Music Workshop Week

Celebrating music at Staughton!

Last week, the P Block was alive with the sound of music! From sound production sessions and to instrument workshops, students from all year levels took advantage of what was on offer.

At Monday’s guitar workshop, Mr. Schembri showed students a thing or two about guitar chords. Across the way, Mr. Hart introduced us to the process of studio recording, using the latest equipment from Staughton’s new radio room.

On Tuesday, Mr. Bell worked with a small group to develop their vocal prowess and Ms. Hawke got creative with guitar picks.

Things really picked up momentum on Wednesday with Ms. Pollock’s keyboard workshop and Mr. Maughan’s brass workshop, where students practiced their breathing through mouthpieces. Mr. Hart also ran a second sound workshop on live audio production with the radio crew and Ms. Thompson, recording ads and soundbites to be used on the airwaves.

On Thursday, Ms. Odgers ran a violin workshop that introduced students to the tricky ways of the stringed instrument. In addition, a selection of our top-performing instrumental music students performed at local primary schools, Coburn and Exford, to showcase our music program. At lunchtime, a big concert for RUOK day displayed the musical talents of Staughton’s finest performances while helping raise awareness for mental health in our community.

Friday was the big finale, as the clarinet ensemble, brass ensemble and rock band represented Staughton College at the local Dream Big Festival, held in a big circus top at the nearby Melton South Community Centre. The primary schools cheered and sang along to nearly every song and we stayed to watch some of the other performances. Back at school, a lunchtime drumming workshop with Mr. Kahoun introduced a small group of students to different kinds of percussion and rhythms.

We’re really proud of Staughton’s music program and we think Music Workshop Week is a great opportunity for students not currently in the program to have a go and learn something new. I’d like to thank all the music and instrumental music staff for their hard work and enthusiasm in delivering these handy workshops and performances. I’d also like to commend every student who attended a workshop – some participated in 5 workshops! – and hope they enjoyed learning about the world of music.

Keep an eye out for our Instrumental Music Concert in Week 6 next term, where we celebrate the effort and achievements of our instrumental music students.

LAUREN MOORE

Instrumental Music Coordinator