Music

Greetings from the Music Dept. | Meet the Team! | Music Room Etiquette

Greetings from the Cheltenham Secondary College Music Department!

It’s hard to believe we are already midway through Term 1. As always, the Music Department is a vibrant and thriving space filled with energy, dedication and creativity.

Our student musicians continue to show impressive commitment to their rehearsals, sharing the music spaces with respect, courtesy and kindness. It is a joy to see the genuine enjoyment they experience while playing their instruments and singing in our ensembles. Our instrumental teachers are incredibly proud of their efforts and look forward to guiding them towards outstanding performances at upcoming school events.

Our Leadership Assembly on Monday 23rd February featured a fantastic performance from two of our finest musicians, Dominique and Todd, who delivered a powerful rendition of “Don’t Stop Believin’” to rapturous applause. It was a wonderful moment of school pride.

We are especially delighted to congratulate Dominique R. on her acceptance into the 2026 Victorian State Schools Spectacular. After a rigorous audition process, Dominique will represent Cheltenham Secondary College as a member of the Backing Vocal Ensemble under the direction of our very own voice teacher, Lisa Maxwell-Cripps.

Mrs Maxwell-Cripps has worked with the Victorian State Schools Spectacular for the past two years alongside esteemed Musical Director Chong Lim (who has worked with John Farnham, Kylie Minogue, David Campbell, Carols in the Domain and many more). Through this collaboration, she has helped develop exceptional young voices for this world-class production at John Cain Arena. Performances will take place in August — we look forward to seeing Dominique shine on stage among the very best young singers in Victoria.

Our Music Captain, Ruby C., also delivered an inspiring speech outlining her exciting plans for 2026. These include expanding lunchtime Open Mic opportunities to further engage the school community, organising fundraising initiatives to support equipment repairs and upgrades, and exploring Cheltenham Secondary College’s participation in a Battle of the Bands competition to showcase our talented musicians. Ruby warmly encouraged students of all skill levels to get involved and give it a go.

Instrumental music places are now almost fully allocated, with only limited spaces remaining. If you are interested in learning an instrument, we encourage you to enrol as soon as possible before positions are filled for the year.

On behalf of our instrumental team — Adam, Christian, Joel and Lisa — we thank our students for the dedication and enthusiasm they bring to every rehearsal and performance. We are excited to see what the remainder of the year will bring.

Ciao for now!

- The Cheltenham Secondary College Music Department