped.

However, as days passed, I still had one question in mind. What exactly is House Music and how does it work?

House music is a competition between the school’s day houses (Caswalls’, Lambourne, Penn’s, Swallow’s). Each house prepares three performances: items 1, 2, and 3.

The first is a cappella group with each house singing the same song.

The second is a band performance. Houses arrange and perform the music of their choice, focusing on skills and performance quality.

The last one, item 3, is a performance by the whole house. It consists of both dancing and singing.

After two weeks of constant rehearsals, the day has come. On Friday, the 13th of September our school’s gym filled up with people – pupils, parents, teachers, and past students.

I could not wait to participate in my first-ever House Music. I was part of item 1 and item 3. With some stress, I went on the stage for the first performance, which was thrilling. I was finally on a stage after many (but never enough) rehearsals.

Later, I had the privilege of watching other houses perform and I must admit some performances had me on the verge of tears, while others were pure fun.

After that, it was time for the big show. With the whole house, we went on that stage knowing some of us didn’t know the choreography and others didn’t know the lyrics but it didn’t matter.

What mattered was the fun and joy we got from performing.

It was an incredible experience that allowed me to get to know other students better.

Throughout the rehearsal, I made new connections and strengthened the old ones. I was impressed by how students organised practice meetings and worked at home.

This type of community engagement is something I have never experienced in my previous school and I was amazed by it.

Most importantly, the whole event was a lot of fun. I cannot wait to do it again next year!