Christmas Blow Out 2022

Jingle all The Way

We look forward to playing our seasonal set at The Alex Children’s Hospital in Brighton this Christmas, entertaining and raising money for the Rockinghorse appeal. Our harmonauts have been invited to play on Wednesday 21st December in the Outpatients Waiting Area on the Ground Floor level.

Owing to ongoing Covid-19 precautions places are limited to ten players, so to maximise the opportunity for children to participate we will run two 30 minute Blow Outs as follows:

•  Blow Out 111.00am-11.30am – for Key Stage 1 children
•  Blow Out 211.30am-12.00pm – for Key Stage 2 children

How to join in
To apply, please click the Gold Harmonica on our home page and complete your online registration selecting ‘The Alex’ option. Please include the name of any pieces you’d like to play. Places are allocated on a first come first served basis. As each allocation fills, we will keep additional names on a waiting list in order of application. If your application is successful but your plans change (eg. illness) please let us know so that another child can take your place. In the meantime start practising Jingle Bells at home for our grand finale (you’ll find it in the Key Stage Music Libraries here on our website).

What to bring
Harmonauts need a harmonica in C Major, lots of breath and a big smile. We will provide sheet music, stands and backing tracks. We’d be grateful if grown-ups could bring cash contributions for our Rockinghorse Appeal charity box too.

Who will we be playing to?
Hospital staff and children who are well enough will make every effort to watch us, but many children will be unable to leave their ward. Either way, the sound of our music can be heard throughout the wing and is greatly appreciated by everyone at The Alex. We will also be on view to members of the public.

Rockinghorse charity appeal
Rockinghorse Childrens Charity in SussexWe would invite participants and grown ups to bring a cash contribution for the hospital’s Rockinghorse charity appeal. Donations can also be made online by clicking the logo here.

What to prepare
We will play items we’ve been learning in the Autumn Term, with an emphasis on Christmas tunes. There is scope for longer serving harmonauts to play their favourite pieces too. Simply list the items you’d like to play when you register.

Dress Code
Fancy dress is not mandatory, however we would encourage harmonauts to wear something seasonal (eg Santa hat).

Refreshments & WC
There is a café with toilet facilities to the side of the waiting area.

Parking & Transport
Parking is not provided. We recommend that anyone travelling by car uses metered street parking in the vicinity of the Hospital.

Filming & Photography
We will be taking representative video footage and some still photography of this event for future publicity purposes. Any such publicity material will be for Harp Academy purposes only and will not be shared with, or sold to, any third parties. We will assume from your participation and attendance that you are happy for us to do so. If this is not the case, please contact our Managing Director, Richard Taylor.