Music Matters

Wow, what a year! As a Music department, we are so proud of all that the students have achieved. We began the year tentatively, unsure if there would be any more lockdowns but thankfully, apart from a high number of absences due to quarantines, we were able to return to a new kind of normal.

After running all the instrumental trials with the new Year 7s, we were very pleased that one in three of them chose to learn an instrument. This would normally be a great result but because of the incredible kids that have taken on this fantastic opportunity, we are extremely excited about the future of music at Doncaster. 

Our Year 7 ensembles Soundworks and Stringworks have both embraced every opportunity to perform and have continued to impress throughout the year. Event include Turbo Day, Music Camp, Winter and Spring Concerts, Year 7 assembly performances and the workshop with Dr Jemima Bunn. 

The highlight for me though was definitely the Primary School Tour this term. Both junior ensembles performed brilliantly and worked so well as a team, packing the bus, unloading the bus and setting up the instruments, demonstrating their instruments then packing it all up again. Once was an achievement but they did this three times in one day! 

We kept to a very tight schedule but there were no complaints. In fact they were all singing on the bus at the top of their lungs, making fun memories and building great friendships. I can’t wait to take them on a Music tour in the future.

Existing students have really enjoyed the opportunities to be able to rehearse together regularly in the same room again. They have also embraced all the performance opportunities that we have crammed into our busy year after almost none over the last two years. 

The Music Camp was again, a fantastic example of cross year level learning, with students from different years, working together and helping each other prepare for the Winter Concert and having fun on all the great activities Camp Oasis has to offer. It really set us up for a wonderful year and the performances throughout benefitted from the comradery and sense of community it helped redevelop.

Highlights of the year in Music:

• Year 7 Turbo Days for Stringworks and Soundworks
• Open Night performances
• Music Camp
• Guitar Day
• Winter Concert
• Suki Gui selected to perform solo piano at the Melbourne Recital Centre for the North East Victorian Regional concert
• VSMF String Orchestra – Gold Award!
• VSMF Wind Symphony – Gold Award!
• String Soiree
• Spring Concert
• Rock Worksop and Showcase
• Numerous lunchtime Rock Concerts
• Soundworks workshop with Dr Jemima Bunn
• VSMF Concert Band – equivalent of Gold Award with adjudicators ratings
• Primary School Tour for Stringworks and Soundworks
• Valedictory performances
• Senior School Awards performances
• Junior School Awards performances
• Year 6 Open Afternoon performances
• Middle School Awards performances

Farewell to all the Year 12s who have stuck at their music through the most challenging of times. We really appreciate all your commitment to the program and congratulate you on all your music achievements while you’ve been a part of our music community. 

• Noah Freitas
• Elina Jayamanna
• Ethan McLeod
• Zachary Meikle
• Michael Mishura
• Sarah Moruzi
• Koorosh Nikzad
• Mehrana Bayaki

Thank you to all the instrumental staff, Peter Brodie, Andy O’Connell, Chris Ondaatje, David Rowlands, Troy Sheers, Josh Verco and Hannah Walters. You are an awesome team and we are very lucky to have such experience guiding our young musicians.

A huge thank you to my right hand woman, Wendy Howes for all the organisational and personal support throughout this crazy year of performances. You always go way over and above with your commitment to the students’ needs and developing the music culture at Doncaster.

Thanks to El Menta our Music secretary for all the extra help you’ve given us throughout the year, juggling your roles with Food Tech like an ace!

Thanks to Lisa Fairweather for making the “Music Matters” page a highlight of the newsletter every edition, selecting the photos and kicking my butt to get my articles in 😊

Thanks to all the Principal class, administration staff and Mini school leaders for all your support of music. Promoting it whenever possible and ensuring non music students appreciate the incredible talents of our music students.

Thank you to all the parents of music students who have managed to drop off or pick up students for before or after school rehearsals, put up with unusual sounds and wrong notes while they practice and encourage them when they need reassurance that they are doing really well. You are supporting them develop skills they would never have the opportunity to doing any other activity.

And the biggest thank you goes to the music students themselves. You make my day every day, with your enthusiasm and incredible achievements throughout the year. Every recess and lunchtime there are students banging down the doors, asking if they can use a room to practice. It is a wonderful place to work and I can’t wait to take on next year, after a good summer break 😊

Have a safe and happy Christmas and a relaxing new year.

