Congratulations School Choir, Orchestra and Brass Ensemble

There was a lovely atmosphere in the Old Hall on Wednesday night as our orchestra, brass and choir performed to family and friends. The hall was full and parents who gave great feedback about the quality of the performance. The concert was a great opportunity for the school to showcase its Performing Arts program and talents.

Congratulations to the students involved. It was a wonderful performance and all musicians should be very proud of themselves. Bravo!

Performing Arts Classes

Foundation students have continued to use Bounce Back as their platform for Performing Arts. The students are excited to present their core values and Bounce Back acronym to families, as well as singing “When You Are Smiling” from our “Looking on the Bright Side” Unit during their “Celebration of Learning” on Friday 16 December.

The other Units we have enjoyed this term were: Emotions; Humour; Relationships and Success. Keep on Bouncing Back!

Year 1/2 students have been learning about rhythm. Some activities include body percussion, drum circles and playing percussion and drum kit. Students have played ostinato patterns and polyrhythms during a class ensemble, and have also explored different time signatures, tempos, dynamics and playing different sections of songs. Students have also learned chords on the ukulele, developed their strumming techniques, finger placement and playing in time as well as reading and playing simple chord charts.

Year 3/4 students have been playing glockenspiel and can carve up a funky Stevie Wonder bassline to “I Wish”. They have been learning several other fun songs with different parts played in harmony with each other, and are singing the lyrics too.

Year 5 students have been focusing on the blues genre.  They can play a blues scale, can play the chords for a twelve bar blues in C and have been writing their own blues verse about a very bad day.

Year 6 students have been preparing songs to choose for their graduation. They have been performing in an ensemble setting on various instruments and have sung many songs. They are developing skills in music theory when playing covers and creating original works. Students have explored musical concepts through class discussions, reading scores and providing feedback on peers’ performances.

~ Marjie Tkatchenko; Elise Winterflood and Clare Hopper, Performing Arts Teachers