Music 

Concert update

Following the recent announcements on restrictions, we are currently in discussions about how the concert will look in term 4. We would like to thank families at Newlands for their continued resilience. There is still planning in place to have a filming day and for this to be edited for a final video that celebrates all our talented students. Watch this space for more information as we work out our options within the current set of restrictions.

I will be providing rehearsal materials and instructions that are readily accessible, for those families who would like to continue rehearsing with their child/ren over the holidays.

F/1 Music

Oh my goodness, please wait while I lift my jaw up from the floor ... Girls and boys, your latest videos were SO impressive! The task was for the children to sing a section of their group song and record it as if it were a performance on stage. I heard beautiful singing voices, saw lots of great actions and expressive gestures, and noticed that so many of you have memorised large portions of the song - or even the entire song! I have said to a couple of parents that I think we will be bowled over by the animated and confident performances we will see, when the children finally rehearse their song together as a group. So looking forward to our first face-to-face lesson next term!

2/3 Music

Like the F/1 students, 2/3 classes have been encouraged to gradually lift their performances to the point where they imagine themselves on stage. Students have really challenged themselves and reflected on what they need to work on, and their effort is showing in the progress they have made.

I have been excited by the opportunity to include lessons that would have been more difficult to deliver in a face-to-face format. Last week I scheduled one of these lessons in the form of a Brain Break: students had to listen to the "music around them", and put together the sounds they heard in the form of a montage. It became clear that many students were much more aware of the sounds around their home and community when they took on this task. I have included a couple of lovely examples in the video:

4/5/6 Music

The last few weeks have included a focus on persistence, reflection, and how this influences the way that we practise a musical instrument (including our voice). A few weeks ago we explored how this works, using Black and Gold as a teaching song, and last week and this week the students transferred these skills to their own class song. As indicated above, I will ensure that families have access to practice materials so that you can practise over the holidays: please let me know if you need me to provide / create anything extra to help you practise effectively.

Note that the intention is for 4/5/6 students to also be included in the filming day for the Concert. I am very confident that the work the children do at home will go a long way towards ensuring they play very well together when they return to face-to-face learning. Earlier during remote learning I gave students the task of recording themselves singing their class song, and for this to be edited together for a combined "performance". Recently I managed to stitch together the singing for "Cheap Thrills". Have a listen:

Choir

It hasn't been ideal conditions for running a choir this term, but as we move forward into the new arrangements next term, I will be posting some materials and instructions for families in 2/3 and 4/5/6 on Seesaw. This will be posted next week, and will contain a Google Drive link so that you have continued access over the holidays. Let's try to get a choir performance in before the end of this year!