Nick Dean

Music Coordinator

The Band goes on Tour!

Written by Sienna M. and Milly R.

On Tuesday the 22nd of November, DSCs junior bands had their first ever musical tour. StringWorks and SoundWorks toured together to three different primary schools, demonstrating to the future students of Doncaster Secondary College all the opportunities the music program can bring. 

They started out the day at 8am and got straight to work, packing the bus, and preparing the instruments.

They first performed at Templestowe Valley Primary School, where SoundWorks performed ‘Rolling in the Deep,’ ‘Battle of the Androids,’ ‘When the Saints,’ and ‘Geronimo‘. They performed amazingly, and all the instruments within the band played a solo, with the trumpets performing a crowd favourite of ‘John Cena.’ 

StringWorks went next, performing ‘Rhythm Fever,’ ‘Tap Dancer,’ and ‘Criss Cross Drag Bikes.’ They then performed the first four bars of ‘Can You See’ one instrument at a time. The low strings, the cellos, were the preferred instrument of the grade 6’s when a vote was conducted by Mr Verco. They finished off with a group performance of ‘Can You See,’ with everyone agreeing it sounded better together. Overall, the Grade 6’s were very appreciative of the music and were a very welcoming audience.

The students were all extremely helpful in reloading the bus, however once all the students were on the bus and the teachers were still outside, they made a plan. As the teachers filed back on the bus, the entire 40+ busload of music students burst into a beautiful rendition of ‘I Want It That Way’ by the Backstreet Boys. The teachers were in awe of their amazing voices and allowed them to continue until they tired themselves out. Well, most. Some of the students have extreme stamina.

Next the students performed at Doncaster Primary School, where they performed most of the same repertoire, with much more confidence, albeit less energy. There were minor issues, like rain making the drums and such slippery on the walk to the stage, a lost saxophone, and the timpani's not fitting through the door, however they pulled through and put on an amazing performance. 

SoundWorks brought the extraterrestrial vibes, playing 'Battle of the Androids'. They also performed 'Beethoven's 9th' and 'Geronimo'. Isabelle Veevers, flautist, stole the spotlight with her amazing 'Harry Potter' performance. 

StringWorks repeated all the songs from the previous performance, with the addition of 'Breathing in the Alps'. As this ensemble loves repetition, they once again had the beginning of ‘Can You See’ done as solos by each of the instruments.

It was then time for a short walk to Westfield to have lunch, at which point the students were astounded to realise that the teachers were friends! They regrouped, with all the students eventually making it back onto the bus, and to the next school.

Finally, the music students presented their last performance of the day to Milgate Primary School, where the SoundWorks students repeated ‘Rolling in the Deep’ and ‘Battle of the Androids,’ but also played ‘Rock and Roll: Part 2 (The Hey Song)’. Like the previous performances, students demonstrated their instruments and gave brief descriptions of how they work. 

After, the StringWorks students repeated songs from earlier in the day. ‘Can You See,’ ‘Tap Dancer,’ ‘Breathing in the Seaside’ and ‘Rhythm Fever’ were all featured in the performance. As before, StringWorks demonstrated the importance of each stringed instrument in an orchestra by comparing the piece ‘Can You See’ as individual sections, then all together.

After the last performance, everyone was admittedly tired and got on the last bus trip to DSC. Instruments and gear still needed to be put away, but once they were, the students were gone. It was a very successful tour, and all the students worked amazingly as a team throughout the day. They impressed everyone, especially Mr Dean.

Interview with College Captain & Year 12 Musician: Zachary Meikle

My name is Zach Meikle. I’ve just completed year 12 at Doncaster Secondary College, whilst also continuing to take part in the music program as I have since arriving at DSC in year 9.

Can you tell us about the unique responsibilities you've had within the school during your final year? 

In 2022, I was one of the four college captains. I really enjoyed this role as it put me in a position to set a good example for younger students, as well as being able to have a say in many different aspects of school events. Additionally, I have been a student member of the College Council, which has been a very interesting and rewarding experience.

Which award did you receive at your year 12 Valedictory Presentation? 

At Valedictory, I received the Rotary Youth Leadership Award, which recognises a commitment to leadership and improvement of the school. I am extremely grateful to have received this award as it provides a scholarship to the 6-day Rotary Youth Leadership Academy, which will further enhance my leadership and problem-solving skills.

