MUSIC

Opportunity for Gifted and Talented musicians: Encore 2020

This year we have launched Encore - our Stage 4 Gifted and Talented Music Program. The Encore program provides opportunity for students who play an instrument or sing to be in a music class with other students of similar experience and level. The Encore classes are differentiated from our standard music classes and allow students with existing musical skills to be nurtured and extended in a way that targets and enriches their higher level musical development. Students in the Encore program will receive an extended curriculum music experiences as part of Stage 4 classroom music as well as ensemble skill development through our Band and Ensembles Program.

This year we have 18 year 7 and 29 year 8 students enrolled in Encore. Current year 7 students will have the opportunity to apply for new places in the 2021 program later in Semester 2. New places for year 7 2021 will also be open later in the year.

College Band

College Band is our general band for brass, woodwind and percussion players. Students from year 7  - 12 participate in the College Band. It is an ensemble where younger and beginner/intermediate players are nurtured in a learning environment which is fun, productive and supportive. Our senior players play an important mentoring role in our College Band, guiding younger students through note-learning, rehearsal strategies and coping with playing their instrument with a big group of people. So far this term we have welcomed many new year 8 students in to the College Band. These students join us after participating in our Year 7 Instrumental Music program as part of their classroom music experience in 2019. These students have now successfully applied for membership in to the College Band, with many also being accepted into the Year 8 phase of our Stage 4 Encore Gifted and Talented Program in Year 8. 

We congratulate and welcome the following new students in to the College Band so far this year: Lachlan Purnell, Heber Casilen, Thomas Beck, Teresa Quigley, Harry Pratt, Karin Rezkalla, Baci Menhennet, Georgia Thompson, Thomas Marcantelli, Freya Mathews, Laura Boetto, Ella Hughes, Caitlin Cumberlege, Olivia Harding.

All of these students only started their instruments in 2019 as part of the Year 7 Instrumental Music program. We commend them on their progress and commitment.

In the coming weeks, many o

f our Encore year 7 students will also join the College Band. We look forward to having them join us! 

Click on the image to enlarge

Pep Band - Open Night Performance

To view a video of their performance - click here

Stage Band

Stage Band is our senior band for older and more advanced players, but all of our Stage Band members give generously of their time and talents to be principal players and mentors in the College Band. Stage Band meets to rehearse on Friday afternoons from 3.30 - 4.30. Our Stage Band musicians are renowned for their cleverness and versatility. After completely wowing staff, students and parents with some epic performances at Presentation Night 2019, many of our Stage Band players then stepped up to create a marching pep band for crowd entertainment on Open Night. This year we welcome the following new players into Stage Band: Angus Smith, Laynee Visser and Bianca Lubke. We also welcome Rebecca Scott to the Baritone Saxophone and Tyler Forrell to the Alto Saxophone. We finally, after many years of trying to build a multi-voiced saxophone section have an alto, tenor and baritone saxophone in our Stage Band. Big shout out to Liam Whiting who learnt trombone in a day to play a mean bass line for us. The search is on for more trombones in all of our ensembles.

In the next Music newsletter I will introduce our String Program, share some information about how private music lessons work at the College, and introduce our new Instrument Hire roll-out for 2020.

Until then, please contact me for any enquiries relating to taking music lessons, joining a College ensemble, hiring a College instrument, or being part of Encore 2021.

Clare Brassil | Director of Music Performance