Junior School
Performing Arts

Mrs Katie Sinclair, Junior School Music Coordinator

Diary Dates - Term 3

Week 1 – All ensembles resume rehearsals (from Tuesday 18th July onwards)

August (dates TBC) - AMEB instrumental exams at KWS

Friday August 4 – Orange Eisteddfod (Function Centre) – Verse Speaking / Drama sections – K-4 classes involved. Time TBC.

Thursday 24 / Friday 25 August – Orange Eisteddfod (Function Centre) – Choirs involved

Friday 8 September – Strings Concert (DPA) – all JS and SS strings ensembles involved

Monday 11 – Friday 15 September (Civic Theatre) – Stage 3 production week

JS Performing Arts Concert

Thursday 1 June

A packed audience of family and friends enjoyed a wonderful evening of music, drama and dance last Thursday as we celebrated performing arts in the Junior School.

There were performances from Kindy choir, 1-2, 3-4 and 5-6 choirs, Junior Concert Band, Junior String Orchestra, JS String Quartet, Koristers, Jitterbugs dance ensemble as well as a sneak peek at our upcoming 5-6 Musical!

A big congratulations to all students involved as the quality of performances highlights the talent and hard work from students right through our junior school.

A massive thank you also to all our highly experienced tutors and ensemble directors who work hard with our students to seek varied repertoire, foster diligent practice and rehearsal and pursue excellence in performance. This event would also not be possible without the support and dedication of all our junior school staff who work behind the scenes to supervise all the students and ensure the smooth transitions between items.

Bell Shakespeare Performance

On Tuesday June 20, students in Years 3-6 will have the opportunity to watch a performance of Macbeth (Abridged) presented by the Bell Shakespeare players at the DPA. This performance will be an age-appropriate adaptation of the tragic Scottish play. Not only will this provide students a chance to learn more about this famous play, but to witness some excellent acting and creative staging and costuming. This company never fails to impress with their creative interpretation of Shakespeare’s works.

What do you get when you combine Shakespeare, Andy Griffiths, garden gnomes, daggers, Wizz Fizz and brussels sprouts? Just Macbeth! (abridged) of course!

Journey to medieval Scotland for this perfect introduction to Shakespeare for primary students. Just Macbeth! (abridged) is a really silly version of Shakespeare’s great big gory tragedy starring Andy, Danny and Lisa from Andy Griffiths’ Just! series, packed into a pocket-sized play. Exploring the themes and story of Macbeth through the eyes of Andy Griffiths’ much loved characters, this hilarious and irreverent take on Shakespeare’s classic tragedy will have students and teachers in stitches!

Beginner Band – Term 3

In the coming week, we will be emailing parents of students who are new to playing a woodwind or brass instruments to let you know that we will be establishing a Beginner Band ensemble in Term 3 this year. This is an ensemble specifically catering for students who are in the early stages of learning their instrument. The ensemble will be directed by Tony Grimm who is currently teaching woodwind instruments at Kinross Wolaroi on Thursdays. Tony is a bassoonist who has played with the Australian Chamber Orchestra, the Sydney Symphony Orchestra and the Australian Opera and Ballet Orchestra. Tony teaches in a number of leading Sydney schools and is an ensemble tutor at the NSW Arts Unit. We are very excited about the depth of experience that Tony will bring to our band program. Playing in a band is a wonderful way of honing musical skills, including technique, ensemble awareness and repertoire development, not to mention the enjoyment students get from making music with their peers.