What instrument/s have you been learning at DSC and who have you been learning from? 

I have been learning bass guitar for close to 10 years now, and have been taught by Mr Verco since year 7, both at Koonung Secondary College and here at DSC. I really enjoy playing guitar also!

What ensembles have you played in at DSC and what have been some of your performance highlights so far?  

I have played in many ensembles, mainly Wind Symphony and several rock bands. I also played in the year 12 Valedictory band and assisted in junior ensembles, however my highlight in music at DSC would have to be playing in a Year 12 VCE Music Performance ensemble. In this ensemble, we did a variety of performances at school but also played as part of the final assessment for two students in the band.

Why did you choose to learn an instrument and learn at school? 

At primary school, the music program was quite a big part of the school, and I was keen to be involved, which is where it started from. As I progressed, I enjoyed it more and more, which is why I am still playing today!

How did you manage juggling the commitments to your year 12 academic studies, your college captain responsibilities, and your music commitments? 

Time management is important when you are juggling many responsibilities at school and outside of school. I found that there were times when I was overwhelmed but I tried to prioritise the most important tasks. Playing music was a good escape for me during year 12 as it gave me something different to do when I needed to regain my focus. Although sometimes music got pushed to the bottom of the priority list, I still attended lessons each week which was also something to look forward to and spur me along.

Tell us about some of the roles and duties you had to perform as a member of the DSC college captains team. What might your typical week look like? 

Generally during a normal week there would be a few meetings, primarily with the year 12 coordinators. Many of our responsibilities revolved around the planning and execution of school events, which were enjoyed by many students. We also attend each SRC meeting during Thursday lunchtimes, taking a leading role in the running of these meetings. Additionally, one Wednesday evening per month I would attend the College Council meeting.

Have you always found yourself looking to take on extra responsibilities around school? 

I have always been keen to take on extra responsibilities around the school, which started in primary school. I feel like it is a good way to contribute to the continued success of the school and boost student morale by being a figure of student voice.

Looking back, do you feel that learning an instrument and being a part of the music program has helped to prepare you for the extra roles you have taken on?  

Learning an instrument means that you make a commitment to putting in time for practice and showing up to lessons consistently. Having started playing music in year 3, I developed a strong will to be reliable, which has helped me throughout this year to ensure that my delegated tasks were complete. Additionally, it has meant that I take extreme pride in consistently showing up for my part-time job at Bunnings.

Do you find music has provided any benefits to you in your academic studies and leadership roles? 

Playing music has always provided me with a sort of escape from the chaos of school life, particularly in year 12, and has given me time to decompress. Additionally, playing bass in the rhythm section means that I am setting a musical example for the rest of each band, with this concept being transferrable to many other aspects of schooling.

What's been the most rewarding experiences for you in all your accomplishments through school and from all the things you've mentioned above? What important things will you take into your endeavours through life? 

I think one of the most rewarding experiences I have had throughout my schooling would have to be attending the School for Student Leadership in year 9. Regarding music however, it would be playing in the VCE music performance ensemble. One thing that I will continue to do in my daily life is to always be reliable, as showing up is the most important thing.

What are your plans for studies, career and music going forward? 

In 2023 I intend to study aviation at Swinburne, with the goal of becoming a commercial airline pilot. In terms of music, I would really like to start or join a band. I would also like to venture into the world of music production as a side project.

Is there any general advice you would like to give to any students who are venturing into year 12 or wanting to become members of Student Representative Council (SRC), School Captaincy or even pursuing music studies right through to year 12? 

Don’t hesitate to dream big and get involved. It is often a good way to find like-minded people who you can bounce ideas off and get support from. Pursuing music is a great way to keep yourself accountable and it will generally improve your focus and results in other aspects ofavorite

What's your favourite song, band or genre to play on the Bass Guitar? 

‘Out Of The Black’ by Royal Blood is such a good bass-driven track and is one of two that I played in the VCE music performance ensemble. Other than that, I have really enjoyed learning a variety of different slap bass songs.

Importantly... Fender or Gibson? 

I’m going to have to say Fender for this one. I drool at many of their different designs, particularly the Acoustasonic line of guitars, although it is a shame that I will never own one because they don’t make them in left-handed models. I’ll just have to settle for a Telecaster or Jazz bass instead.