THE ARTS

Music

This term, Stillwell and Holly classes have been getting creative with chair/chopstick percussion drumming, exploring beats and rhythms in fun and energetic ways! Students have been learning a chant called “UNIQUE”, which has helped them experiment with rhythm patterns and musical concepts such as echo (imitation), canons, and ostinatos (repeated patterns). They have also explored how introductions and codas add structure to a piece of music. In small groups, students arranged and performed their own versions of the chant using these ideas.

Looking ahead, students will be introduced to bucket drumming. Over the next four weeks, they will explore the different sounds the bucket drum can make, depending on where and how it’s played. They’ll also create rhythm patterns to accompany popular tunes from Katy Perry, Imagine Dragons, Queen, and Adele.

Meanwhile, the Castle Unit has been exploring beat, rhythm, pitch, and timbre (tone colour) through lively animal-themed songs and rhymes. In Crocodile Snap Rap and My Backyard, students moved like Australian animals and then selected non-melodic percussion instruments to represent the sounds those animals might make. They have also enjoyed singing rhymes about black snakes hiding and bluebirds in nests, while getting active with Mr Stretchy, a colourful rope used to help with beat, rhythm, and movement.

Next week, Castle students will begin to learn the chant, Wombat Stew (based on the well-loved book), using chair and chopstick percussion. They will be developing their own rhythm patterns using the “ingredients” of the stew and performing their creations for their classmates. We can’t wait to see (and hear) what they come up with!

HEPS Choir

The HEPS Choir has been working with great enthusiasm every Thursday afternoon to learn a set of fifteen songs for the upcoming Southern Metropolitan Music Festival. This year’s concert will take place on Thursday 6th November at the Woodcroft Revival Fellowship Centre, as the Hopgood Theatre is currently undergoing renovations.

On Monday 26th May, HEPS had the honour of hosting a Combined Choir Rehearsal. Our choir came together with five other school choirs to rehearse under the guidance of the Festival’s head conductor, Kristie Fudge. It was a truly special experience to hear 135 students singing together in harmony. The students represented HEPS with pride and talent, and we are looking forward to the final rehearsals and the big performance in Term 4!

We are proud to announce our four Choir Leaders for 2025: Tayla, Lily, Indy, and Octavia. These dedicated students support the choir by taking the roll, leading warm-ups and choreography, and assisting with organisation. Last week, they warmly welcomed visiting choirs from other schools to our site and played a key role in setting up and packing up for the combined rehearsal.

Solo Club meets every Thursday at lunchtime, offering interested students the opportunity to practise solo parts in selected songs. Miss Hay and I are excited to share that the following students have been selected to audition for solos at the upcoming concert: Lily H, Indy S, Ava S, Savannah P, and Isabelle B. We wish all of them the best of luck in their auditions during Week 9 this term!

Melissa Thiele

The Arts Teacher

Mr Stretchy song with Mr Goodman and Mr Grieve’s classes

Year 5/6 students – UNIQUE chopstick and chair percussion

2025 Choir Leaders – Octavia, Lily and Indy (Tayla absent)

Combined Choir rehearsal, May 26th