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It was a great day
An audience students and teachers of Rosebud Secondary College, Elizabeth Murdoch College, Camberwell Grammar, St James and St Bede’s College were treated to glorious concert by Michael J, Tony and Deon. It was very entertaining, enjoyable and fantastic to watch all the students dancing and singing. Fabulous effort by all Involved and our kindest appreciation to Lucas, Tom, Joel Bright (year 12 Solomon as an MC) and all of our 300 more students.
Here are some student’s reflections;
On 24 August, St Bede’s College was lucky enough to host “Michael J” in our Auditorium along with four other schools, who is currently on his tour in Australia. The schools included students who study Indonesian from St James, Camberwell Grammar, Rosebud Secondary and Elizabeth Murdoch College. Michael warmly welcomed us into his rich Indonesian culture through his many vibrant, cultural songs such as ‘Aku Bosan’, ‘Salam-Salam’, ‘Raya Indonesia’. Michael was accompanied by Tony the acoustic guitarist, and Deon, the base guitarist. The Show kicked off to an amazing start, with the first three songs having an upbeat roar and got the whole crowd involved. One of our favourite songs, “Aku Bosan”, meaning ‘I Am Board”. This song was really good and, together with every school in the auditorium, we had an absolute blast. Together with the Light and Sound, every word and movement was followed with amazing lights and a good background sound track. We must however give a big thanks to Ms Astrid Dux and Michael Js’ crew and him, himself. Sampai Jumpa.
Rhys Year 9.7
On Wednesday 22 August, St Bede’s College hosted 4 schools plus students from Years 8-12 studying Indonesian (St James College Bentleigh, Rosebud Secondary College, Camberwell Grammar, and Elizabeth Murdoch School) for a unique, cultured Indonesian concert. Michael Jakarimilena and his crew, Toni, Deon and Ibu Karen, performed some iconic Indonesian songs in front of us, favourites including Laskar Pelangi, Salam Salam and Indonesia Raya.
The occasion began with a welcome from the Melbourne Consulate General of Indonesia, who we were honoured to welcome into our St Bede’s community, before we were introduced to Michael J and his musicians. At the beginning of the concert we were all unsure what to expect, however we were quickly impressed by Michael’s work by beginning the show by singing Salam, Salam, an Indonesian welcome song. We were soon fully immersed in various tunes and beats, the overwhelming favourite, AKU BOSAN! Michael also introduced us to many Indonesian cultural experiences, including Jogjakarta Love Story: a song about the beauty of the Indonesian region, Jogjakarta.
As the numerous songs flew by, we soon found ourselves near the end of the concert, much to the disappointment of the crowd. However, it didn’t last long, with Michael performing an inspiring rendition of the Indonesian national anthem, Indonesia Raya. As he left the stage with his compatriots at the end of the performance, the auditorium was full of students clapping, waving and chanting MIIIIIICCCCCCHHHHHHAAAAEEELLLLLLL!
Michael’s concert provided us with a unique Indonesian cultural experience and we are extremely grateful for his passionate and entertaining performance. Terima kasih banyak Michael, Toni, Deon dan Ibu Karen!
Tomas Cooling 9.1
On 22 August, we met halfway through snack outside the auditorium. I knew we were seeing some type of concert, but I didn’t really know what to expect. We were then greeted by four other schools including Rosebud Secondary, Camberwell Grammar, St James and Elisabeth Murdoch College. We, St Bede's, were proud to host such a big event of around 300 more students’ total. We all settled down and watched singer Michael J and his team of Guitarists, Tony and Deon put on a show. Every song was sung in Indonesian and each had a different genre and overall message. The audience was definitely involved, clapping to the beats and at one point, we all used our phones as flashlights, waving them in a rhythm ‘Just like an Ed Sheeran concert’, as Michael said. Overall a great couple of hours to get away from school, and a great atmosphere proved an enjoyable experience.
Bailey Payter 8.2