RHS Choir & Band Tour 2025

Big news from the breakfast room: the pancakes are back. Sheila, the legendary guardian of the breakfast buffet, had clearly sensed the national mood and fired up the pancake machine in turbo mode. One pupil managed to eat twelve in one sitting — we may now be responsible for the global pancake shortage. But, on the plus side, our pupils were very well fuelled for the day ahead. We had our usual third-floor corridor HQ briefing this morning — and I finally managed to capture a photo of the group just beforehand. There’s something quietly hilarious about gathering 40+ pupils in a carpeted corridor, but acoustically it’s one of the best briefing venues I’ve ever used. Every golden nugget of wisdom I impart echoes beautifully off the magnolia walls. Not glamorous, but effective. Our first destination today was a wonderfully quirky exhibition called Little Canada , showcasing miniature versions of major Canadian cities and landmarks. Naturally, no RHS trip would be complete without a nav...

After a packed week of performing, rehearsing, and navigating the many musical adventures of our Canada tour, today brought a most welcome change of pace: a full tourist day. No uniforms, no music folders, no instruments — just a group of very deserving pupils ready to explore, experience, and (quite literally) eat with their hands. The morning began with a leisurely breakfast, where we confirmed a developing situation: the national pancake shortage predicted yesterday has come to pass. Fortunately, the waffle reserves were still intact — briefly — before our pupils made swift work of those too. Spirits were high, and there’s already a buzz about the possible return of the pancake machine tomorrow. Honestly, the breakfast buffet has become its own subplot on this trip. With full stomachs and high hopes, we held our daily “Third Floor Corridor HQ” briefing (now an institution), and set off for one of Canada’s most iconic sites — Niagara Falls . The drive itself was smooth enough, bu...

Today began with something of a rare treat: a lie-in. After a relentless schedule of early starts and packed performance days, the pupils were able to begin the day at a more leisurely pace — and what better way to do that than with an outstanding breakfast? Our hotel continues to exceed expectations in every way, and breakfast has become something of a highlight. One staff member in particular has gained near-legendary status for her warm welcome and determination to ensure that every pupil is well fed. Several pupils took full advantage, consuming a frankly astonishing number of pancakes. Should news break of a national shortage, I fear some of our group may be implicated. Following breakfast, we held our usual morning briefing — this time not in a meeting room, but in our newly adopted “Third Floor Corridor HQ”. As we have the entire third floor to ourselves, pupils emerged from their rooms and took their places on the carpet outside for what has become a rather efficient and well...